Transformers - Dark Of The Moon (DVD)

Deciding to have a lazy day today we headed down to our local Blockbusters and rented a load of DVDs. Transformers Dark of the Moon seemed the most suitable for an afternoon, and after closing the curtains, getting out some goodys and turning the volume up pretty loud, we were ready for our afternoon at the movies. Before we rented this DVD I didn't have any feelings towards it. Some movies I am desperate to see as soon as I hear about them, but this one wasn't one of those films. While I have enjoyed the previous two films in the trilogy, I had heard some mixed reviews about this in the press soon after its release. While I normally like to make up my own opinion about films, I was quite surprised to hear that the source of the critiscism came from none other than the lead role of the film - Shia LaBeouf (who plays Sam Witwicky) who had said he was dissapointed with the film and that it could have been much better. No kidding.

Although I probably knew from the previous two films, I was happy to see Michael Bay’s name appear as well as Steven Spielberg, after all every film they touch turns to gold right? In this case, I’d most definitely say no. Yes it earned a reported $1.1 billion dollars (with production costs of $195 million), however I’d say this was mostly riding on the success of the previous two films and the headlines it grabbed during its production when Megan Fox was famously fired by Spielberg (bizarrely for calling Bay ‘Hitler’ –reportedly!) to be replaced by up and coming English girl Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

While there can be no doubt about the amazing special effects, it’s the story that the problem. It starts off relatively well and I actually thought it was quite an original idea as they take the Apollo 11 1969 moon landings and turn them into something darker. I quite liked how it took a factual chain of events and used them in a fantasy by basically saying that while on the moon they discovered a gigantic space craft with transformers inside. The film is pretty much like the others in that Sam must save the world along with the Transformers as he fights the Decepticons against a new evil plot to take over the world.

The film features cameos from a very orange looking John Malkovich and this for me was when things started to get confusing, with companies here, there and everywhere who all wanted a little NASA action, as well as some very odd little side stories. I think this was a massive downfall for this film and in my opinion most audiences wouldn’t expect such a complex story in a film that features heavily with special effects. I was constantly trying to figure out who was who or what they were talking about as I worried I had missed important pockets of information in the fast paced action and strange robotic dialect which can sometimes be difficult to follow. I’m making myself sound stupid here, that I didn’t 100% follow a film about robots which was rated a 12 and genuinely don’t think this was the case as I have recently completed a degree in film and film history with the Open University. I’m not trying to show off – just think this film was trying to achieve too much and it simply needed to strip back and simplify, as in parts it was just plain confusing.

Another major niggle I had with this film was its rating. I had previously spoken to friends of mine with similarly aged children to mine who had let their children watch the film. Seeing it was a 12 I figured it was probably due to the explosions, and ‘violence’ if you could call it that, and so allowed my eldest child to watch it with us (aged 8), some may disagree with me here but I did think it would be relatively tame in this respect. I definitely think the film should have been a 15, with quite extensive swearing in it and unlike the first two films (that I can recall) actually showed the Decepticons killing humans. I think in the previous films this may have been implied however not shown.

The film was also far far too long at nearly 2 hours and 15 minutes. I think it could have achieved what it wanted to in 1 hour 30 with no problems and the extra 45 minutes was an expensive luxury which it needn’t have bothered with. While I’m on a rant I may as well also say that I find its subtitle bizarre – ‘Dark of the Moon’ – surely it’s missing the word ‘side’ (something that was also picked up in the press at the time of its release).

The same stereotypical action touches are still evident as you would expect, with civilians being able to walk into top secret government facilities, the army guys ripped with black tights t-shirts on and other similarly cliché moments, I didn’t mind this. What I did mind was the story being such a letdown!

One thing I must say in this films defense is that it was also released in 3D, and while I watched the Blu ray version it definitely won’t have had the same impact as watching it on the big screen in 3D. Although I’m glad we watched the movie on Blu-ray (as the picture will obviously have been crisper) –I can’t say the extras on the disc made me want to invest any more of my time on this film. The film was quite enough thank you very much!

In my opinion this film would have been much much better if it had taken a simpler story and perhaps a more darker side like the Batman films did. It also needed to ditch the ridiculous new Transformers which looked like mad scientists with crazy hair (why do they need hair all of a sudden?!). It also could have covered Carly - fabulous name ; ) played by Huntington-Whiteley – up more as it seemed that that was really all she was there for and that she didn’t really need to be in the story. I’m unsure if she will be in the fourth Transformers movie (Rise of Galvatron) which is released in 2013 but LaBeouf definitely won’t be after quitting after this disappointing film .

Random Fact: According to VFX supervisor Scott Farrar, Sentinel Prime was physically modelled on Sean Connery.

Critic reviews for Dark of the Moon:

Empire Magazine on Rosie: 'Bay introduces her with a self-parodying shot of her barely-clad bottom and it’s all downhill from there. You’ll believe a robot can fly, but you won’t believe a Huntington-Whiteley can talk.’

The New York Times: ‘Nothing you see makes any sense at all, but the sensations are undeniable, and kind of fun in their vertiginous, supercaffeinated way.’