Transformers: Age of Extinction
(2014)The rules have changed.
The fourth film in the mega franchise (currently the 12th highest grossing film series ever) based on the toy range. Director Michael Bay returns, joined by Mark Wahlberg. As humanity picks up the pieces, following the devastation of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Autobots and Decepticons have all but vanished from the face of the planet. But a group of businessmen and scientists attempt to learn from past Transformer incursions and push the boundaries of technology beyond what they can control – all while an ancient, powerful Transformer menace sets Earth in his crosshairs.
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Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, T.J. Miller, Bingbing Li
Written by Ehren Kruger
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
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Transformers: Age of Extinction
BY Rhys-Rushton superstar
I have a couple of questions for you. Make that a cinematic commentary disguised as a couple of questions.
1. Is there still room for multi-movie franchises and 2. where do we draw the line on multi-movie franchises.
Oh, I don't have the answers. But nor does the latest instalment of Transformers age of longwinded-ness. Yes! it has all the action you could fly a B52 over. Yes! its exciting in a non-thought provoking but... More entertaining way. And, Yes! it is long. Really long. Like, carving the all the movies story boards out of solid granite would have taken less time. BUT...is it enough?
Is it enough to extend on the storyline and move it in a new direction? Is it enough to bring in a new cast of quote 'meat-bags' unquote. And breath new life into the franchise? and is it enough to throw millions of dollars at CG, action sequences and explosives?
I would leave you to answer these questions on your own but the mere fact that you are reading this review shows you need help making up your mind because, clearly, have a history of making poor life decisions. The answer is...
Yes, of course it is all worth it.
A re-invigorated 3/5 from me.Hide
BY thorinoak superstar
What an absolute snorefess. When did Michael Bay decide to kill all the fun out of Transformers? Another summer blockbuster that thinks its Lincoln or Schindlers List. Man. Maybe watch it on DVD....in eight parts because its so frickin long!!!!!
BY ps2tan lister
I love the Transformers movies...usually but this one was not very good. In parts the CGI looked fake and forced the story was a bit too long. However I would recommend it for a sheer wow factor in terms of the scale of the battles that were fast, explosiony and makes you eat popcorn faster than you really should.
BY Lachjaw12 wannabe
BY Squid grader
The pacing of the humour was a bit off in that there were mild moments of light laughs at the beginning but then there were these jarring long stretches of banter when the tension was high. The action and effects were loads of fun and just really immersed me in the movie. Wish they'd do a Beast Wars movie.
Showing 5 of 12 reviews. See all reviews
The Press Reviews
18%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
It’s the robots — endowed here with character-rich physicality and almost human-scaled facial features — who give the film its emotional heft. Full Review
What is extinguished is the audience's consciousness after being bombarded for nearly three hours with overwrought emotions...bad one-liners and battles that rarely rise above the banal. Full Review
Tansforms into a typically bombastic Bay offering. If it's major-league spectacle you want, though, look no further. Full Review
You're either awestruck, dumbstruck or just plain struck in the face. Full Review
Why are we here? What is the purpose of life on earth? And why are alien robots so hellbent on impersonating our automobiles? Full Review
Save for a few visual centerpieces and a couple of amusing supporting turns, it’s... an endless, incoherent mess. Full Review
BY Dominic Corry Flicks Writer
The fourth entry in any franchise could reasonably be expected to bring something fresh to the table. Technically, Transformers: Age of Extinction meets this expectation, but the new elements (Marky Mark; Dinobots; China; Angry Frasier) aren't nearly enough to prevent this from feeling like an overly familiar collage of bombastic bewilderment.... More
Nobody could accuse director Michael Bay of being inconsistent – his garishly-irradiated Tony Scott aesthetic gets more emboldened with every film and is in full swing here, so there's no shortage of glistening, glossy action. But that's a given at this point, and the minor tweaks to the formula don't result in any particularly fresh set-pieces, despite talk of a “new direction” for the series. The sheer scale of proceedings got me through the previous entries, but how many more large scale urban destruction action finales do we really need?
While the Dinobots are momentarily amusing, their presence never feels like more than a gimmick upon which the film relies too heavily. The potential existed for genuinely new directions - it's astounding to me that four entries in, this series is still resisting the urge to go into space. That leap is way overdue.
The film puts a lot of emphasis on a sardonic billionaire industrialist played with typical energy by Stanley Tucci, but his character fails to generate any real investment. None of them do, really. Did I mention Marky Mark plays a genius inventor?
Transformers: Age of Extinction is a typically huge film. Emphasis on the typical.Hide
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