TF Bias...

Yes. I am a die-hard Transformers fan. I grew up with them. It was Optimus Prime who shaped my morals and beliefs at the age of four and five and some of that has stuck with me as geeky as it sounds. What is funny about it is that when I watch the show now, much of the magic is gone. It is hard as an adult to get past the finger smudges, animator hair, and plain old mess-ups that made the original cartoon. It is, however, a classic and is still my favorite show.



Tonight, I saw the new movie Transformers. Before I give my unbiased review of it, I would like to say a few things. Firstly, there are Transformers fans that will tell you that the movie is ridiculous because there is very little that coincides with the original cartoon. I would like to point out that this is not true. There is much of the movie that does coincide with the original and tries to stick to what it can. I say "what it can" because the cartoon was a myriad of logical issues and stupid mistakes. So, as a movie producer, do you stick to many of those mistakes or do you try to salvage what you can? I think the answer here is clear based on the fact that the movie is made to make money.

Secondly, I do think the movie addressed the main issue of taking the franchise seriously. This wasn't a child's movie. It was directed towards my generation as it should have been. That, in my mind, is a huge victory.

Thirdly, there was a complaint that many of the famed robots were missing from the movie. Yes. This is true. But, this is a re-invention of the franchise. Again, we already have the original Transformers Movie to look to for all the hard-core non-deviation. This, like Batman Begins, is a retelling of a story from the beginning, only this time, it makes more sense.

I loved this movie. It was exactly what I was hoping for and delivered in every way.

Now for the unbiased section. The effects were amazing, the robots were put together beautifully, and while it took some time to get to the good stuff, the movie is act one in at least a three act play. Like my opinion of Batman Begins, I will always deal with less action if there is character development happening. That being said, every other scene in this movie was action, and artfully done action. The story was lacking. This is to be expected in a Michael Bay film. He has always opted for basic story and epic action. This was no different. I didn't mind seeing as the focus should be on massive robots fighting. All-in-all, it was good and I look forward to the sequel.

Remember, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."