Transformers: Age of Extinction

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz

Directed by Michael Bay

Synopsis:
Years after the events in Chicago, the government has turned on the Autobots, setting out to destroy them all.  Led by ruthless Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), all Transformers are hunted down and killed, led by the alien bounty hunter Lockdown. 

In Texas, wannabe inventor Cade (Mark Wahlberg) discovers an old truck and learns that it's not just an ordinary truck, but a Transformer.  He re-starts it and learns it's none other than the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, who wants to find his fellow Autobots before they're decommissioned. 

Meanwhile Attinger is working with Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) to build their own Transformers using their life force, and manage to create a few of their own Transformers, including Galvatron, who sets out to find "the Seed," an item that could destroy humanity and raise a whole new breed of Decepticons.  Prime's only hope rests with the Dinobots, but first he has to tame them.

Review:
Michael Bay...you're single-handedly destroying my childhood.  The first "Transformers" was decent enough.  The second one... not so much.  Then there was the third, which was slightly better than the second.
But then you made a fourth.

And it was the worst of the bunch.

I shall explain why I believe this is so:
1. The actors.  Eliminating LaBeouf was a great idea, but then you bring in Mark Wahlberg.  Wahlberg is one of the best actors out there, and placing him in this type of film is very beneath him, and it shows in his acting - he seems like he's phoning it in, working for a paycheck rather than a desire for the film.  Ditto with Kelsey Grammer and Stanley Tucci (albeit Tucci was the best actor in the film).  As the "token bad guy," the only other things Grammer needed was the long handlebar mustache to twirl and the girl to tie to the train tracks.

Speaking of girls, once again Bay casts great eye candy for the female lead, but yet again picks one who has no acting ability whatsoever.  All she does is wear short Daisy Dukes and cries out for either her father or her boyfriend (who, by the way, is 20, while she is 17, but since Texas apparently has a "Romeo & Juliet" law it's allowed.  God bless Texas).

2. The length.  Almost three freaking hours.  It would've been nice if the movie had any sort of plot, but instead it's nothing but Bay classics - bombs, things blowing up, and lots of random shots of aforementioned eye candy girl.

3. The plot.  So Lockdown is sent by some unknown entity (which we find out later but won't spoil it) to take down Optimus Prime.  Meanwhile the human race has randomly turned on the Autobots who helped save them because of one wacko government official who also has some unknown hatred for them.  Then there's Galvatron (who is a human-made reincarnation of Megatron) who wants to raise a new Decepticon army by destroying humanity with The Seed.  Makes sense, right?

4. Dinobots.  In every advertisement, you see the Dinobots (in particular Grimlock, one of my favorites) front and center, so you're led to believe they play a huge part in the film.  Wrong.  They're only there for the last thirty minutes.  And they don't really have any personality.  Grimlock doesn't even speak.  I was more than disappointed in that.

Summary:
A great action flick with dazzling effects, a typical Michael Bay film, but devoid of any real story or acting ability.

My Rating: C+