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Back in 2011, after making Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the third film in his wildly popular Transformers franchise, director Michael Bay set out to make a smaller, smarter film. But, as it turned out, no one wanted to see 2013’s Pain & Gain. So now he’s back to doing what he does best, blowing things up in another boisterous blockbuster, Transformers: Age of Extinction.
Bay’s latest big, bloated robotic adventure picks up the story five years after the events of Dark of the Moon, rebooting the franchise with an entirely new cast. Mark Wahlberg stars as Cade Yeager, a struggling inventor who can’t seem to make ends meet. While searching for parts at an abandoned movie theater, he comes across a run-down old semi truck, which he decides to fix up for some extra cash—or maybe use for parts. But he soon discovers that it isn’t just an ordinary truck; it’s a Transformer. And it’s not just any Transformer; it’s Optimus Prime. Since the battle in Chicago, the Autobot leader has been in hiding—but now a new enemy is hunting down the Autobots, and it’s time to come forward. With help from Cade and his teenage daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz), Optimus Prime sets out to save the Autobots—and Earth—from a new threat.
If you’ve seen a Transformers movie before—or any Michael Bay film, really—you know exactly what to expect from the latest film in the franchise. It’s big and booming and bloated and brainless—noisy and explosive and excessive in just about every way. The story is needlessly complex, and it rarely makes any sense. Despite its seemingly endless exposition, it’s still usually unclear what’s going on…or why.
Really, the best thing about the latest Transformers movie is its cast, which seems to bring the film a little more credibility. Granted, it’s quite possible that Wahlberg was contractually obligated to consume a case of Red Bull each morning before showing up on set—because he seems to be on a permanent caffeine buzz through the entire film. But, fortunately, a crazed Mark Wahlberg is exponentially more entertaining than anything that Shia LaBeouf has ever done (or at least anything he’s done in a movie). Stanley Tucci, meanwhile, clearly had a great time filming his role—and other cast members, like Kelsey Grammer, T. J. Miller, and Thomas Lennon add their own amusing touches.
In general, it’s often the film’s sheer absurdity that makes it so entertaining. The writing is so ridiculous—loaded with horrible one-liners—that you can’t help but laugh out loud. The acting is wildly overdone—usually in the most hilarious of ways. And though the action sequences go on so unbearably long that you’ll most likely lose interest long before the last mechanical punches have been thrown, the giant robot battles are still pretty cool.
Is Transformers: Age of Extinction a good movie? No. Not at all. Far from it. It’s overacted, overwritten, and generally idiotic (though, thanks to the new and improved cast, it’s less idiotic than other films in the franchise). It is, however, exactly what you’d expect—and it’s everything that Michael Bay fans could hope for: a horrible but sometimes horribly entertaining summer blockbuster.
Blu-ray Review:
When Michael Bay is involved, bigger is always better—and the Blu-ray release of his latest big, noisy summer blockbuster, Transformers: Age of Extinction, is no exception. The release comes with so many special features, in fact, that they get their very own disc.
Included in the three hours of extras is the massive making-of feature, Evolution within Extinction, an eight-part piece that offers an up-close and personal look at the sheer insanity of creating a Michael Bay film. There isn’t much that isn’t covered here—the cast (and the awesomeness of Mark Wahlberg), the locations, the sets, the sponsors, the characters, the voice cast, the score…it’s all here. And it’s actually pretty interesting stuff, too. After all, Bay’s films are always excessive and over-the-top—and it’s fun to take a peek inside such a large-scale Hollywood production.
Other extras include Bay on Action, in which the notorious director discusses the locations, his favorite shots, and more—while showing just a hint of his infamous ego. A Spark of Design heads to Hasbro to learn how Transformers toys are designed and manufactured. And T. J. Miller: Farm Hippie follows the comedic cast member as he visits his cast mates (and Michael Bay, too) to get some career advice and thank them for the wonderful on-set experience. Unfortunately, this is the weakest extra on the disc—and not nearly as funny as the comic can be.
Perhaps the best feature, however, is Just Another Giant Effin’ Movie—not because it’s a mash-up of explosions and other on-set craziness but because it features Bay’s mother, Harriet, who’s generally unimpressed.
Overall, though, the extras on the Transformers: Age of Extinction Blu-ray release are pretty impressive. They definitely require a major time commitment (especially if you watch them immediately following the film itself). But, for fans of Michael Bay—or big, excessive blockbusters in general—it’s an entertaining and informative collection. Even if you don’t have three hours to spare, be sure to take the time to scan through some of the offerings.
