I just saw Transformers tonight and it KICKED ASS! The movie had a perfect blend of action, suspence, humor,and awesome visual effects! Everyone in this film played their roles to the hilt. Shia LeBeouf hits the mark as Sam Witwicky and Megan Fox is just unbelievably beautiful! And of course, having Peter Cullen return to provide the voice of Optimus was just freakin awesome! What really makes this movie worh the price of admission is seeing the Autobots go head to head with Megatron and the Decepticons! Say what you want about Michael Bay's previous films, but I agree that with Transformers he really has set the bar higher, both in story and visual effects. I give this movie an A ! Bring on Transformers 2!

I like movies that give you more in terms of story...and a justifiable purpose for being--besides just special effects!!! This movie seems to be all about connect the dots filmmaking and focus groups...and how do we steal or import...one thing or another from 10 different other movies that were hits, and call it its own thing!!! Spielberg was desperate for a hit...any hit for Dream Works...which has been a flop of a company so far...and finally with his new Paramount deal he felt he had to deliver something that would attract the crowds in mass...hence all the copying of other movies here...ala T2, Back To The Future, Independence Day and so on...and so forth: Add Transforming Robots, pour contents in a bowl, and shake well--Walla...instant movie, with a number of pilfered elements of some of the greatest hit films of the last 25 years!!! This is a film that was made by commitee, not from the heart...and trust me, there will be more like it coming just around the corner when this one hits big...and it will. It's unfortunate though, cause all we'll be getting from now on is repacked Frankenstein versions of all our favorite movies of the past...synthesized into a hog-pog of a brew...and sold to us as something new and original...but we'll all know...it's just some over studied formula that's designed to attract unsuspecting consumers like crack!!! Oh...and sell toys!!!

I have yet to see this film, however based on several of the reviews, it's going to kick some considerable ass. BUT... I have to take issue with this film, or any other film for that matter, being compared with RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. RAIDERS is not only the best Summer film but the best film ever made PERIOD. I sincerely doubt that any Michael Bay film is going to come close to the quality of brilliant visual composition, clever and classy writing, great performances and an intelligent and exciting plot that constitutes a true classic. While I am hoping that Mr. Thomas is not directly making a comparison to the quality of one film vs. the other but rather a comment on how certain film can pave the way for a new type of enterainment, I still look forward to seeing this film. And a more accurate comparison of a summer film changing things both stylistically and technologically is THE MATRIX.

I will keep this short and sweet. I thought this movie rocked and I will be seeing it again this Thursday.

I just got home from a packed midnight showing.....WOW !!! is all I can say. This movie raised the bar and left Spiderman 3 and POTC in the dust. Forget about it folks, this is the best movie of the summer. For all you posters, like metalwater, quit freaking analyzing how everything is made and try to just sit back and enjoy the movie. Movies are made to entertain us, and this movie was freaking entertaining as hell. By the way, was anyone else VERY intrigued about the J.J. Abrams trailer (if you saw it) ? Got my attention, anyone have any info on it ?

metalwater...I'm having a very hard time agreeing with you especially if you have not seen the movie yet...Those movies you mentioned were used to inspire the director and crew and you can't say that everyone in the business does not look to other films for inspiration to help them make there movies...It has always been focus groups and connect the dots but that does not mean creativity was left out of the whole process... codenamev1...I totally agree with you but I don't think there was a comparison only that they used the formulaic that made Raiders the best movie ever and tried to in some small way infuse that into Transformers...Nice to know that I am not alone in my feelings towards Raiders of the Lost Ark but of course that was a special time in movie history and they pathed the road for the rest that followed...

Merin...All mighty master of movie knowledge...I bet your one of those people who bend close to your buddies ear or whoever your with during the movie and say, that's impossible, Oh man that looks so fake, can you believe this crap? I told you this was going to be no good, Robots from another planet that fight on earth, come on! I bet you did not do any of those things when you went and watched the rodent movie you were so gleefully advertising as the movie of the summer? Except, if I were to take your thought process with me when I went to go watch a Rat cook in the kitchen I too would have bent over and whispered in my friends ear, No f*cking way a mite/decease infested rat is going to cook any classy European restaurant...lol

Man, all I meant by shut your barin off is that this is not a fact based masterpiece, it's a giant robot film, and it is a lot of fun..... Hey, anybody getting tired of talking about shit they like and dicks like Merin who have never even seen the movie trying to argue why it won't work.... Opinions I can handle, and I'm sure not everyone will like this film, but the guy hasn't even seen it yet... remember when movies were allowed to be fun..... Anyway, go see it and fuck the wanna be critics...

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS! JOYGASM! Yes, I am a child of the 80s. Yes, Michael Bay can do wrong (Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, The Island, The Rock, Armageddon) but he does wrong so well that it very often turns out right...well, except for The island...and this is another example. Transformers is BIG, loud, really cool and totally fun...and there are a few unanswered questions there too, like: Scorponok...what happened to him? Frenzy? Bonecrusher? Devastator? WTF, Devastator is, like ONE TANK? Megatron is done already? Jazz is gone? Where was Brawn? I know he's not dead! What about Sector 7? And why, oh why didn't Frenzy crash Air Force One? There is a LOT of room for a sequel left at the end of this one, and with Starscream disappearing into the reaches of space, we'll have to see what he brings back with him. I'm going back for this one, guaranteed!

Now I'm a dick. If the crowd is all "wheee! this is the BEST!" and you happen to not think so, you are suddenly a dick. Nice. ---- No, I haven't seen this yet. I'd rather not. As Kurt said over in Comicscape, or at least I later interpreted what he said as this - "There is far too much out there to ever all take in - being selective of what you want to sample is just natural." Transformers, a cartoon that I grew out of by, oh, 5th grade I believe, is not something I ever needed to see as a live action movie. I don't need Thundercats, He-Man, or any of those other crappy (by my estimation) 80's cartoons. If you want them, that's cool. Enjoy. We all want different things after all. As I said over here http://www.mania.com/55176.html#comments in comment #9, what is junk to one person is treasure to another. And that's cool - entertainment likes and dislikes is the one place where it isn't just PC to say that everyone is entitled to their opinion and no opinion is wrong. - - - I also said in there that there is nothing wrong with a movie just being "pure entertainment." So I’m not begrudging anyone for liking it. I’ve never insulted anyone for liking it. People, if you like a movie and someone else doesn’t, stop taking it personally. Disagree and state why you liked it (or vice versa) but name-calling people who have different tastes? That doesn’t help your case, support your opinion, or do anything but make people want to skip over what you write. ----- #27 – What you wrote doesn’t even dignify any response. #29 – filter what I said from what others (MW) say, please. This is what I said in this forum here about Transformers – “And if the story / characterization / theme sucks, no amount of whiz-bang special effects will save it for me. Case in point - Star Wars Prequel trilogy and Matrix Revolutions all had amazing FX - and were HORRIBLE. I couldn't shut my brain off for those, either. As I stated elsewhere - favor to my brother, I'm taking him. He's paying for my ticket so I'll take him. I'm agreeing to go so I can see if my prejudices are baseless or sound.†ALL that you can take from that is that I personally don’t want to see it. So its only wanna-be critics who decide they don’t want to see certain movies? In this forum I’ve not criticized the movie – I pointedly said “holding back comments until I see it†So I’ve said nothing here about the quality of the film AT ALL. If you have a problem with someone stating that they won’t like a film just for the SFX if the story sucks, well, you have a big problem with lots of people who watch films that have little to no SFX then or something – sometimes people want more than action, action and, oh, more explosions. If that IS your thing, cool for you, enjoy Bay’s great variety of stories created for more explosions and actions – but accept, please, that some people want more than action – and sometimes films with NO action (of the fighting/killing/destroying things kind, at least.) ---- For the most part this year I’ve been VERY happy with the movies that I’ve seen. Had I wanted to see Die Hard 4 (I didn’t) and I got the film that was in the theater, I would have enjoyed it enough. It was decent. Me giving something a C isn’t me saying it sucked or was horrible – it means it was decidedly average for me and there wasn’t enough there for me to be jumping around singing its praises. I’ve really liked this year (A-B rating) – Ghost Rider, 300, Dead Silence, TMNT, Meet the Robinsons, Grindhouse, Hot Fuzz, Vacancy, Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Ratatouille, Hostel 2, Fantastic Four 2, DOA, And I’ve enjoyed this year (B-C rating) - The Hitcher, The Messengers, Bridge to Terabithia, The Number 23, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Fracture, Die Hard 4. This year I’ve seen nothing in the theater that I didn’t enjoy. I rarely do. I’m selective enough to pick movies I’m fairly certain I’ll enjoy, even though I go to the theater a lot if I can. And I go to enjoy, not to dislike or criticize. Movies are largely just fun for me. Yes, both Terabithia and Die Hard are movies others wanted me to see and I wouldn’t have seen on my own, but so what? I still enjoyed them. ---- In conclusion – for all of those loving the heck out of Transformers, I’m happy for you. Glad the movie gave you a great ride. Just like I hope people who didn’t like Ghost Rider or Grindhouse or whatever would be happy for me that I enjoyed them, even if they refused to see those films or did see them and hated them.