‘Transformers’ shows it mettle

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

Given the fact that I always regarded Transformers as toys for boys, a live-action movie didn’t have much appeal to me. Yes I was a child of the ’80s, but I never saw one episode of the cartoon.
My expectations for the movie were not very high. I thought it would be the typical July 4 action movie, especially since Michael Bay (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) was directing. I pictured lots of loud explosions, car chases and slow-motion battle scenes, not to mention someone trying to save the world.
To some extent, I was right. However, being surrounded in the theater by enthusiastic fans, I couldn’t help but get into it. The funny scenes and amazing graphics didn’t hurt either. The story is very easy to follow. A boy and his first car. Good robots versus bad robots.
Transformers is a lot of noisy fun. People experiencing some ’80s nostalgia, casual fans and non-fans will all like something about Transformers.
It’s hard to tell whether the humans or the robots are the stars. The humans felt sort of obligatory, especially the military (led by Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson) and government personnel (led by Jon Voight, who played the secretary of defense). Early on, it’s obvious that guns cannot kill the bad robots, yet they keep trying.
Geeky high-schooler Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) leads the human side of the story, beginning with his search for his very first car. In one of the movie’s many funny scenes, car dealer Bobby Bolivia (Bernie Mac in a small role) informs Sam that people don’t choose their car, the car chooses them. A 1970s Chevrolet Camaro turns up out of nowhere and Sam proclaims that it’s definitely his car. Sam tries to impress Mikaela (Maxim hot girl Megan Fox), a girl who never even knew he existed. Eventually, she becomes an integral part of the cast.
Little did he know, his cool retro car has been sent to protect him. The car transforms into a robot and is one of the Autobots. He is soon whisked into a fight between the Autobots and their enemies, the Decepticons. Sam has an item of interest that, if the Decepticons get their hands on it, would mean the end of human life.
The robots are certainly the coolest part of the movie. The Autobots, including Optimus Prime (leader of the gang), Bumblebee (Sam’s car), Jazz, Ironhide and Ratchet, effortlessly transform from automobiles to talking robots with feelings. The Decepticons, with Megatron as their leader and including the well-known Starscream and Bonecrusher, are mostly airplanes that transform into mean robots.
GM is the other star of the movie. All of the cars are made by GM, and the 2008 Chevy Camaro makes its debut here. When Sam has some negative words for his ’70s Camaro clunker, it leaves and comes back as a brand-spanking new one.
LeBeouf succeeds again as a leading man. His quick wit helps give the unbelievable story a bit of credibility. His interactions with his nosy parents, and his uncomfortable moments while getting to know Mikaela, present some funny scenes. Sam’s car starts playing Sexual Healing and Baby Come Back to help him woo her. Other actors do a decent job but are forgettable. LeBeouf will be the actor most associated with this movie.
At some point, the action does get to be too loud, but it’s forgivable. Transformers is a movie that can bring out the inner child geek in everyone. Watching two robots duke it out over a cube certainly seems silly, but it’s entertaining as a summer popcorn flick. ••
Movie Grade: B+