Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro and Jon Voight.
Director: Michael Bay
Studio Synopsis: For centuries, two races of robotic aliens—the Autobots and the Decepticons—have waged a war, with the fate of the universe at stake. When the battle comes to Earth, all that stands between the evil Decepticons and ultimate power is a clue held by young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). An average teenager, Sam is consumed with everyday worries about school, friends, cars and girls. Unaware that he alone is mankind’s last chance for survival, Sam and his friend Mikaela (Megan Fox) find themselves in a tug of war between the Autobots and Decepticons. With the world hanging in the balance, Sam comes to realize the true meaning behind the Witwicky family motto—“No sacrifice, no victory!”
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 144 minutes
Official Web site: http://www.transformersmovie.com/
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/evening/

The Verdict: How easy it would be to take director Michael Bay to task for making us pay for the privilege of watching the longest and most expensive commercial ever made. A typically loud and dumb effects-driven spectacle from the adrenaline junkie responsible for Armageddon and the Bad Boys shoot ’em ups, Transformers is—and was always destined to be—nothing more than a 144-minute, $150 million attempt to sell more products in the 23-year-old Hasbro line of toy robots. And no doubt Hasbro execs are rubbing their hands with glee. Like such comic-book superheroes as Spider-Man and Superman, Transformers appeals to fans young and young at heart. So don’t be surprised if it’s the Kevin Smith lookalike sitting next to you in the movie theater who’s cheering the most when Optimus Prime makes his grand entrance. Oh, and let’s not forget these alien robots conveniently transform into vehicles straight off the General Motors assembly line. Guess Porsches are too flashy for these robots. No one bothers pretending there’s a particular reason for this film to exist other than for product placement purposes. How these mechanical extra-terrestrials came to be isn’t even addressed in what passes as a script by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. And why Optimus Prime’s honorable Autobots are at war with Megatron’s destructive Decepticons is glossed over. All you need to know is that both races of robots are on Earth—masquerading as cars, helicopters and tanks—in search of a power source called the Allspark. And Shia LaBeouf is the only human who can help the Autobots stop the Decepticons from wiping out humanity. There are shades of Live Free and Die Hard in Transformers, what with the Decepticons crippling the government’s network of computer systems. But so what? All that matters is that Bay shows the robots—all cursed with cheesy names like Scorponok or Ironhide—transforming into their vehicle of choice or brutally beating the rust out of each other. There’s no denying that Transformers boasts the best special effects seen so far this summer—and that includes the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix—and perhaps the most mesmerizing to be put on screen since The Matrix. These shiny metal giants are just as swift, imposing and impressive as the shape-shifting T-1000 from James Cameron’s CG-pioneering Terminator 2: Judgment Day. And you can’t take your eyes off them when they go at it like Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots on steroids. (Then you immediately put your hands over your ears when Optimus Prime et al open their mouths and engage in banal banter that could only have been written by a computer.) Unfortunately, Bay takes his sweet time getting to the robo-a-robo fisticuffs. Aside from the initial Decepticon attack on a U.S. military base in Quatar, Bay wastes so much of Transformers’ first hour on LaBeouf’s clichéd and unfunny efforts to hook up with Megan Fox that you think you had stumbled into Disturbia by mistake. Fox’s high school hottie sole fuction is to look good riding alongside LaBeouf in his yellow Chevy Camaro, which just so happens to be Bumblebee, an Autobot assigned to protect LaBeouf. So why does LaBeouf need a bodyguard? Turns out he owns a pair of glasses that point the way to the Allspark. Whatever. Once again channeling a Say Anything-era John Cusack, the anxious LaBeouf makes for a nerdy but plucky hero. At least he gets to flex what passes for his muscles. Fergie’s main squeeze Josh Duhamel and 2 Fast 2 Furious’ Tyrese Gibson barely get to fire their guns. Then there’s John Turturro, who’s so reluctant to take Transformers seriously that his manic secret government agent appears to be straight out of a Mel Brooks parody. LaBeouf’s emergence as an unlikely young man of action—he’s now shooting the fourth Indiana Jones adventure—means that the days of relying on such monosyllabic killing machines as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone to right all wrongs are history. Too bad there’s nothing LaBeouf can do to save Transformers from itself. “No sacrifice, no victory,” LaBeouf yells as the going gets tough and the tough get going. No sacrifice has been made by Bay to take Transformers out of the toy store and into theaters. But considering Transformers never dares to transcend its source material, Bay achieves nothing more than a hollow victory. Then again, what else was to be expected?
—Robert Sims

Reviews:
City Link (1 out of 5 stars)
Local 10 (3 1/2 out of 4 stars)
The Miami Herald (3 out of 4 stars)
Miami SunPost (3 1/2 out of 4 stars)
New Times Broward-Palm Beach
The Palm Beach Post (B+)
The Sun-Sentinel (2 1/2 out of 4 stars)