Transformers
Transformers
dir. Michael Bay, 2007
Turns out Michael Bay isn't the devil. Watching Transformers (and catching a bit of The Island the other day), I even got the sense that he's developed his own signature style. That is to say he's developed Tony Scott's style (who developed Michael Mann's style). He's even lengthened his edits from on every two seconds to one every seven seconds (which falls to five in the action scenes). But even more important than the visual style is the revelation that Michael Bay has developed a sense of humor. Sure there was always a little bit of the standard humor of the genres Bay traversed in, but usually was more dependent on the actors than anything Bay did (my favorite line from The Rock "Losers try their best, winners fuck the prom queen" is made all the more funny because it's coming from Sean Connery's mouth). A little relaxation in tone allows Bay to up the energy of the more mundane scenes of the movie's first half involving lonely Shia Lebeouf and Megan Fox (whose sure to be Maxim fodder by the end of the month, if she's not already). Before all the tomfoolery about the cube and the mysterious government organizations that not even the President (hilarious Bush insertion) and Secretary of Defense know about (Independence Day anyone?) show up, Transformers has a ball showing how awesome having a car that transforms into three story tall robot would be to a seventeen-year-old dork who wants to impress the hottest chick in school.
Once all the battles begin, however, the movie takes a turn for the serious and you can see the less geeky members of the cast straining to deliver loving speeches about taking stand and showing loyalty to a bunch of alien robots. The special effects are amazing (I can't even imagine how much work had to go into those transformation scene), but Bay kind of loses track of his explosions in the end battle scene (a key death is show almost in passing). The characters start to fumble too. Who cares whether Ms. Fox has a juvie record? There's fucking alien robots from outer space shooting rockets at each other!
Also, I know comic sensibilities require the guns to be big and the breasts even bigger, but I grimace whenever a super-genius government scientist is played by a smoking hot person who looks like she spent more time on her hair than her education. I know that undoubtedly there are a few superhot chicks in top secrete laboraties somewhere, but whenever I see one in a movie, I can't help but think that the actress in the role cringing as she talks about firewalls or chemical reactions or whatever.
Post script two. The hot chick who loves to work on cars. I would say this is the number one fantasy of 95% of American men ages 10-89.
dir. Michael Bay, 2007
Turns out Michael Bay isn't the devil. Watching Transformers (and catching a bit of The Island the other day), I even got the sense that he's developed his own signature style. That is to say he's developed Tony Scott's style (who developed Michael Mann's style). He's even lengthened his edits from on every two seconds to one every seven seconds (which falls to five in the action scenes). But even more important than the visual style is the revelation that Michael Bay has developed a sense of humor. Sure there was always a little bit of the standard humor of the genres Bay traversed in, but usually was more dependent on the actors than anything Bay did (my favorite line from The Rock "Losers try their best, winners fuck the prom queen" is made all the more funny because it's coming from Sean Connery's mouth). A little relaxation in tone allows Bay to up the energy of the more mundane scenes of the movie's first half involving lonely Shia Lebeouf and Megan Fox (whose sure to be Maxim fodder by the end of the month, if she's not already). Before all the tomfoolery about the cube and the mysterious government organizations that not even the President (hilarious Bush insertion) and Secretary of Defense know about (Independence Day anyone?) show up, Transformers has a ball showing how awesome having a car that transforms into three story tall robot would be to a seventeen-year-old dork who wants to impress the hottest chick in school.
Once all the battles begin, however, the movie takes a turn for the serious and you can see the less geeky members of the cast straining to deliver loving speeches about taking stand and showing loyalty to a bunch of alien robots. The special effects are amazing (I can't even imagine how much work had to go into those transformation scene), but Bay kind of loses track of his explosions in the end battle scene (a key death is show almost in passing). The characters start to fumble too. Who cares whether Ms. Fox has a juvie record? There's fucking alien robots from outer space shooting rockets at each other!
Also, I know comic sensibilities require the guns to be big and the breasts even bigger, but I grimace whenever a super-genius government scientist is played by a smoking hot person who looks like she spent more time on her hair than her education. I know that undoubtedly there are a few superhot chicks in top secrete laboraties somewhere, but whenever I see one in a movie, I can't help but think that the actress in the role cringing as she talks about firewalls or chemical reactions or whatever.
Post script two. The hot chick who loves to work on cars. I would say this is the number one fantasy of 95% of American men ages 10-89.
posted by Jesse @ 6:51 PM
<< Home