Michael Bay

Transformers : Dark of the Moon

Yesterday, I went to see “Transformers : Dark of the Moon“. I’m not a big fan of 3D, but my wife convinced me that that’s the only right way to watch this movie, so I agreed. And I’m glad I did so.

If you like 3D movies, or transforming robots, or action movies, or any of the previous Transformers’ films, or Michael Bay work in general, you absolutely must see this film. And do so in 3D – even for those who don’t like 3D, it is an excellent experience.

As for the film, Michael Bay broke the measuring ruler once again. He is off the scale. The film is bigger, larger, and more than any other film I can think off. It has everything previous Transformers had, and more. And of the things that previous Transformers had, it has more. More robots, more fights, more shooting and explosions. More space travel. More special effects. More 3D. More, more, more. It has so much of everything that I would walk away happy half time into the film. But when the whole thing was over I really was amazed as to how much went into it.

On top of that, both of the items that somewhat annoyed me in the previous Transformers movies were corrected in this part. First was Megan Fox. I don’t know why everybody is so fond of her. I don’t find her beautiful, or smart, or a particular good actress. She’s out and Rosie Huntington-Whitley is in. She wouldn’t be my first choice for the role, but she is definitely an improvement on Megan Fox. Secondly, in previous Transformers, robot transformations and robot fights were too fast. There are too many details to notice them all and they were often done and off the screen before my curiosity was satisfied. In this part, there are more details, more fights, and more transformations. Also, there are a few excellent slow-downs – important moments are slowed down to a crawl with a few humorous touches added.

Actually, I have to mention humor separately. This part is not as serious as the previous ones. There are plenty of funny scenes, situations, and jokes all over the film. I couple of times I was even laughing out loud, which is a rare occasion.

Overall, I think the film provides all the entertainment you could put into a movie and more. It pushes the boundaries of sci-fi cinematography and visual effects. And for that I will of course give it a 5 out of 5.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I just came back from the premier of the “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen“. After seeing the trailers for this film, my expectations were so high, that I was actually worried if the movie is going to be any close to what I wanted it to be. I happy to report that all my expectations were bitten down and torn apart. The real thing was so much better.

Now, I don’t want to spoil it too much for those of you who haven’t seen it, but let me give you this. There is non-stop action from start to end. Everything flies, swims, shoots, explodes, collides, and transforms. There were quite a few things on the scale that I haven’t seen before. Epic!

If I had a hat, it would be off, with all respects to Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg. And, of course, everyone else who worked on this film. It was so much worth it!

My rating: 5 stars. Highly recommended, must see.

P.S.: I don’t know why everyone is so turned on about Megan Fox. She’s not bad, but I don’t think she’s worth all the hype. Isabel Lucas (another hot girl in this film) is at least as good. Sometimes even better.

The Island

“The Island” is one of those new movies that everyone has seen except for Olga and me. I rented and watched it, so Olga now is pretty much the only person in the world to miss it.

Directed by: Michael Bay
Genres: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ethan Phillips, Brian Stepanek, Noa Tishby, Siobhan Flynn, Troy Blendell, Jamie McBride, Kevin McCorkle, Gary Nickens, Kathleen Rose Perkins
IMDB raintg: 6.8
My rating: 5.0

But she is not missing a lot. The film is surely overhyped.

This film is very shallow considering the topic it deals with – human cloning. I think that this topic is one of the most philosophical issues of the recent times. There is a lot to discuss. And there are a lot of viewpoints. Also, depending on the point of view, it can be very dramatic. And a very dramatic point of view was chosen for the film – cloning as seen by clones. Those who realise that they are clones that is. But there was no drama. What-so-ever. Ever.

Somehow, the movie managed to be a pure action. There was nothing else – no drama, no romance, no comedy. Nothing. Only action. And while there were some excellent action sequences and special effects in the second part of the film, the first hour or so sucked pretty bad. It was very slow and boring. And I almost fell asleep watching it. Twice.

What made it even worse were all the inconsitences in the film. It looked like those who made this film didn’t believe in what they were showing themselves. Skills and knowledge were appearing and disappearing from people’s and clone’s behaviors. They were swallowing new concepts like they were peanuts. “- You are not humans. You are clones. – Oh, Ok, then. Thanks for telling us.” And stuff like that.

Overall I think that this film is a waste of time and I am glad I didn’t spend my money in the cinema.