Time: 143 Minutes
Age Rating: M – contains medium level violence
Cast:
Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky
Tyrese Gibson as Sgt. Robert Epps
Josh Duhamel as Capt. William Lennox
Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitmann
Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes
Rachael Taylor as Maggie Madsen
John Turturro as Agt. Seymour Simmons
Jon Voight as John Keller
Director: Michael Bay

I decided to go back and watch all the Michael Bay Transformers movies. While the 5 films from him generally have a mixed to negative reception, the first movie is arguably the most liked. Last time I watched it was some years ago, and even though I liked it, I had mixed thoughts on it. Coming back to it though, I like it a lot more now.

The plot isn’t anything special, but I think it works for this movie. I know that some people don’t like how human focused it is (despite it being a film called Transformers), but for this first film being about humans discovering transformers, it makes sense. On the whole, I was interested enough in the story, even when it occasionally felt unfocused, mainly with it jumping between three very different plotlines. The first act is definitely slow, but I appreciated the time it took to before introducing the transformers. A lot of criticism has been aimed towards the writing of the human characters, but honestly I was fine with them. Some of them can lean into the comedy a bit too much at times, but they don’t feel like annoying distractions. As is typical of Bay, some of the humour is hit or miss and leans into the crudeness a little too much, but on the whole I found it to be quite funny. And of course, the third act climax is very entertaining with its action (which is where Bay excels at).

Shia LaBeouf actually works in the lead role. Perhaps he could’ve been written better, but he’s believable enough and LaBeouf plays him well. Megan Fox is also good in this. I remember people talking about how she’s just the attractive love interest character, but she has agency, and from the moment that she sees a transformer for the first time, she’s pretty much locked into the plot and is as involved as protagonist Sam is, not just a damsel in distress. The supporting cast shines more than the two leads, including Jon Voight and Josh Duhamel, and especially John Turturro. It also has a good voice cast, from Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime to Hugo Weaving as Megatron.

Michael Bay’s direction is really great, and even when adapting a popular toy into a blockbuster, the film very much retains his distinct style. Unsurprisingly, it’s the action that is the standout aspect of the film. The set pieces are wild and filled with explosions and slow motion and I’m aware that it’s not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. The camera movements are dynamic, and the visual effects are impressive and hold up better than expected. Not to dig on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts too much, but it is astonishing that nothing in that movie looks better than this movie released over a decade and a half earlier. It certainly helps that the destruction and transformers have actual weight to them. The movie also benefits from a great score from Steve Jablonsky, making everything even feel more epic.

Transformers is a highly entertaining blockbuster, well directed, with really fun action sequences, and great visual effects which still hold up today.