I first saw Transformers on July 4, 2007. It was on a Wednesday if I remember correctly. I had gone with my best friend, his sister, and their grandmother to see it. After the film, a violent storm raged that flooded the parking lot of our theater. My experience of seeing this film for the first time is still what I recount as easily my favorite experience I have had at the movies. The crowd we saw it with was responsive, me and my friend would gush to each other about the amazing action sequences (that are just as amazing today) in the film and ooh and aah, and at the end of the film the whole theater rose to their feet and cheered and applauded loudly (one of the few times I have actually witnessed this).
Now, why is it that I love this film so much? Why do I so easily and unapologetically embrace this film as one of my own personal favorites?
Transformers follows the Autobots and the Decepticons as they come to Earth in search of the all powerful All-Spark, a cube that in the wrong hands could lead to the destruction of Earth and mankind. The ruthless Decepticons want to rule the galaxy with the aide of the All-Spark, and it is the Autobots mission to stop the Decepticons before it is too late. Along for the mad-cap ride are Earthlings Sam and Mikaela.
One of the things that I LOVE about this film is Sam's story, his story is equally as interesting as the Autobots. I really like the story of your everyday normal teenager that is chosen to help save the world, and amongst great adversity has to find the courage inside of himself in order to do so. Yeah, it may be completely unbelievable that Sam would end up with the incredibly HAWT Mikaela (the film jump started Megan Fox's brief career as an actress. While she definitely can't act as can be evidenced in her other films, in Transformers she does a good job and is incredibly easy on the eyes and is fun to gawk at. One of my favorite scenes is when she leans over Bumblebee's hood, it was at this moment that a new sex icon was born. Legendary indeed), but that really doesn't detract from the film. I'll be one of the first to admit I REALLY do not like Shia Lebouf, but this is one of the few roles where he really fits the character and does a (surprise) great job. He is easy to root for and it is fun to imagine yourself in his shoes.
The action and SFX are fantastic, and I can always feel my blood start to pump whenever one of the films many action scenes rears their heads. From Decepticon Blackout laying waste to a U.S Military Base, to Barricade assaulting Sam in a garage, to Megatron's unfreezing at Sector 7, to the final heart-pounding climactic battle in downtown LA, all of the action scenes and the SFX that go along with them are of a superb quality. You'd think the action in the film would have grown dull by now when compared to the action scenes we get in films today....nope, the scenes are just as fresh and exciting as the day they premiered.
Easily the best part of the film are the Autobots and the Decepticons. From the introduction scene when we first get the full glory of Optimus Prime as he slowly transforms from semi-truck to robot as the other Autobots transform around him as well and the camera sweeps around...well, after that scene you should know if you're a fan or not, myself, I was in jaw-dropped awe then and I still am every time that scene occurs. The churning, twisting robotic parts, the sounds of the transformation all climaxing when Optimus finally speaks his first words....it gives me chills. My favorite Autobots are Optimus and Bumblebee, of course. In the later films, when Optimus tells Sam they will always be his friends....it's a sign of honor and respect, the fact that these super-intelligent robotic beings would consider you, a tiny human, their friend. Enough about the other films ( they are inferior to the first. the 2nd one is just too much and ends up becoming overkill. The 3rd film suffers from the same problem as the 2nd one, but luckily finds a better balance, not to mention the final 45 min or so action scene is frickin incredible), in this film one of the more profound parts is when Optimus gives a speech about the human race and how we should have the right to choose if we live or die and then says that freedom is the right of every sentient being. That scene really shows what Optimus and thusly the Autobots are really all about. Bumblebee also perfectly shows this when he is captured by humans and instead of fighting back and hurting the humans he submits himself as a sacrifice of sorts....all this occurs because he was protecting Sam. The Autobots are all about Loyalty, Sacrifice, and Honor. I personally would LOVE to fight alongside them. Ok, enough geeky nerdy fan gushing.
The Decepticons are just as cool as the Autobots, my favorite ones being Barricade, Blackout, and Megatron (of course). The only problem with The Decepticons is that they can be hard to tell who is who at times (this mainly occurs with Starscream and Megatron). Besides this though, they are still frickin bad-ass, and yes...I do love them as well.
Another thing I LOVE about Transformers is that it made it cool to be nerdy or geeky. Suddenly, it was ok to talk about the Transformers and have discussions amongst others about your favorite Autobot or Decepticon, and not be subjected to weird looks by others because of this. The film really brought the Transformers into the popular culture, and it has indeed changed our world. Camaro's have become one of the most desirable cars, and Decpticon/Autobot car stickers are often seen while driving on the highway. In fact (as I'm sure most people know) the Transformers have become so popular that they spawned two inferior sequels and a fourth film has just recently been green-lit not to mention a state of the art thrill ride.
For me Transformers came out at the perfect time. It was the year of 2007. I was 17 years old, life was good, I was care-free, my best friend had just come down from California to visit for the summer, and I was having the time of my life (mind you, 2007 was not may favorite year, that honor would have to go to 2009, but 2007 is easily 2nd place).It was the perfect convergence of events, and that is probably why I look back on Transformers with such rose-colored glasses. Yeah, the jokes are really stupid but I always end up laughing my butt off nontheless, sure the character development is not as strong as it could be but it is still more than good enough for the film. What I'm getting at is that I understand why many dislike the film, but for myself it is that this film is indeed imperfect that gives it a charming, lovable quality. It is the imperfections that make the film stronger.
So yes, I proudly stand up as a big fan and lover of Transformers and even though there are those that dislike the film (and I understand why) I know I'm not alone in loving this film (and yes, I do look forward to the upcoming 4th installment)
4/5 Stars
Sidenote: my dream car would indeed be a Camaro.
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