The Age of Extinction is almost upon us, but is Michael Bay’s fourth Transformers movie a thrilling reboot, or more of the same?
The massive, metal sequel held its world premiere in Hong Kong last weekend, giving media and fans their first look at Transformers: Age of Extinction -- a film that’s supposed to launch a new trilogy. Instead of dragging the no-longer-famous Shia LaBeouf out of mothballs, Michael Bay turned the keys to Optimus Prime over to Pain & Gain leading man Mark Wahlberg, hoping to inject fresh gas into a franchise that – while financially successful – needed to change gears.
Was it successful? Early reviews have been the textbook definition of "mixed." Currently, as of Monday morning, Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age of Extinction has three Fresh reviews (but no "official" score). Writing for Variety, film critic Maggie Lee seems to give the latest Transformers film a positive review, yet admits "the human characters are even more dispensable and the plot even more scattershot than usual." Thumbs up?
The Hollywood Reporter takes a similar approach, pointing out the potential in said film but quickly denouncing the end product. "Occasional glimpses of hope for a fresh reboot are extinguished by a generally bloated and dull spectacle," writes Clarence Tsui, noting that the film’s 165-minute run time, the "the longest of the lot — suggests that Michael Bay and his team are struggling to rejuvenate the whole premise."
The most favorable review out there for Transformers: Age of Extinction, currently belongs to HitFix’s Drew McWeeny, who takes the pre-emptive strike of critiquing the critics before addressing the film. "You're going to read a lot of reviews of Transformers: Age Of Extinction that will exist primarily to give the critic writing the review a chance to entertain other critics. That drives me crazy."
And it’s true. Michael Bay brings his own baggage to each new feature, and it’s complicated talking about his latest film without referencing feelings about his previous movies – particularly his work in the first three Transformers movie, which should inform the choices he makes in Age of Extinction. Ultimately, McWeeny writes of this sequel.
Whatever the case, Transformers: Age Of Extinction more than delivers on whatever promises Bay makes to an audience at this point. Giant robots. Giant mayhem. Destruction on a global scale. You know what you're in for if you buy a ticket, and Bay seems determined to wear you down with the biggest craziest Transformers movie yet."
A recommendation? Half-heartedly. If you like these movies, then you’ll like this movie. We’ll continue to cover Transformers: Age of Extinction all week as we build up to the release of Michael Bay’s latest assault of Bay-hem. Are you excited?
