Bevendre

Michael Bay is back to destroy a childhood franchise.  Except he’s not.  Kind of.  It depends.  The film definitely bears a strong resemblance to its predecessors, but at the same time feels fairly new due in large part to a changed human cast, a reworked Autobot cast, and a general shift in tone.

Spoilers.

Story and Characters

Just as one would expect from a Michael Bay movie, the story is secondary to the explosions, but it is still present.  Unlike the other Transformers movies wherein the primary conflict is between the Autobots and Decepticons, with the occasional meddling of the US military, Age of Extinction takes the opposite approach.  With Megatron killed in Dark of the Moon and his Decepticons scattered and hunted there is no Decepticon force for the Autobots or the military to fight.  But why should the military stop with Decepticons?  Riding the anti-alien sentiments that came from the battle for Chicago in the preceding film, the CIA works to eliminate the last of the Transformers on Earth, both Autobot and Decepticon.  This decision is made in the hopes of melting down the ‘bots into their base components from which new Transformers and technology can be reverse-engineered.  Therein lies the conflict of the first half of the movie, trying to end the production of artificial Cybertronians and the systematic destruction of the few remaining Autobots.

The first half of the movie (and a fair bit of the rest of the movie) does a very good job of making you dislike the CIA, the government as a whole, and major corporations (ironically as the sponsorship is evident and everywhere in the movie, perhaps moreso than Man of Steel).  The human antagonists are scummy and strategic, taking the best and the worst of the typical corrupt agent and progress driven businessman.  Not the best, but definitely among the better antagonists in Bayformers.  Allied with them is Lockdown, a bounty hunter tasked with bringing down the last of the Autobots and capturing Optimus as a trophy.  Much more calculating and calm than Megatron, and with a more imposing quietness about him, Lockdown may be the best villain in a Transformers movie, or at least in Bayformers.  As is to be expected, there are plenty of badbots, especially after the human-made reverse-engineered Transformers make their appearance, led by the big baddy reborn, Galvatron.

On the opposite end there is a generally better human cast of characters than in previous titles.  Marky Mark Wahlberg plays Cade Yeager, a half-mad inventor with a stack of overdue bills and a daughter on the verge of independence.  Rather than just being there and screaming for help a la Shia La Beouf, Wahlberg’s character remains fairly dynamic and useful through the bulk of the movie, be it through reviving Optimus in an attempt to understand his mechanics, or actively joining in the fight alongside the Autobots.  His character actively participates in the fast, and the slow which is a strange thing in a Bayformers movie.  Tessa, the daughter, unfortunately falls more under the 'damsel in distress’ staple and has to be rescued by her father and boyfriend on more than one occasion, though she does a fair bit to help her father on and off the battlefield with the help of her stock car racing Irish boyfriend.  The smaller human cast allows for a lot more good character moments, especially from a Bay film, and has its leads run the gambit from emotional father-daughter talks, to the ever amusing “you date my daughter, and I’ll gut you” mechanics between father and boyfriend.

With the Autobots having been hunted to the brink of nonexistence, the smaller cast there is understandable, and welcome.  Sadly, many old favorites are gone to the scrap pile, but in there place are some new bots sure to bring a smile (or a scowl if you prefer).  Optimus and Bumblebee both return, and after their ordeals with the humans have lost faith with humanity.  Joining them are Crosshairs, a rogue with an itchy trigger finger and a preference for being alone, Hound, a walking arsenal who sounds and acts like a fair few old west heroes, and villains, and Drift, a would be samurai with some of the best moments in the film.  All five of the Autobots come with some great moments and growth through the film, and have some pretty fun dynamics among one another that make the team as a whole feel more relatable than many of their predecessors.  
Then of course, there are the Dinobots.  Not just Grimlock.  All of the Dinobots.  They may not have much screen time, and no dialogue, but they’re still awesome.

Music and Sound

Although the music in the film is nothing particularly memorable (when is it in an action movie?) it does fit the film very well.  Explosions are augmented with deep, resonating basses, and emotional still moments are augmented by very soft melodies.  The sound design is very respectable, with the classic Transformers shifting sound being throughout and upgraded to meet with the dynamics of the characters.  Actions are made palpable through admirable soundwork befitting the actions they reflect.  If there’s one complaint I have with the soundwork, it’s that Grimlock didn’t get the Jurassic Park T-rex roar.  The voicing of every Transformer is well done, much like in most cartoons, games, and the preceding movies, but the dynamics of the characters in this one seem to bring it out more.

Action, Pace and Tone

It’s a Michael Bay movie.  There are explosions everywhere.  That aside the choreography of the action is very impressive, even if some stretches of it are covered up by flames and sparks.  Battles and chases are prevalent throughout the movie, perhaps moreso than in any other Transformers film, and it can get old.  Despite an overreliance upon the action at times, the pacing is rather good.  Despite lasting nearly 2.5 hours the movie didn’t 'feel’ long, nor did it have any false endings.  One action flowed into the next rather admirably, especially considering how much is there.  However, I would have liked to see a few more scenes between the Yeagers, and could have done without some of the chases (one of which did drag on near the beginning).

The tone is a strange one among the four movies.  Because of the refurbished casting it feels as much like a reboot as it does a sequel, and this largely works in the movie’s favor.  There is a good balance of 'drama’ and comedy between bouts of explosions and robot fisticuffs, moreso than in the last couple films.  Despite this, the film feels darker than the others.  This is due in no small part to the nature of the antagonists, and to the position that the Autobots are put in.  With the Decepticons not being able to provide a cut and clear bad guy, the slack has to be taken up by parties that are not inherently evil.  They are not looking to dominate the world, but to protect it from a force that they don’t understand, and have been given explicit reason to distrust.  Because of this their actions are more understandable, and harder to stomach.  In that, the film feels to be darker as it seems to make a greater stand on some darker aspects of human nature than it is probably trying to, and more than one would expect from a simple action romp.

Verdict

It’s Bayformers, and how you felt about the first three will heavily influence how you feel about this one.  If you didn’t like the Bayformers movies, then you’re going to hate this one as it has everything of its predecessors, but turns them up and plays them longer.  If you enjoyed, or even liked the Bayformers series, then you’ll likely love this one, as it cut off much of what made the past couple movies ridiculous and instead acted as more of a reboot that held some of the positives of the first Bayformer movie.

The story isn’t very strong, but it is passable.  The characters are arguably the best that could be done with such a property, and would work very well in other settings, just as they do here.  The action choreography and feeling are top notch, and of course EXPLOSIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All in all a very fun summer movie, and worth seeing if only for the action and the robot dinosaurs.

8.1/10