By: debbie lynn elias
With four nephews, the oldest of which turned me onto these really cool Hasbro toys when he was much younger (and which, for the life of me, I still can’t manipulate from machine to robot and back to machine), there was no way I was going to miss out on the most anticipated blockbuster of the year. Lucky for me, them and you, I was one of the few thousand to experience the world premiere of TRANSFORMERS last week at the LA Film Festival. With theater security at an all time high and night vision goggles at the ready (I kid you not), the film was broadcast with digital transmission beamed simultaneously to four Westwood theaters via satellite. Not a huge fan of Michael Bay (although I loved “Armageddon” but had a multitude of problems with “Pearl Harbor”), I was both curious and anxious to see what he would do with this challenging CGI-live action meld. Now, having experienced this technologic movie-going phenomenon, let me say this – I WAS BLOWN AWAY! WOW!! WOW!! WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!
For those of you not in the know, Transformers are robots from a distant galaxy. Two races, the Autobots and the Decepticons, have been waging war for centuries. But when their planet Cybertron is destroyed by this good versus evil civil war, the Autobots and the Decepticons are deployed out into the universe seeking a new home and others of their kind. And lo and behold, their search brings them to Earth where they seek the “Allspark”, a cosmic cube from their homeland that is the source of life and power for the Transformers (and which also strangely resembles the Borg spaceship in Star Trek). But something else crash landed on Earth – the most evil of all Transformers, Megatron.
Unbeknownst to Earth’s inhabitants, Transformers have been living among us for thousands of years while they seek out the Allspark. Using their ability to transform into various mechanical objects, they are living side by side with us in the form of cars, trucks, radios, helicopters, fighter jets, etc. And the Autobots, peaceable and never wanting to harm humans, under the leadership of the benevolent and wise Optimus Prime, have done their best to aid humans in their time of need. On the other hand, the Decepticons are all about death and destruction and will do anything and everything in order to not only get the Allspark for themselves, but also find their leader Megatron who disappeared deep in the Arctic many millenia ago.
Our story opens in Qatar where U.S. Troops come under attack from some indestructible enemy that hacks into top secret files in the computer database of the Department of Defense. Is it Al Qaeda? The Taliban? A new terrorist threat? Destroying an entire military installation, communication lines and a civilian stronghold with women and children, the Decepticons have now surfaced and made their move. (Naturally, since they like war, it makes sense that they would pop up in the middle of a war zone.) Unfortunately for us, since they didn’t download the complete database of top secret files, it’s clear that they will strike again. On the flip side, though, luckily a lone Special Forces unit who truly represent the best of the best, and one of whom has come face to face with this technologically advanced “weapon”, have eluded the Decepticons and are in a race against time to get their video and first hand information to the Pentagon. With high casualties, knowledge that another attack is imminent and a befuddled Secretary of Defense not having a clue as to what’s going on, but certain of one thing, “This is way too smart for the Iranians”, the stage is set for a new Armageddon.
Meanwhile, back in the good old U.S. of A, average 16 year old Sam Witwicky is desperately trying to come up with cash to buy his first car. He only needs $2000 (Dad will put up the other half) and resorts to e-Bay as a way to make some quick cash by cashing in on antiquities and heirlooms, including newspaper clippings, spectacles, a hat, etc., that belonged to his great grandfather, an explorer who many believed to be insane following his final Arctic expedition and his rantings about alien wonders hidden beneath the frozen tundra. Putting his desire for a car over that of his family legacy, Sam finally gets to buy his car – from used car dealer Bobby Bolivia. But strange things start happening a the dealership, particularly after Bobby Bolivia makes an interesting observation – you don’t pick the car, the car picks you. Out of nowhere a little yellow Camaro appears and while Bobby Bolivia desperately tries to talk Sam into some other car on the lot, windows break, radiator caps explode, tires blow out and the only car left standing is the little yellow Camaro with black racing stripes.
Wanting to impress a girl at school that he has the hots for but who never notices him, Sam heads out in his new car to a local gathering place and soon finds himself getting help with his love life from the strangest “person” – his car. Playing the right song at the right time as if by magic, Sam’s car manages to help Sam strike up a rapport with Mikaela. Believing his car to be possessed, Sam gets really freaked out when the car drives away by itself in the middle of the night. Running out of the house in his pajamas following the car while riding his mother’s girlie bicycle, Sam gets the shock of his life when he sees his car transform into a giant robot that appears to be making contact with outer space.
Before you know it, we’ve got Transformers at the ready as Optimus Prime and his Autobot friends appear to join Sam’s car, Bumblebee, in a search for the Allspark, the location of which is identified on Sam’s great-great grandfather’s glasses. And just how did the Transformers know to look for Sam? Why, the World Wide Web and e-Bay, of course! But it’s not just the Autobots looking for Sam. The Decepticons are out there are well. And let’s not forget our Special Forces unit. And just to add a little rust to the mix, toss in the FBI for good measure. And how about teen hackers called into to help the Feds? Oh yeah, and did I mention that the government has had Megatron in a special lab frozen for all these years and he is now starting to melt?
Realizing the fate of the universe and the balance of good and evil is in his hands, Sam is about to find out what his great-great-grandfather’s family motto, “No sacrifice, no victory!”, truly means.
Shia LaBeouf leads a strong cast of heroes and lead he does. I have always liked him as an actor and watching him mature over the years and come into his own as an “everyman” much like Bruce Willis’ John McClane or Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones or Jack Ryan, has been a joyous ride. And now as Sam, Shia comes into his own with uncompromising, unapologetic heart, soul and energy and carries the human element of this film. I had a chance to talk with Shia at the the premiere and when I asked him about the difficulty of the shoot, he told me, “It was tough. I had cuts, bruises. Got banged up a lot. But it was fun. It was hard shooting against a screen trying to pull reaction at times, but Michael [Bay] was always there pushing and encouraging.” I am more than impressed with this young man. Megan Fox as girlfriend, super sidekick Mikaela is not only a fox in her own right, but a kickass gal with a brain, a heart and a strong sense of loyalty. Josh Duhamel fills the bill quite nicely for Special Forces Commander Sergeant Lennox. He has a commanding energetic presence and interacts well with Tyrese Gibson’s USAF Tech Sergeant Epps. I also had a chance to talk to Tyrese who was affable, polite and really enjoyed this demanding role. Two of the best “human” casting choices though come from Jon Voight as Secretary of Defense John Keller and Jon Turturo as obnoxiously irritating FBI Special Agent Simmons. In a nutshell, Voight is hilarious fun. He is charismatic and he played the role with a seriocomic tone that pulled in some laughs – and at the right moment. He also was delight at the premiere and I took special note that little kids were going up to him asking for autographs which he gladly obliged.
Key to the Transformers has always been voicing and I am overjoyed that Bay elected to have the inimitable Peter Cullen reprise his cartoon talents as Optimus Prime. Transformer fans the world over were concerned that Bay might not look to Cullen for the film, and boy am I glad he did. To not have Peter Cullen voice Optimus Prime would be like not having James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. Darius McCrary who I long enjoyed as Eddie Winslow on “Family Matters” uses his talents as Autobot Jazz. Mark Ryan is endearing as the beloved Bumblee. And what a pleasant surprise to hear Robert Foxworth as Ratchett. Hugo Weaving, known for his work in the “Matrix” films and “Lord of the Rings” now follows up his voicing debut as Noah in “Happy Feet” as the booming death defying Megatron. Ooooohhhh!
Written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, together with John Rogers, the team stays true to the basic Transformers stories yet humanizes them with such meticulous articulation so as to evoke emotion be it good or bad. They strike not only a balance between humans and anthropomorphic Transformers but between generations of audiences. And although predictable in its outcome, but with a few surprises, the story is still entertaining.
Initially, Michael Bay turned down this job thinking it a “stupid toy movie”. But, with Steven Spielberg as Executive Producer and Bay having had similar thoughts about “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, he ultimately rethought his position. Good thing he did. At the crux of this film are the robots and it is only through his demanding perfection that TRANSFORMERS is transforming into box office gold. Striving for realism, he sought not just a realistic look, but photo realism. He got what he wanted and then some. Photo-realistic to the point the robots even look more human than humans, the film doesn’t lose a step even during all the robotic transformations. CGI has never looked better. Eye-popping, more than convincing and jaw-dropping mesmerization will transform even the most cynical of viewers.
There is a seamless mesh of non-stop CGI and live-action to such a degree that you can’t tell where one ends and one begins. According to producers, it ultimately took about 38 hours to render just one frame of CGI to portray the Transformers. In fact, if you took all the polygons (CGI building blocks) from the models created, they would reach to the moon and back with enough left to build the Roman Coliseum twice. Concerned that he didn’t want the visual FX to overwhelm the live-action, Bay spent a large portion of his $150 million budget on 15 live action car chases and battle sequences. The result is technically and visually mind blowing.
So this holiday week, transform yourself back to childhood with TRANSFORMERS. This is THE ultimate E-Ticket ride.
Sam Witwicky – Shia LaBeouf
Sgt. Epps – Tyrese Gibson
Capt. Lennox – Josh Duhamel
Mikaela Banes – Megan Fox
Agent Simmons – John Turturro
John Keller – Jon Voight
Directed by Michael Bay. Written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci based on a story by Kurtzman, Orci and John Rogers.
