Time: 154 Minutes
Age Rating: M – contains violence and offensive language
Cast:
Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky
Josh Duhamel as Colonel William Lennox
John Turturro as Seymour Simmons
Tyrese Gibson as Retired U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Chief Master Sergeant Robert Epps
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Carly Spencer
Patrick Dempsey as Dylan Gould
Kevin Dunn as Ron Witwicky
Julie White as Judy Witwicky
John Malkovich as Bruce Brazos
Frances McDormand as Charlotte Mearing
Director: Michael Bay

Dark of the Moon, along with the first Transformers seem to be the most well received of the Michael Bay directed Transformers movies. Revisiting it, I think its my favourite of the films.

In contrast to the relatively convoluted Revenge of the Fallen, the plot of Dark of the Moon is comprehensible, was compelling enough that it held my attention throughout the 2.5 hour runtime, and the high stakes were really felt. The comedy actually works, most of the jokes are funny and were considerably less juvenile compared to the last movie. It is also quite an insane movie, there are points where you really feel that this was made by the director who made Bad Boys 2. There’s even moments where transformers are ripped apart and red fluids gush out to act as blood. I also appreciated how silly the movie is; there’s a plot point about how NASA went to the moon and discovered transformers, there’s even a scene in which Buzz Aldrin (playing himself) talks to Optimus Prime. The final act with the large big battle climax was amazing to watch and was incredibly satisfying.

Shia LaBeouf returns as the protagonist Sam Witwicky and again does well, he also benefits from his character taking part in the action more. Due to some odd circumstances, Megan Fox who played Mikaela in the first two movies didn’t return for the third movie. She was written out, with the explanation being that she and Sam broke up. Instead of her, we have Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as a brand new character as the new love interest. While the performance isn’t necessarily bad, the writing isn’t that great and with the exception of one scene, she is just made to run away and get kidnapped. The supporting cast shines again, John Turturro continues to be a stand out and John Malkovich and Frances McDormand were also solid in their parts. The voice performances are good as always, including the addition of Leonard Nimroy.

Michael Bay delivers exactly what you expect from him, and I’ve liked his work on these first three movies. The CGI and visual effects are even a step up from the last movie. The robots look good, more clean and polished, and they have good designs. The action is entertaining, so large scale and with amazing stunt work and sound design. The camerawork is also quite good, the action is comprehensible and not too frantic, and it is a spectacle to watch. As said before, the final act with the Battle of Chicago is really the standout of the movie, with very impressive action set pieces. Steve Jablonsky’s bombastic score accompanies the movie excellently.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is incredibly over the top spectacle, entertaining and fantastic on a technical standpoint with enthralling action and great visuals. It is very likely the best film from the Transformers franchise.