Transformers NY

When it was announced in 2005 that Michael Bay, the director of such hits as Pearl Harbor and Armageddon, would bring the classic 1980′s cartoon Transformers to the big screen, fan boys and fan girls met the news with a rather mixed reaction. With rumors circling around the movie fans were both ready to jeer and cheer.

For those unaware of the animated series, here is a brief description. On the planet Cybertron, there is a war for the source of life (the Allspark) of its robotic inhabitants. These robots, consisting of both the righteous and kind Autobots, and the malicious and cruel Decepticons, fight to either preserve peace or to conquer the universe.

They’re war spans the universe until they finally land on our planet and take the forms of cars (Autobots) or airplanes (Decepticons). As the war progresses, the Autobots are befriended by the human Sam Spike Witwicky as they try to find the Allspark. The Autobots are led by the wise Optimus Prime while the Decepticons are led by the villainous Megatron.

Now, the plot of the film, like any book, comic book, or TV adaptation, has it’s own fair share of deviances from the source material, but this is one of those rare instances where that would be considered a good thing.

In this version, Sam Witwicky’s encounters with the Autobots and Decepticons are not by mere chance. He is being sought by both sides because he has a pair of glasses that belong to his ancestor, an explorer, that also reveal the location of the Allspark. Siding with the Autobots and the United States Military, Sam sets out to find the Allspark before the Decepticons get it and claim victory.

This film boasts a cast of fresh faces with Shia LaBeouf as Sam, Megan Fox, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, John Voigt, and featuring Hugo Weaving as Megatron, and original voice actor Peter Cullen reprising his role as Optimus Prime. The acting is fluently delivered and fairly realistic given the story.

One problem the movie does have is that it is a difficult concept to make an audience believe in, but if one can simply get over the fact that it isn’t exactly Shakespeare, then it should be a surprisingly good time. It should also be pointed out that the special effects in this film are absolutely breath-taking. So, if you’d like a movie that has amazing visuals, good acting, and a story deeper than most action movies, then Transformers is definitely for you.