Prime Time! It’s a new phrase I am going to be using now so get used to it. I found myself saying it a lot towards the end of Michael Bay’s newest Transformers film. At the end of Dark of the Moon, like every Transformers film, Optimus Prime starts kicking Decepticon ass, and I heard myself say the phrase, “Prime Time”, which means it was at the point in the film where Optimus saves the day. So now, whenever it’s time to kick-ass and save the day, it’s Prime Time!
Shia LaBeouf is back for round three as Sam Witwicky, and he’s all grown up. Sam has a new job, a new smoking hot girlfriend, played by supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and a whole new battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons to help take care of. Sam learns that the entire space race of the 1960’s was a cover-up to get to a Cybertronian ship that landed on the moon. In it is Sentinel Prime, the Autobots leader before Optimus Prime, and a machine powerful enough to bring hundreds of Decepticons to Earth and enslave humanity. Luckily Sam knows someone roughly the size of a semi-truck who has his back.
Mr. Witwicky doesn’t just have Decepticons to worry about in this film. His girlfriend, Carly, has a boss that looks a lot like Dr. McDreamy, mainly because he’s played by Patrick Dempsey. I like this casting choice because Sam is the every-man, and Dempsey is who the every-man’s wife dreams about. So when Sam is punching McDreamy, I’d like to think I am too.
The biggest gossip surrounding this film was Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replacing Megan Fox as the female lead. A hot girl is one thing, but a hot girl with a British accent is dangerously sexy; sorry Megan. If it makes you feel better I think her lips are too big. This was Huntington-Whiteley’s first film, and I think she did ok. She’s not going to win any awards, but I’ll be damned it she didn’t look good the entire film. But for me that’s also the problem. Part of the reason these films work so well is that Sam as that quality that makes us believe we could be him. While watching this film I kept thinking it’s more realistic that giant robots will invade Chicago than a supermodel, or even just the character of Carly, would ever be with a guy like Sam Witwicky. I mean, I love my wife, but I could never score Heidi Klum.
Now as for the film, the thing I love most about it is that we can all just forget Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ever happened. They briefly mention things that occured in the second Transformers film, but it’s not a necessity to see that film in order to enjoy this one. Yes, I am one of those people who loves the first Transformers film and hopes every copy of the second film spontaneously combusts. As for the third film, I was smiling almost as much as I did when I saw Optimus Prime battle Megatron the first time around. The film is a great blend of comedy and action, much like the orginal. When the Decepticons invade Chicago I felt like it took too long to get to the end of the film, but everything before that reminded me why I love summer blockbusters, and how much I miss my former city of residence.
John Turturro returns as former Agent Simmons to help Sam once again, and brings along his assistant, played by Firefly alumni, Alan Tudyk. The brief scenes where the three of them were together were great, with Tudyk stealing most of them; god I miss Wash. Anyway, Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel are back as the soldiers who aid Sam and the Autobots. John Malkovich makes an appearance as Sam’s new boss, and Frances McDormand plays a high ranking government pain-in-the-ass. Peter Cullen returns as the voice of Optimus Prime, as he has been for over twenty years, and Leonard Nimoy does his second Transformers voice in his career as Sentinel Prime. And don’t worry people, Kevin Dunn and Julie White are also back as Sam’s parents, but luckily no brownies are eaten in this film.
Transformer: Dark of the Moon took the franchise back home in every way. Instead of some far-off country the battle ground was the center of America, and this film had everything that helped make the first film great. Labeouf is the ordinary man wrapped-up in extraordinary events, the story and characters are solid, there are no Jar Jar Binks-like characters, the action is great, and there is a hot girl taking your eyes away from the special effect robots they spent millions of dollars to make.
If this was the second film in the Transformers trilogy I’d say that this franchise is on its way to being one of the greats, but unfortunately it wraps up the trilogy. As much as I would love to criticize Michael Bay films for being un-intelligent popcorn movies I go to the theater to be entertained, and this film is definitely Prime Time for Mr. Bay. I might even go back to see this film in 3-D, but it’s not the Autobots I want to see up-close, giggity-giggity oh!
RATING: B+
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