5 Things I Liked About Transformers: Age of Extinction
Reader, be warned. This article contains bits of spoilers.
During the onset of another action blockbuster, avid moviegoers and enthusiasts flock to the cinemas to get their fill of good ol’ ass-kicking films. ‘Tis the season of another premiere and this time, we zoom in on the fourth instalment of the Michael Bay mega-movie franchise, Transformers: Age of Extinction.Â
For purposes of brevity, let’s abbreviate the movie title to TAOE. Some of our other writers from WheninManila.com have seen the movie and with the hatred that burns like the fire of a thousand suns (or maybe less), it underwent quite a scathing review under their collaborative care. Check out their witty and downright entertaining article here: 20 Reasons Why We Did Not Like Transformers 4
In this article, no comparing shall be done between TAOE and its predecessors. The story line, acting, special effects, and other movie elements shall be left to other reviews that critique on the movie as a whole. Most of the reviews I’ve read indicate that TAOE had more misses than hits, hence it falls flat on the action scale.
Personally, I didn’t like this movie that much. I totally agree (and laughed with) our writers on their points as to why TAOE sucked. However, let’s look past its many, many shortcomings and see where TAOE had struck the right notes. Without further ado, I present to you the…
5 Things I Liked About Transformers: Age of Extinction
1. West Meets East and Back AgainÂ
Usually, in the movies, the bad guys say, “I will destroy the world!! Buahahahahaha!!” Shut up, villain. We know you really mean just New York City. Our protagonists fly off to China and that’s where a lot of the climatic action scenes take place. Some of the scenes here were edge-of-your-seat entertaining in all its Asian chaos. And as always in any crowded city, a lot of breaking in and smashing of apartment windows and jumping on roofs take place. The stereotype of every random Chinese citizen knowing how to do kung fu was also not lost in TAOE. Buddha face palm.
2. One Man’s Junk is Actually an Autobot
Ahhhh, yes. Vintage vehicles, old run-down trucks, junked cars. Don’t discriminate friends, because underneath that junk lies the heart of an autobot (lol what). Kidding aside, I loved Cade Yeager’s eagerness and enthusiasm to “see through the junk” and to try to create something useful and beneficial for everyone. I think this is a pass at society’s constant discrimination for things and people that don’t seem too attractive, and/or aren’t pleasing to the eyes. Michael Bay wants us see though the junk and learn to appreciate past the rusty exteriors of people and things. Or repair and recycle old vehicles, I don’t know.
3. The Beautiful Cast and Lousy Characters
Some of the cast members are my personal favorite actors (Wahlberg and Tucci), and others were just pretty faces that bought much aesthetic appeal to the TAOE ensemble. Some cast members fit well with the characters that they played, sure, but I just couldn’t understand some of their attributes and character storylines. Is there a love story brewing between Joshua Joyce and Su Yueming (head of KSI China) or Darcy Tyril (Joshua’s geologist assistant)? What’s with the cheesy lines and googly eyes?
Why does Tessa Yeager seem to value her boyfriend more than her dad? What gives, kid? No matter how vague their story is or how poor the acting is, though, let’s just stare at Mark Wahlberg’s arms.
4. Bada-bing, Bada-bang, Bada-BOOM
Explosives, fast cars, big guns (literally and figuratively), gut-busting fight scenes; these are the hard and fast elements to every good action movie. TAOE had an abundance of action from both man and machine and it all fell together in a beautiful chaotic mess with scraps of metal, blood, sweat, tears, and machine oil. The obsessive-compulsive nut in me just squirmed at the utter destruction and mess they made.
5. The Question of Other Worlds and Species in the Universe
“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” Excellent point, Arthur C. Clarke. TAOE extends past earthly bounds and poses the existence of other worlds far different than our own. Who created the autobots? Where did they come from? What other species were they talking about? Where did Optimus Prime jet off to at the end of the movie? WHO IS THEIR MAKER? Oh, questions, questions.
Speaking of species, did I forget to mention there were dinobots in this movie? Yes. The cataclysmic destruction that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was not caused by killer asteroids from space but by autobots who wanted to cultivate transformium, the metal that autobots are made of. Whoops!Â
If you’re still planning on seeing TAOE, which garnered significantly mixed reviews, by all means, go right ahead. Don’t let me influence you! It’s not a great action movie, but it’s got enough razzmatazz to keep audiences occasionally entertained.
Thank you to our friends from PMCM Events Management for inviting WheninManila.com to catch the special blocked screening at SM Megamall! Transformers: Age of Extinction Blocked Screening
