Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Better Late Then Never

Absolutely Fantastic

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Having not watched this film at the time of its release, and watching the fourth and fifth installment starring Mark Wahlberg before Dark of the Moon, one can see as to why the entire franchise has changed. Dark of the Moon is relatively decent with some entertainment and in comparison to the films with Wahlberg, this one is better. Shia LeBeouf portrays his character better in these films than what we have seen from Mark Wahlberg, as his character and the storylines seem to make more sense.As a film, this does start off decent but becomes tiresome at some points and drags on heavy as these films tend to do. The visuals are there but overall, the film film is still quite messy and the plot becomes distant to its special effects.Megan Fox's replacement Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is decent as her role doesn't require much but is quite odd how the film doesn't mention how her and Shia's character came about. Though, it is what is expected. Dark of the Moon even with its flaws is easily better than Revenge of the Fallen as that was far more messy, too much overload of action with a lesser plot. In this film it settles down somewhat as there is more drama, more heart and at least concise. Not the mention the finale of Dark of the Moon is quite entertaining and heartfelt, knowing it was the end of the main characters.

This is boring like it's very dull. I'm sick of tired of Michael Bay's Transformer movies like they could of end it here and made a reboot instead. I know 4 & 5 is going to suck. The script is lazy and poorly written. If a better director direct this movie it'll be miles better. Please they need to canceled this series now.

Nowhere near as utterly garbage as the first films in this but whenever the military guys show up there's an overwhelming amount of terrible, forced jargon and clichés. Genuinely entertaining at times with all the visuals and slow-mo you'd expect from Michael Bay, but it is difficult to get past the terrible dialogue at times.

I have to give director Michael Bay a great deal of credit in this Transformers series. He manages to make three movies that are basically all just carbon copies of each other and make them all at the very least entertaining. That is no small feat. Thus, although the luster of the franchise begins to wear off (especially towards the film's conclusion) in this installment, "Dark of the Moon" still is an entertaining romp that won't leave you bored.For a basic plot summary, "Dark of the Moon" formulates the notion that the Apollo 11 moon landing was merely a "smokescreen" for the retrieval of alien (i.e. Transformer) technology. Many years later, this technology predictably falls into the wrong hands and leaves the fate of the world to Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and his military buddies (Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, & John Turturro).The positives of this movie are the usual: the special effects are a spectacle to behold, the action/adventure is pulse-pounding, and it is just a visual treat to watch. More importantly, though, is that the franchise still goes as LaBeouf goes. Though his exuberance for the Sam Witwicky role seems to have diminished just a bit (and perhaps that can be attributed to the character's aging as well), but his scenes are still the best of the experience.Sadly, this movie also has a few notable "misses" that render it only slightly above average. First of is the utter exclusion of Megan Fox's character. I realize that Fox had a falling-out with Bay and wanted nothing to do with this movie, but the fact remains is that her stand-in (supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) has nowhere near that great romantic chemistry with LaBeouf. Rose is just as "bombshell" as Fox, but acting-wise it isn't even close.Also, in this third go-'round, the general plot begins to get the slightest bit old. It is never boring, per se, but it doesn't have that "edge" like the first two did when the characters were still fresh.Overall, "Dark of the Moon" is a decent effort that doesn't end up boring in any way. The exclusion (and no explanation) of Fox is the biggest missing piece here, but other than that it is pretty much "same old story" (with just slightly less enthusiasm all around).