|
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
| Released |
29 June 2011 |
| Director |
Michael Bay |
Starring
|
Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, Rich Hutchman, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich |
| Writer(s) |
Ehren Kruger |
Producer(s)
|
Ian Bryce, Tom DeSanto, Lorenza di Bonaventura, Don Murphy |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
157 minutes |
| Genre |
Action, adventure, sci-fi |
| Rating |
12A |
|
|
Houston, we have a problem.
Only with Michael Bay could it be classed as a compliment that his latest film didn’t make me feel nauseous. His direction of the action sequences in the first of the Transfomers franchise was so unfocused that they ended up looking like the visuals at an Orbital gig. At least this time, due to the fact that this is the first 3D outing for the series, Bay has been forced to slow down and we can see what bit of metal is hitting the other bit of metal. Rather than compensating with some effective choreographing though, Bay has just gone for good old slow motion. This constant slowing down and speeding up combined with the outrageously long running time of two and a half hours made me feel as if I had stumbled into another dimension, forever to be trapped in a vortex with some CGI boys toys.
The story certainly doesn’t justify the time scale. Shia LaBeouf returns as the distinctly unlikable Sam Witwicky. After secretly saving the Earth a couple of times, Sam finds himself out of college and unable to get a job. We’re supposed to feel sorry for him but he’s far too annoying for that. God knows how he keeps getting girlfriends (here the equally uncharismatic Rosie Huntington-Whiteley steps into Megan Fox’s shoes). Luckily Sam soon finds something to do when the Decepticons show up to cause havoc again- this time enlisting the help of some humans, including Patrick Dempsey as a walking shampoo commercial. Some conspiracy theory stuff is thrown in about the moon landing but really, it’s all just a build up for an almighty dust up in downtown Chicago.
Despite the simplicity of the narrative, the film manages to be staggeringly uneven in tone, with quite a lot of ill conceived zaniness in cameos from John Malkovich, Alan Tudyk and most excruciatingly of all, The Hangover’s Ken Jeong. The action sequences are just as unfocused and meander aimlessly despite the much improved CGI. This is another film from Bay that has a severe case of ADD.
So while, Dark of the Moon is nowhere near as incomprehensible as the earlier films, it is all still monumentally silly and in need of a harsh edit. And a new leading man. And a new director while we’re at it.
-
Linda O’Brien |
