Transformers Age of Extinction

Review By: John Delia

Pushing the envelope over the edge of his previous three films with a more explosive action adventure that burns up the screen, Michael Bay presses the panic button with Transformers Age of Extinction.  The fast paced destruction filled film out does anything you have seen this year and maybe ever.  With his hand on the fast-forward trigger, this futuristic autobot thriller should quench most teens thirst for science fiction violence from their favorite transformers. It’s no more than a roller coaster ride with a lackluster storyline, but for teens it’s worth the price of a movie ticket.

The story begins showing aliens coming to Earth during the age of dinosaurs and zapping them with a seed that causes a change in their bodies. Fast forward to modern day and we find Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), a robotic inventor of sorts browsing through a vacant movie theater where he finds an old broken down truck (most followers of Transformers should know this autobot).  When he tows it home, his 17-year-old daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz) objects to his buying more junk. Cade does a little body work on the truck and realizes he has found a Transformer.  Unfortunately, his assistant Lucas (T.J. Miller) looks to cash in on the find and reports the autobot to the government for a reward.

CIA Agent Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) takes his team to the Yeager farm to confront him.  When they threaten Cade and Tessa, the transformer Optimus Prime appears and the three flee with the autobot from the farm. During the escape, they add Tessa’s pro car racing boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor).  Following an extensive chase scene in Shane’s car, Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) of KSI sends a couple of engineered military robots to take down Optimus Prime in order to get his metal. Optimus puts up a good fight and calls for fellow autobots Hound (John Goodman), Ratchet (Robert Foxworth), Drift (Ken Watanabe), Crosshairs (John DiMaggio) and Bumblebee (Mark Ryan) to join him.  So begins a wild roller coaster ride that takes the bots back to Chicago, then on to China and Hong Kong for a showdown.

Director Michael Bay knows how to please his teen audience and slathers on the explosives that’s his trademark when it comes to action films.  Putting every possible obstacle in the way of Optimus Prime, he makes the battles seem endless.  Using a good measure of CGI, special effects, amazing sound and an awesome backdrop of China, the filmmaker brings to the screen his most sci-fi violent film ever.  Holding nothing back ( Bay has already green lighted Transformers 5) he shows signs of stretching Transformers into an unending franchise.

Since the story is meaningless the cast can do no harm. However, I was disappointed with the support cast including Nicola Peltz who plays Tessa and Jack Reynor who plays the useless role of Shane.  They should have just extended the character Lucas instead of eliminating him in the beginning.  As for Mark Wahlberg, it’s a walk in the park for him as he just continues his pretentious self in the role of Cade Yeager.  It’s as if he just stepped out of the role of Chris Farraday in Contraband and continued adding the same persona to Cade. Instead of protecting his brother-in-law, this time it’s his daughter who’s walking the tightrope. 

There are a few very good performances in the film, but the best being Kelsey Grammer as the CIA project head who wants to eliminate all transformers in the world.  Mostly a television comedic staple, here he steps up characterizing the very sinister covert CIA Agent Harold Attinger. He plays his villainous character with a tight fist determined to find those who survived the Decepticons just a few years earlier. Wiping the bots from everywhere would return control to the earthlings and order to the world and he’s determined to make that happen.

Yet again, the film’s not a story driven adventure, but an amazing roller coaster ride.  It’s a teen thrill fest much like a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure where the fun is a drop of 456 feet on the “Kingda Ka.”  They’re not there for the small dips, but the swift ride that presses the most G’s possible that will take their breath away.  While I’m not saying Transformers equals that experience, it does provide a cool ride to an explosive finish.

Transformers Age of Extinction has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and brief innuendo. Some of the visuals are a bit much, but most mature pre-teens should be able to handle anything they have witnessed on their video game consoles. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A thrill fest for the young and those who are still chained to their Xbox.  (For me it’s  a “C”)