After being disappointed with Age of Extinction, loathing The Last Knight, and being one of the few that disliked Bumblebee, I went into this movie expecting it to be terrible. But I am ecstatic after watching the best Transformers movie since Dark of the Moon.
I found myself smiling for most of the runtime. For the first time in years, I kept thinking "Transformers are so damn cool." There are so many beautiful shots with these CGI creations, so many moments to screenshot and frame. The action is miles better than the last three entries.
They fixed so many of the issues that plagued the last three movies. There are actual characters with motivations we understand, conflicts where we can see both sides of the argument. Even the Transformer characters are significantly more fleshed out. I felt for them.
There is an actual story instead of nonsense to move the plot forward. You don't even have to turn your brain off to enjoy it. And the comedy actually works! I laughed more times than the previous three movies combined.
This experience made me so happy, and I look forward to any future projects if this is the direction they're taking. It's a perfect example of how, if you do it right and create with care and passion, the result will be endlessly better.
EDIT: I loved it even more the second time. Multiple action sequences give me goosebumps, similar to how I feel when watching the Dark of the Moon highway scene and the Optimus rage scene at the end. And I can't believe I didn't mention it originally, but the musical score is AMAZING. It elevates every scene and gives me the feels.
(3 viewings, early fan screening UltraScreen 6/7/2023, UltraScreen 6/14/2023, SuperScreen 7/3/2023)
I found myself smiling for most of the runtime. For the first time in years, I kept thinking "Transformers are so damn cool." There are so many beautiful shots with these CGI creations, so many moments to screenshot and frame. The action is miles better than the last three entries.
They fixed so many of the issues that plagued the last three movies. There are actual characters with motivations we understand, conflicts where we can see both sides of the argument. Even the Transformer characters are significantly more fleshed out. I felt for them.
There is an actual story instead of nonsense to move the plot forward. You don't even have to turn your brain off to enjoy it. And the comedy actually works! I laughed more times than the previous three movies combined.
This experience made me so happy, and I look forward to any future projects if this is the direction they're taking. It's a perfect example of how, if you do it right and create with care and passion, the result will be endlessly better.
EDIT: I loved it even more the second time. Multiple action sequences give me goosebumps, similar to how I feel when watching the Dark of the Moon highway scene and the Optimus rage scene at the end. And I can't believe I didn't mention it originally, but the musical score is AMAZING. It elevates every scene and gives me the feels.
(3 viewings, early fan screening UltraScreen 6/7/2023, UltraScreen 6/14/2023, SuperScreen 7/3/2023)