Sidewalks On The Corner

UPDATE: THE "TRANSFORMERS" NOW IN IMAX.
I got a chance to see a re-release preview of the 'THE TRANSFORMERS" in IMAX. If you have enjoyed the "Transformers" on the regular screen, then wait until you see it on IMAX. To watch the film on the average screen is impressive enough, however in IMAX, it's an eye-poping, ear searing, head exploding experience. Daunting as it may seem to watch, the "Transformers" is a worthy movie of the formula.

Follow up:

Here's my original review:
In 1984, one animated series changed the way children watched cartoons. The "Transformers" return to the big screen 21 years later after the original animated movie. This modern version has been given the franchise new life, like you've never seen it before.

Centuries ago, alien races of highly advanced machines (the Autobots and the Decepticons) have been locked into battle, while the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. Now the battle has fallen to Earth, where the Autobots and Decepticons are both in search of the Allspark, a life-giving cube to all machines. The Allspark is a source of pure energy, and if it falls into the hands of the Decepticons, it can become a powerful weapon … and they will rule the universe with an iron fist. But the key to ending this war between the robots is held by an average teenager, Sam Witwicky. Sam is dealing with his own problems, getting a car, finding a girl friend, and high school. Witwicky has no idea that the fate of the world rests on his shoulders. He finds out that the car his father bought him is one of those "Transformers.” He also learns about their quest here on Earth. Sam has no choice but to help the Autobots find and protect the Allspark and stop the evil Decepticons from reigning terror in universe.

The "Transformers" opens the same way the cartoon does, only the movie goes further into detail about how these sophisticated machines came into existence. It gives the audience a good basis to stand on as the movie progresses. Then the adrenaline starts pumping as a fierce battle breaks out between the human army and a Decepticon named Blackout. There are some pros and con to the new version, and, fortunately, the pros outweigh the cons.

PRO:
The special efx: The highly stylized robots are done with great detail. They look as if they are right there interacting with their human counterparts. ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) took great care in designing and executing the animation for the machines, creating some of most awesome looking and sounding robots on the planet. The transformations were very intricate, and realistic. The action: The coordination of the battles between the human army and Blackout has to be the most creative since Steven Spielberg’s version of "War Of The Worlds,” all thanks to director Michael Bay. The battles are intense and seat riveting to watch.

Character development: There is a lighter side to all the action, as bulk of the story focuses on Sam Witwicky (played by Shia LaBeouf, upcoming “Indiana Jones 4, " “Disturbia,” “I, Robot “). LaBeouf plays his part to the brim, and then some. LaBeouf plays Witwicky a little too well, however. His character is hyper and very talkative, making Witwicky seem like he was hopped up on speed throughout the film. Sam Witwicky is much more hyper in this film than in the cartoon. Megan Fox (“Ocean Ave,” Hope and Faith ) is Mikaela Banes, the girl every boy drools over in class. Fox really looks the part as the misunderstood, attractive and popular girl in school. Fox flaunts her feminine ways and allow her character’s true colors to show. Kevin Dunn (Boston Legal, "Gridiron Gang," "All The Kings Men") , who almost fades into the background compared to LaBeouf's character, plays Sam' father Ron Witwicky. Witwicky sounds like the typical supportive father, but is underused. Overall, Dunn did a nice job of bringing the animated father, whose nickname is "Sparkplug" in the cartoon, to life. John Voight ("Glory Road," "National Treasure") is Defense Secretary John Keller. Voight's character is a bumbling and pretentious politician who thinks he knows it all, but doesn't. He does a nice job but nothing to write home about.

There are some brief appearances by some pretty big names to fill out the supportive cast. Bernie Mac (“Oceans 12 and 13," The Bernie Mac Show") is the snake oil car salesman Bobby Bolivia. Mac is his usual nutty self as Bolivia but this character is no stretch of his acting ability. Anthony Anderson also makes an appearance as a computer genius, who helps the government with finding the alien signal that brought the other “Transformers” to earth. Anderson also overdoes it on the silliness. Other supportive cast members include the versatile Tyrese Gibson ("Baby Boy", "2 Fast 2 Furious", "Waist Deep") as USAF Tech Sergeant Epps and Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas, All My Children) as Captain Lennox. Both do a bang up job.

But the real stars of this film are the robots themselves who almost upstage the human actor with strong voice over work by Peter Cullen as the fearless leader Optimas Prime. Cullen is mostly know for his work in countless other animated series as a voice over actor including the original Transformers and G.I. Joe cartoons. Cullen has a very commanding voice and fits perfectly as Optimas Prime. Hugo Weaving ("The Matrix Trilogy," "V For Vendetta") sounds menacing. Weaving has relied on his voice once before as the character “V” in V for Vendetta, and is the refreshing new voice of Megatron, the evil overlord of the Decepticons. Darius McCrary (“Family Matter”) makes a surprising appearance as the voice of Autobot Jazz and gives new life to a cool robot. There are numerous other supporting cast members, who push the whole film along.

CON:
So what are the cons? The schizophrenic dialogue, awkward comical moments, too many battle and fight scenes, and fake drama moments didn't work. The ending was loud and violent (with stylized sci-fi violence).

Overall the entire cast does an outstanding job of keeping energy levels high and keeping up with the action. The special efx are the slickest you'll see on screen all year, absolutely brilliant. Visionary Michael Bay is a master at shooting super-action movies and brings those "robots in disguise" to life. Like its twin "Live Free or Die Hard," "Transformers" is 2 and a half hours too long, and most of the fights and battle could have been left on the cutting room floor to make the film more efficient. This film is an awesome execution in filmmaking. Excellent movie.