Continuing my summer blockbuster binge, I dropped in to Transformers two nights ago. In sum, I got about what I expected: teenagers who are little more than eye-candy falling in love without any clear reason, large explosions and face chase scenes, and sweet scenes of cars, planes and trucks becoming robots. In other words, all sweetness, no substance.
In other words, it was the sort of movie that is perfectly designed for most teenage guys.
The acting was at best wooden. At worst, I found myself wondering which acting performances were the least robotic: the Transformers or the humans.
Which to me is a little bit sad.
Transformers had a great opportunity to fit the niche of summer blockbusters that were mostly fun, but still thoughtful and well made. The first Pirates fit that niche, as did (I think) Oceans 11. But beyond the flash and shimmer of pyrotechnics, CGI, and youthful romance, there's little to commend Transformers.