Sunday, July 6, 2014

Transformers: age of extinction

--> Direction: Michael Bay; Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Peter Cullen, Kelsey Grammer; Screenplay: Ehren Kruger; Producer: Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto, Music: Steve Jablonsky; Genre: Sci-Fi Action; Distributor: Paramount Pictures; Running Time: 185 minutes
Technical assessment:  2.5
Moral assessment :  3
MTRCB Rating : G
CINEMA rating : V14

Four years after the epic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, an elite CIA unit called Cemetery Wind is set up to hunt all Transformers on earth. The unit is headed by Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) and his bounty hunter transformer, Lockdown.  Meanwhile, in Texas, Cade (Mark Wahlberg), a struggling inventor, buys an old truck with the intention of stripping it down to parts. When he discovers the truck is actually an injured Optimus Prime, he decides to help him despite objections from his partner and his daughter Tessa. It does not take long before Cemetery Wind storms Cade’s home so they can capture Optimus. But Optimus attacks the operatives and manages to escape with Cade, Tessa and her boyfriend Shane. Later, Optimus rallies the remaining Autobots while Cade discovers that Cemetery Wind is working for KSI—a techno-corporation who was able to gain access to the Transformers’ main composition, transformium, and is now building its own version. Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci), head of KSI, envisions a progressive society where humans control their own Transformers. His prized creation is Galvatron which unfortunately is Megatron reincarnated. As the Autobots team up with Cade to fight Galvatron and his human made army of Decepticons and stop Joyce and Attinger from releasing the seed to create more transformers, Optimus must fight Lockdown and avoid being reclaimed by the Creators.
There is one word to perfectly describe Transformers: Age of Extinction—LOUD. Loud because holding together the very flimsy and obscure storyline is one explosion after another. Loud because punctuating every nonsensical dialogue is a building toppling down or metal slicing through something. Loud because Michael Bay decided to extend as long as possible every chase sequence with a blast every 10 seconds or so. There is a valiant attempt to humanize the story with multilayers of revelations and twists but they are presented in such a fragmented manner that it is so hard to keep up. Performances are pitiful because the robots show more emotions than the humans. The only articulated scenes are those with Tucci in them. Of course, the animation is impressive but this is not a video game where a sensible narrative is necessary. The magic of the Transformers franchise is the ability of the bots to magically morph from a cool vehicle into a colossal robot and back. But this magic cannot sustain a near three-hour running time, especially again, without a succinct plot to justify it.
Greater good resounds loudly in the movie as Optimus, Cade and Joyce realize that in their innermost beings lives the desire to protect the innocent. While each of them had self-serving motives, disappointments and unscrupulous intentions at first, the movie shows that change of heart is always possible for those who recognize that the greater good matter more than personal gain. However, Transformers, aside from its action being a little too intense for kids also has several disturbing attitude from Tessa and her boyfriend. Why Transformers: Age of Extinction merited a G rating from the regulatory board could baffle discerning viewers. The plot is too confusing and the violence too upsetting for children. The producers must have pushed for an Admit All Ages rating to allow them to sell their merchandising.