By Kalilah Shelton
When thinking about the Transformers, my generation remembers playing with the toys and watching the action-packed cartoon show after school. Naturally, I carried those memories with me as I sat down in the theater. So with my preconceived ideas in tow and trepidation in hand, I was afraid that this movie would ruin my fond recollections.
Fifteen minutes into the film as the first Transformer “Blackout” changed from a helicopter into a robot before stunned eyes, and destroys a military base in the Middle East, I knew my memories would remain intact. I was in for a great experience. True to the cartoon, the Transformer’s planet had been destroyed by a war between the Decepticons (the bad robots) and the Autobots (the good robots) over the source of all power called the AllSpark – a giant cube that landed on Earth long ago after the planet was destroyed.
The AllSpark was followed by the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron who crash landed in the Arctic Circle and was frozen there until being discovered by a lost explorer.
FYI: the AllSpark’s location somehow gets encrypted on the glasses of the explorer. Never mind how. It’s just an excuse to move the story along. Flash forward, and the explorer’s great grand son, Sam Whitwicky (Shia LaBoeuf) is trying to sell the encrypted glasses on E-bay to raise money to buy a car to impress the girl of his dreams, Mikaela (Megan Fox).
Sam buys his car Bumblebee (voiced by Mark Ryan), an Autobot sent to protect him, from a used car dealership run by Bernie Mack. The Decepticon’s are already on Earth trying to find Sam and the glasses. It isn’t long before the rest of the Autobot’s show up, including Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), who explains the Decepticons and Autobots history and why they want to save Earth.
While the Decepticons want to Destroy all humans and build a new army out of the mechanical devises on Earth using the AllSpark, the Department of Defense, lead by Defense Secretary John Keller (John Voight) is trying to figure out what is going on.
“Transformers” is an amazing movie with a simple storyline that leaves itself open for a sequel to introduce new Autobots and Decepticons. Although the acting is a little cheesy, it’s forgivable because the awesome transforming machines are the stars of the show.
“Transformers” will definitely be one of the best films of the summer, especially with all the tired rethreaded sequels coming out. “Transformers” will stand out for its originality and director’s Michael Bay’s (“Armageddon”) affinity for special effects. “Transformers” is one of his best with all the action and comic relief, there is a little something for everyone – especially if you grew up in the 80’s and remember the “Robots in disguise.”
