Michael Bay has finally delivered; "Transformers: Age Of Extinction" is pure escapist fun. Written by Scott Gentry.

"Transformers: Age of Extinction" (12A)
Directed by: Michael Bay.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, T.J. Miller, Sophia Myles, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer and Titus Welliver.
Rated: 12A for containing moderate action violence and infrequent strong language.
Running time: 164 minutes, 54 seconds.
Out now in UK Cinemas.

I'm literally shocked. Michael Bay has finally directed a piece of cinema which has (surprisingly) impressed me. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves here, there's still a few problems with "T: AOE", that may need ironing out. His Sci-Fi epic is not only 164 minutes long, but it also contains the key traits of Bay cinema: explosions (duh!), gratifying shots/depictions of women and humour guaranteed to make anyone cringe. That aside, the film is enjoyable, and not just in terms of its visuals.

Mark Whalberg and Nicola Peltz are thrown into the battle, in a still from
"Transformers: Age of Extinction". 

Set four years on from the devastating attack on Chicago, government agencies (led by the villainous Grammer) are now refusing the help of Autobots, and are beginning to viciously and mercilessly, hunt them (and Decepticons) down. Meanwhile, Cade Yeager (Whalberg) and his daughter, Tessa (Peltz) are in financial trouble and are facing eviction from their ranch in Texas. Luckily, Cade manages to find a disused truck inside of an abandoned cinema and decides to strip it for parts. Whilst exploring the humongous vehicle, he ultimately realises that perhaps this isn't a truck. Perhaps this is a Transformer. Simultaneously, inventor Joshua Joyce (Tucci) is designing clones of the robots, from the bodies of fallen Autobots and Decepticons whilst using a dangerous element named “Transformium”. This can only end well, can’t it?

Upon Cade awaking the Autobot and realising it's none other than the famed Optimus Prime (played by Peter Cullen), it isn't long before the government and a mysterious, robotic bounty-hunter named Lockdown (Mark Ryan) show up, and the long fought peace is disrupted. Cue explosions!

Cade (Whalberg) makes a discovery, in a stil from
"Transformers: Age of Extinction".

Well, what can I say? I liked it, and it’s mainly because the film has been toned down considerably, leaving it a more playful and well developed film. For instance, there is actual character development which isn’t as boring as previous films and makes for an entertaining, explosion-less first act, which is surprising. Here, the cast are given time to develop their characters freely, with Whalberg acting in an overly comedic manner and providing a particularly decent performance. However, Tucci manages to steal the glory from most of the other actors in the third act, as he provides a hilarious performance as Joshua Joyce, who seems to have the most fun, especially during a hilarious chase sequence, where he says (to a bunch of slow, elderly, ladies) “Can anyone tell me what ‘get the f**k out of my way’ is in Chinese?”. 

The supporting cast take the form of Peltz and Jack Reynor as they play a love-struck couple and let’s face it, aren’t as talented as the rest of the cast, and are mostly left screaming for their lives. Peltz in particular, as at every opportunity Bay directs the camera around her extremely short-shorts and plunging necklines, even in the midst of the explosions, leaving the question, why is she even on the screen? 

Whalberg, Peltz and Reynor star in a
still from "Transformers: Age of Extinction".

In league with some rather ham-fisted acting from various members of the cast, Ehren Kruger is once again onboard as the film’s screenwriter and has pretty much written the seemingly exact same storyline as the original three instalments, but with some added content such as the Dinobots, the bounty-hunter element and the government agents. It isn’t surprising but it seems to work fairly well, mainly due to a smaller number of Autobots who are easier to focus upon and engage with, as a result of their longer amount of screen time and character development. The film is graced by the appearance of two new Autobots named Hound, a rather strange character voiced by John Goodman who enjoys smoking tank shells. Wait. What? Yep that’s right! Tank shells. 

Is it me, or does Whalberg have a
rather large left hand? 

Ken Watanabe voices the other addition to the crew, as a samurai-wielding, Japanese robot named Drift, who constantly refers to Optimus as Sensei. A little bit stereotypical, eh? 

Despite the new additions, the comedy is still overly cringe-worthy in places, especially when Cade decides to shout (whilst shooting alien weaponry) “I’m so going to patent this!”In my opinion, it may be wise to finally hire a new screenwriter. 

Many people have also commented on the running time, but quite honestly it didn’t fell like two hours and forty-four minutes. It felt as if Bay’s spectacle was fairly short, perhaps even an hour. The running time was most definitely not an issue. Furthermore, the film contains some of the most blatant product placement I have ever seen. Even during a sequence with the man-made “Transformium” (yep, that’s what it’s called, unbelievable!), an element of the transformers DNA which can be turned into anything the characters desire, the characters proceed to create various products such as the “Beats” audio speaker, the “Pill” (they even say it’s name out loud, if you didn’t already know what it was!) and a “My Little Pony” figurine. It’s outrageous!

And what of the Dinobots? Perhaps one of the most coveted members of the “Transformers” universe, these robotic dinosaurs may have only been introduced into the film by the last act, but they manage to earn their place within the carnage; looking as cool as they come, the robotic beasts rip, smash and tear their way through Deception punks like meat, and overly impress the least faithful of Michael Bay fans. Thank goodness the Dinobots were right.

A perfect Grimlock, in a still from
"Transformers: Age Of Extinction". 

The reason perhaps why “T: AOE” works so well is because the film is smaller and it allows Bay to still use vast amounts of destinations to destroy, but their isn’t as much going on as in the previous storylines. This time around the film actually contains some sort of plot that the audience can follow, occasionally relate to and ultimately enjoy. There isn’t a thousand strands left hanging here, there is only the possibility of further sequels, and if Bay continues to make films like this, I’ll be more than happy to sit through them.  

In regards to the film’s visual effects, “T: AOE” is of course nothing but impressive. Once again the explosions, falling buildings and rock 'em Sock 'em robot sequences are all here, yet returning as impressive as ever, along with deafening sound and a score to match, written by Steve Jablonsky adds to the action with his pulse-pounding score that adds a certain quality to the massacre. It’s a battlefield on the screen, and by seeing it in the IMAX format, it’s worth being consumed by Bay’s visual style for the duration. Trust me on this. 

Verdict

A pleasant surprise from Michael Bay and his team of warmongers; “Transformers: Age of Extinction” is smaller in terms of scale, feels far more personal and is ultimately more enjoyable. Goodbye Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. We’re better off without you. 

6 stars out of 10

Written by Scott Gentry

Film Rating Key

1-2 stars out of ten = Awful.

3-4 stars out of ten = Average.

5-6 stars out of ten = Good.

7-8 stars out of ten = Excellent.

9-10 stars out of ten = Amazing.