Transformers!

I finally caught Transformers...

AWESOMENESS!

I recommend this movie to everyone, and I mean even kids. One of the first things that struck me with Transformers was that there is really no realistic gore and death as far as humans are concerned. You'll probably see more shooting, car crashes, giant robots crashing into buildings, and explosions in this movie than anything before it, but no one really dies or gets hurt (a couple of small exceptions, but they are really not graphic in any sense - on the other hand, they are more noticeable perhaps since they are they only instances). The destruction of city buildings is probably a pretty touchy subject in this day and age, but this movie is really like comic book or anime done up live-action style, so the only reality has to do with the fact that it is live action.

I don't know, maybe all the shooting, explosions and destruction is just as bad for kids to see. The fact that no one is visibly hurt or killed by all the ruckus (and there is A LOT of ruckus throughout the movie) might be a bad example that could lead kids to think its okay to shoot and blow stuff up. All I know is that when I saw it, there was a 6 or 7 year old kid with his mother in the seat behind me that was shouting out the events of the entire movie as it happened, so I guess some people think it's fine for young kids... but these are the same people who think it's okay to let their kids be disruptive during a movie people payed good money to see. Seriously, this kid was shouting and the mother wasn't stopping him. She was even encouraging him by engaging in his 6-7 year old commentary of exactly what was happening on screen. Grrrr.

After a quick seating relocation, I enjoyed the rest of the movie in total bliss. I tried to soak in every second, because really every second had something to offer. I have to see it again, maybe a couple of times more. This will be a must have for HD enthusiasts when it hits DVD (and I hope to see it that way too). Finally, a summer blockbuster really worth the price of a ticket.

Shia LaBeouf is one of my new favorites by the way. He was just so relateable, but at the same time he acted in complete accordance to the genre/style of the movie, as if he jumped right off the pages of a comic book. Shia is on this month's Vanity Fair cover, and I might just have to pick that one up for the article. Please though - PLEASE! Let's not compare him or try and make him into "the next Tom Hanks". Just let the kid come into his own already. I can't wait to see him in Indy IV and anything else he might be working on in the future.

Transformers is a must see for anyone who enjoys astounding effects on the big screen (about half of the end credits, which were very long, were allotted for the extensive SFX crews, including that of ILM), and for anyone who loves the franchise, robots, technology, cars, planes (there are some incredible flying scenes), action, good comic book-style fun, and more. I saw it about a week after it opened (which is a sore subject for me, since it ended up having a last-minute opening 2 days earlier than scheduled, which made it impossible for me to go to the midnight premiere on the night I had previously planned), and the theater was probably only about 1/4 full, but the crowd still gave applause at the end of the movie. How often does that happen? Even on an opening night that's pretty rare.

I hadn't really kept up with Transformers since watching it when I was a kid. Even so, I love this movie as a grown-up and without too much memory of any story arcs for any of the bots. Maybe that's a good thing since I've seen a few die-hard fans dissect some of the changes from the series that came before. Bah! I haven't enjoyed being in a theater this much since... Star Wars actually! Steven Spielberg is executive producer, so go figure.
Definitely see it on the Big Screen while you can. It's the only way and it's really worth it. If your kids are gabby types though, please, hire a baby sitter and just get them the DVD when it comes out ;)

Featured article for Transformers from July 13th Entertainment Weekly: When Robots Attack