TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION
US, 2014, 165 minutes, Colour.
Mark Wahlburg, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammar, John Reynor, Sophia Miles,
Voices of: Peter Cullen, John Goodman,
Directed by Michael Bay.
It’s not quite true to say, seen one Transformers movie, seen them all. Yes, there is a great deal of similarity in plots and characters in the first three films, but this one begins with a more human touch than usual.
Admittedly, there has already been a battle with the destruction of the city of Chicago, the Decepticons wreaking havoc on humans and buildings. And the retiring CIA chief, played with a villainous relish by Kelsey Grammar, is involved in secret plots to rid the world completely of Transformers. He sees himself as the complete Patriot, with hawkish no tolerance of Transformers.
In fact, the Autobots have been vanquished, have disappeared, in hiding, especially their leader Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen). Fortunately for the plot of the film, he is hiding in Texas, disguised as a truck in a huge vintage cinema which is in a state of decay. Cade Yeager, an imaginative but impoverished technical inventor (played by Mark Wahlburg in his usual down-to-earth style) buys equipment as well as the old truck that he has discovered. Into the story comes his daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz) and his longtime friend, Lucas (T.J.Miller). There is a reward for finding Transformers and Lucas is interested in it, even phoning the authorities – but, unfortunately, linking up with the CIA secret surveillance for Transformers. And in they come, in mass force, being watched by the CIA Director on massive screens, drawing on negotiation skills which have no effect and then resorting to weaponry, mass weaponry.
This begins a series of chasers, raids, assembling of Autobots, one sounding like John Goodman and looking like him as a bearded cigar-chomping warrior, help from Optimus, the gathering together of the Transformers and the discovery of the lengths of plotting by the CIA Director.
Enter an entrepreneur, Joshua (Stanley Tucci) who has the largest laboratories we have ever seen, working on reconstructing Transformers, in possession of transformium, discovered in the Arctic – the audience has seen in a prologue how the Transformers defeated the dinosaurs millions of millennia back – and the CIA hopes to defeat all Transformers with the aid of these controlled reconstructions.
There has to be a confrontation, of course, and that happens in Chicago, an extended, very extended, sequence of smashing and mayhem, The Autobots doing their best, Cade and his daughter and her boyfriend, a 20-year-old racing car driver from Ireland, getting caught up in all the action.
And this is where it should have ended – but director Michael Bay, ever the loud expert in booming action, thought that the fans needed more. And so the whole action moves to China for another almost-hour, laboratories and reconstructions, pursuit by Optimus Prime, Cade and family going along, complexities, some changes of heart, and a whole new extended, very extended, battle confrontation which will give Hong Kong the opportunity for extensive rebuilding after this Transformer showdown.
If you want to see Transformers: Age of Extinction, then the recommendation would be on the IMAX screen and in 3-D, some of the 3-D being the most effective for some time.
But, a review is rather superfluous. Fans will want to see the film, critical approval or not. Non-fans will not want to see it, critical approval are not. Transformers, from the Hasbro toys, to the animation films of the 1980s, to this particular franchise, is a movie phenomenon and that’s that.
1. The popularity of the series? The origins in Japan, Hasbro toys? Games, movies?
2. Michael Bay, his reputation, big and loud, audience expectations? The photography, the quality of the 3-D? Stunt work, special effects? The Transformers, design, voices, action? The musical score?
3. The Transformers, the previous films, the story and characters? The Autobots, the Decepticons, Optimus, Megatron, becoming Galvatron? The battles, the relationship with humans? The role of the military? The head of the CIA and antagonism towards aliens? The battle of Chicago, the visuals of the ruins? Optimus hiding, the CIA plan, the liaison with the production company? Transformium, the seed for further building? Rebuilding the old Transformers? The plan for confrontation and elimination?
4. The introduction, the era of the dinosaurs, the Transformers attacking, the destruction? The present, the expedition in the Arctic, their findings, the Transformers, Joshua and his company, Darcy and her presence? The transformum?
5. Texas, Tessa, 17, coming home, homely, the mail? Wanting to get into College, not accepted? Cade, his work as an inventor, strapped for cash, the guard dog at the gate and the jokes? The enormous barn? He and Lukas going to the cinema, memories of the old cinemas, the quips about films, sequels, films degenerating? Digital machinery? the discovery of the truck and buying it? Lucas, his personality, the jokes, as a partner for Cade, putting up the money? The real estate agent, bringing the visitors, Cade confronting them? The eviction notice?
6. Lucas, his comedy, friendship with Cade, the truck, noting the reward, phoning the CIA? the CIA surveillance, the fleet of cars, Savoy and his leadership? The verbal confrontation, the discussions, the arguments, the threats, to shoot Tessa? Optimus Prime and his hiding in Texas, the river, in the truck, the revelation, the discussions with Cade, the plans for reassembling the Autobots? The attack on the barn, the fires, the escapes? Shane’s arrival, driving, the revelation of his relationship with Tessa?
7. The background of father-daughter relationships, old-style, permissions? Shane, 20, from Ireland, champion driver? Cade’s threats and the reply about the Romeo and Juliet clause?
8. The escape, in the town, doing technological experiments, the television information, the CIA focusing on them? The attack, Lucas and his being killed?
9. The CIA, the retiring head, the interview with the representative from the White House, the lies, his comic personality? Attinger and his retirement, his view of the world? Dealing with Joshua? His plans? Relentlessness? His hold over Joshua?
10. Joshua, his personality, manner, his company? The robots, his large staff, the Chinese interest in the company, his technicians, the young Englishman and his pride in his work? The technological developments? Transformium, the seed for the future robots? The comic Autobot imprisoned in the laboratory? The vastness of the laboratory, length, breadth, height?
11. The battle sequences? The range of Transformers? Optimus and his voice, personality, manipulation, the truck? Transforming the truck? The variety of other Transformers? The destruction and mayhem?
12. The many battles, in Chicago, in China, in Hong Kong? The imaginative presentation of these last battles?
13. The Transformers, the destruction of the cities, the buildings, falling, the space vehicle and the magnets? The effect on vehicles, on people?
14. Cade, Tessa and Shane, their being rescued by Optimus? Their becoming involved in the fights, their weapons, the rescues?
15. The stunt work for the Transformers, for Cade, Shane and Tessa in their battles?
16. The transfer of the company to China, the plant, the authorities, Beijing, Guanzhou?
17. Joshua, talking with Cade, the appeal to his conscience, his change of heart, taking the seed, carrying it in Hong Kong, the dangers, cars, the elevators, protecting it?
18. Attinger, his control, with the resources of the CIA, surveillance? The confrontation, his death?
19. The Hong Kong battle, the Transformers and their roles, Optimus confronting Galvatron? The role of Cade, Tessa and Shane? The dangers, the elevators, the rooms, falling on the air-conditioning boxes on the side of buildings, Cade versus Savoy? Savoy and his falling to his death? The three having
to cross the wires, the dangers, the rescue?
20. The spacecraft, hovering, its magnetic force, drawing up the vehicles and dropping them, Joshua in the vehicle and the group holding him down?
21. The defeat of the Decepticons, Optimus and his victory, departure, the spacecraft going into space?
22. Humans, aliens, humans having to learn they were not the centre of the universe, future interactions with the Transformers?
