Transformers: Robots in Franchise

 

Michael Bay: Does my Bee look big in this?
(Image courtesy of collider.com)

Michael Bay (Pearl Harbour, Transformers) is a director never too far from complaints. He is often panned for his occasionally favoured tehnique of 'if-it's-on-screen-blow-it-up', and Transformers 3 isn't shielded from those comments either. Even Shia LeBeouf (Holes, Indiana Jones) has hopped on the slander-wagon and spoken out about Dark of The Moon (Much like he did for it's predecessor Revenge of The Fallen). So, in some respects I actually feel quite bad for Bay (left), no matter how unforgivable Pearl Harbour was... when your lead actor bitches about your film, that's gotta hurt a little.

I can see why the movies have garnered this kind of negativity over the years. The first installment was interesting and new. The second installment was simply lacking in all manner of areas, and just needed something more... (Attack of the Clones, anyone?). And both of them had a lot of flaws to counterbalance the good. So, Bay's third effort really needed to do something quite special to save itself.


There are a few different ways to look at Transformers, from a story perspective, Dark of the Moon isn't great, nor is it good for that matter. There were a few nice touches in there, such as the Lunar Landing being a secret investigation into a crashed Autobot ship on the moon but there was a lot of cack too - including predictable betrayals, a bizarre murder-conspiracy, an obvious ending etc... So, what next? Fine, the story is average, but what about the characters? They can save it, right? Unfortunately, they too were nothing great, and often too over-the-top for the film Alan Tudyk (Firefly) would've been just about acceptable as the off-the-wall-eccentric-but-genius character but there were a few too many of the same (Ken Jeong and John Malkovich I'm looking at you). Rosie Huntington-Whitely was... well, we'll talk about her another time (...Maybe somewhere that my girlfriend won't read it) but for me, the major saving grace was Sci-Fi royalty Leonard Nimoy as Sentinel Prime (below, right), you'd be surprised at how well he can voice an aging robot, plus he looked awesome - a Transformer with a beard? Yes please. But, was that enough? Alas, it wasn't...

Sentinel Prime, voiced by Leonard Nimoy
(image courtesy of iwatchstuff.com)

So, the story is flat, the characters are lacking... what about the visuals? Bingo. After what I can only assume was a lot of time and money invested in editing and CGI... that 'something special' was found in the visuals department (Well, according to the $162.1m/£100.4m box office figures for it's opening weekend, I'd say that it was). Well done, Michael!

The key thing to remember with Dark of the Moon, is to really take it for what it is. Simply put, it's a boy trying to save a girl, amidst the chaos of two opposing worlds at war, simpler still... it's an action movie. And whether you dislike him or not, Michael Bay can do action. And in this case, he has done it very well.
This is the most visually appealing installment by a mile, and has had a lot of work put into it which really shows. It was shot almost entirely using the Cameron/Pace 3D camera and the rest using 35mm for the rest of the shots, to pick up the finer details. Definitely a wise choice, because that is what this film was all about, visuals.

What this film lacks in sensible and original scriptwriting and interesting character development, it makes up for tenfold in the "Holy shit, did you see that?!" department. From the spectacular wide shots, to the slow-motion transformation of beautiful cars into badass robots (Seeing every piece of metal move is really something), to the sheer scale of the destruction of Chicago... this film oozes epic imagery. The jewel in the crown though, is the spectacular 3D footage of a platoon of Military Paratroopers gliding above the streets of war-torn Chicago using flight suits, genuinely breathtaking stuff. That scene alone made up for a lot of the films core issues for me. With better characters and a more tweaked story, this scale of 3D filming could well be the shape of things to come for the action movie, and I for one am excited.

  

Megan who?: Rosie Huntington-Whitely shows us her shocked face.
(Image courtesy of weloveheronline.blogspot.com)

The Verdict

Honestly, I feel that I can quite comfortably say that Transformers 3 is at the peak of 3D Cinema at the moment, utilising the technology to the best of it's ability and making a damn good looking product at the end of it. I'll not be able to do this films stunning imagery enough justice simply writing about it, so if you're into robots, explosions, space travel or 1 hour long action sequences (and you have the money to waste in these times of financial horror), head on over to your cinema and check this out in 3D. I'd give it an easy 8, maybe a 9/10 for visuals, but because of it's severe need for a solid story behind it and a slight change in tone from the characters... Transformers 3 has earned itself a reasonable... 6/10*

(* Note: It would've been a 7 but THAT first scene with RHW in spectacular 3D just wasn't long enough... I'm sure if you've seen the movie, you'll know what I mean... meow.)

Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D - Zombies Get a New Dimension

Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D Poster
Image courtesy of IGN.com

Just the other day, I took the plunge and headed out to see Resident Evil Afterlife 3D, I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for by shelling out on a ticket, and that is more or less what I got. I was somewhat surprised with the overall outcome, although with low expectations, things always seem better than what they really are. Here's my take on the latest from Paul W.S Anderson's  zombie series.

Set several years after the T-Virus outbreak, wiping out 99% of all humanity, Afterlife sees Milla Jovovich return to the screen as zombie-killing heroine Alice, as she heads for a survival colony in a place called Arcadia. Along the way she picks up a few other survivors who are also looking to reach salvation. We also see the return of Ali Larter (Resident Evil: Extinction) as Claire Redfield and Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) is introduced to the series, shockingly, playing a prisoner. They work together to reach Arcadia alongside a cast so politically correct it hurts, with the likes of a British woman, an African American, a Hispanic male and an Asian male, encountering several difficulties along the way, predominantly in the form of varying sizes of creatures.

'The Executioner'
Image courtesy of overallsite.com

As far as movie plots go, this one is poor at best. Totally unoriginal and uninspired, thoroughly predictable from the opening minutes and unfortunately the film has no sense of irony about it to redeem itself. It seems to take itself rather seriously, but doesn't particularly have the goods to the back itself up. Normally, I'd defend this kind of film, calling it 'just a bit of fun' but, this is the 4th in a series that has declined since it's first instalment (which was passable as being 'a bit of fun'). It should also be noted that this movie, and the others in the series are definitely ones for the fans of the video game. Afterlife in particular featured more references to Capcom's popular franchise than any of the other films, which as a fan of the games myself, was rather nice to see including The Executioner (left). Although it does limit the scope for audience appreciation quite considerably. As (whilst not being one to judge books by their covers) when I walked into the cinema it was easy to spot the avid videogamers from the casual cinemagoers, it was fairly obvious who was going to enjoy the movie more.

Another downside was that the film was only 97 minutes long. But the issue I have isn't with the actual length of the movie, it's more down to the fact that about 80 of those 97 minutes were made up of slow motion footage. 11 years on since The Matrix and yet we still can't escape people smashing through plate glass windows at 25% of their original speed. So, in actuality the film is probably only about 15 minutes long. Admittedly, I feel a little guilty laying into the movie so much, zombie-flicks get something of a bad press as it is anyhow, and as a big fan of the flesh-eaters, I probably shouldn't encourage such slanderous behaviour. So, I'll focus on some of the positives of the film too. Every cloud, right?

Ali Larter and Milla Jovovich get all wet. No complaints.
Image courtesy of: fanboyz.net

Firstly, there's the visual aspect to the movie. Out of all the 3D films I've seen now, this was actually one of the best looking ones I've experienced. I appreciate that Avatar is allegedly the pinnacle of 3D, and whilst being visually stunning I much preferred watching it in regular old 2D. Whereas with Afterlife, I actually enjoyed the 3D gimmick. Slow-mo overkill aside, it was actually done quite well, and didn't overdo it too much when it came to the number one 3D movie convention of 'people-on-screen-pointing-things-at-the-camera'. Plus, watching a slow-motion bullet exit through the back of someone's head in the third dimension is a nice little something for the horror fans in the audience to enjoy. There was some great set design later on in the film too, with all-white set pieces, spliced with hints of red and black, the visual element really came to life in places. Secondly, there was the soundtrack, compiled by soundtrack connoisseurs 'tomandandy', there were some great scene setting sounds, which boded quite well alongside the imagery of hordes of zombies getting annihilated.

The Verdict

In fairness this has been the best 3D film since Avatar (Which I preferred in 2D anyway), not in way of story, but purely based on it's 3D visuals, what this film lacked elsewhere it made up in looking pretty slick in areas. But aside from it's somewhat impressive visuals, the film is pretty weak. To really enjoy it you'd need to leave your brains at the door upon entering it, but if you're a fan of the games, this one has some nods to them that should keep you appeased. The fight choreography is good, and I personally think that the leading girls make much better action heroines than Angelina Jolie ever has. But unfortunately that's simply not enough to save this film from itself. You know that something is seriously wrong when even a dripping wet, three-dimensional Milla Jovovich struggles to make it watchable. Afterlife is enjoyable in places, and it looks good, but it's a predictable, basic movie with nothing particularly special where story is concerned. Eye candy at best. 4/10.

How It Should Have Ended: I Am Legend

Spoiler Alert: The following article contains detailed plot description which can and will spoil your viewing experience if you haven't already seen the film before. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville alongside his faithful companion Sam
Image courtesy of slashfilm.com

Frances Lawrence's adaptation of the novel of the same name is a good film, I'm sure any one who sees it will happily agree, but it is of course not without it's flaws. It's the third film conversion of the book, alongside The Last Man on Earth (1964) and Omega Man (1971) which are both worth a watch too if the idea of a post-apocalyptic world is your bag.

The film follows Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville, a man immune to a virus that has wiped out civilisation and it follows his lonely battle to survive and find a cure, it looks at how he deals with the trials and tribulations that are associated with being the apparent last man on earth. Smith's performance is powerful and emotional, the story is tense and exciting and the premise is quite interesting too. I won't go into too much detail, but after some very intense chase scenes and the saddening loss of his companion German Shepherd 'Sam', amongst some very artistic and beautiful cinematography, the film reaches a climax where Doctor Robert is confronted with the infected people he has been eluding all this time (also known as 'Darkseekers') and has to make some snap last minute decisions to determine the fate of the other surivivors he has met, and in turn that of the world.

This is all well and good, and the scene itself is fantastic. It climaxes with Smith's character extracting an effective serum from a woman that was used for experimenting on as the Alpha Male Darkseeker (below) is smashing the plexiglass window separating them from ending their lasting hunt for him, he hands the vial of blood to Anna and Ethan, his fellow survivors and buys them the time they need to escape by pulling the pin on a grenade, taking his own life and those of the Darkseekers in the building with him. Perfect. An example of legendary martyrdom in favour of humanity. Silence, fade to white. This is where the credits should have rolled and where I always hit the stop button on my DVD. But the credits don't come yet.

The Alpha Male Darkseeker
Image courtesy of Screenviewer.blogspot.com

What follows is an unnecessary additional scene, showing Anna and Ethan arriving at a very suburban survival colony, laden with American flags and soldiers. I don't mean to seem nationalist, but I have a major dislike for these 'God Bless America' type endings that come with certain films. I didn't feel nearly half as much empathy for the survival of Anna and Ethan as I did for Dr. Robert, and I feel that the film should have ended with his death, closing his legend. The image of someone continuing what he started straight afterwards felt unnecessary and was actually a bit of an anti-climax after his heroic death, and being force-fed this idea of survival was uncomfortable. I would have preferred it to be left to the imagination whether he managed to save the world or not, I really don't think the film needed a drastically short extra addition and a 'happily ever after' scene. 28 Days Later got right what I Am Legend did not, and unfortunately the alternate ending doesn't live up to much either, injecting the wild and feral Darkseekers with emotions and humanity was the same mistake that ruined Land of the Dead for me too. Call me a depressive but sometimes I don't want to see happily ever after, life isn't always that easy so films shouldn't have to be to compensate!

Do you have any suggestions or thoughts on the ending of this movie? Don't hesitate to comment with your opinions. And be sure to look out for our next 'How It Should Have Ended' coming soon!