Transformers: Age of Extinction

Transformers: Age of Extinction is the fourth film in the Transformers franchise starring a fresh cast of Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammar, Nicola Peltz, Peter Cullen returns as the voice of Optimus Prime and of course the film is directed by Michael Bay.

Age of Extinction was said to be a reboot, yet the film takes place five years after the events of Dark of the Moon. Bay did state, however that he chose not to use the previous cast members as he wanted a fresh start to the fourth installment; I suppose that’s his idea of a reboot.

As I mentioned, the movie is set five years after the third film and the Autobots are in hiding, as the government has severed all ties with them and a selected group of CIA operatives are hunting them down and exterminating them. This is all due to nefarious purposes but I’ll just leave it there.

The film also tells the story of Cade Yeager and his daughter Tessa. He’s an inventor but they are struggling financially as he hasn't really invented anything ground breaking yet. That is until he discovers Optimus Prime which sets the plot of the film in motion, which is to basically rally the remaining Autobots, find out who is behind the extermination and try and live peacefully again.

What I didn't like about this film:

Transformers: Age of Extinction is just unnecessarily long, it’s just under three hours and after the halfway mark you begin looking at your watch wondering when it will be over. Now there’s nothing wrong with long movies, provided they’re done well, look at the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Harry Potter films. Yet Age of Extinction just draws out, I felt rather bored and uninspired as the film dragged out.

Although Mark Wahlberg is a welcome breath of fresh air into the franchise, it does take away that human connection that Sam Witwicky had with Bumble Bee and the other Autobots. There is just no emotional attachment between Cade and the Autobots as he just discovers Optimus Prime and then he just goes along with them.

The plot is just far too complex and busy, given the enormous length of this film, not all the loose ends are tied together; this is obviously done to set up a sequel…that nobody wants.

Michael Bay just doesn't seem to learn his lesson when it comes to adding comedy. He tried in Revenge of the Fallen to add more comedy and it just failed miserably. So what does he do, he tries again, now he was able to obtain a few laughs but just like his other movies, the timing is all wrong, just isn't needed and it serves no purpose.

There are massive plot holes in this movie. So many events are left unexplained or just illogical, the main one for me was a new power that Optimus Prime suddenly has. It was never used in the previous movies which could have aided him tremendously, yet he only uses it in this film and only at the end of the movie.

What I did like about the film:

Although the movie is far from perfect, it did earn a few brownie points. Bay is known for his over the top action and explosions which is saturated in this film. It does add to the visual brilliance of Age of Extinction.

Apart from the silly dialogue used by the Autobots, the human cast members did offer solid performances. Mark Wahlberg specifically does a really great job in this film and felt perfect in his role.

The main selling point besides the film dripping in action is the CGI. The effects are amazingly done; it feels so real and is a perfect treat for the eyes.

So just a quick break down of this movie, if you’re looking for decent storytelling and heartfelt human emotions, ignore this film. But if you don’t mind a movie forsaking logic and a good plot for over the top action, fantastic CGI, gorgeous cars and enough explosions to make Gordon Ramsey look like a sweetheart, then you’ll love this movie.

All in all, it’s not a terrible movie, but it could do with some major improvements.

Transformers: Age of Extinction gets a Decepticonned 4 out of 10

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