Transformers

Alien robots are searching for the All Spark, a device which gives them power. The race is on to see which side – the Autobots or the Decepticons – will to the All Spark first and caught in the middle are a group of human beings.

Transformers the movie follows three human stories – a group of soldiers who survived a Decepticon attack on their base, hackers trying to help the government figure who is behind the attacks and a teenager, Sam Witwicki, who unwittingly buys an Autobot car, Bumblebee.


My favorite storyline was that of Sam’s – there is so much humor and Shia LaBeouf is brilliant in this role. The interaction between Sam and the Autobots had me cracking up so many times, especially the scenes when they all go to Sam’s house.

I loved the way Michael Bay treated the robots – each one of them has distinct personalities that even though there wasn’t a lot of characterization you still get the sense of these robots from the cartoon.

So now the thing you’re all waiting for…the action. It was FRAKKING AWESOME. I got chills every time one of the robots transformed. And the havoc that they caused…WOW! I was overwhelmed by all the action in the final showdown but on further viewings, my appreciation for the seamless way the robots interacted with human characters and the sheer awesomeness of these robots fighting has kept on growing.

If it weren’t for the nostalgia of the Transformers cartoon the premise of this movie would just be plain silly. But watching Transformers you really begin to believe that alien robots do exist and that they can transform into regular objects.

Michael Bay, thank you for saving my summer. Up until this point I had really been disappointed with the movies I’ve seen but Transformers totally kicked ass. I’ll even go as far as to say that I’ve forgiven Bay for Pearl Harbor.

Favorite Autobot: Bumblebee
Favorite Decepticon: Barricade
Favorite Scene: Sam trying to deal with both his parents and the Autobots

Eragon

Eragon: Rated - GO

Eragon, a 17-year old boy comes into possession of a dragon, the last of its kind. He journeys to become a dragon rider and fights with the Varden rebels to stand up to the evil king, Galbatorix.

  1. I want a baby dragon. Baby Safira is adorable with her wide eyes and long eyelashes but definately a fully grown dragon would be such a chore to feed. I wonder how many rats it would take to keep a dragon full.
  2. Jeremy Iron totally pwns in this movie. He did the best he could with the dialogue that was given to him and made me care about him. Both Pia and I were disappointed that he died 50 minutes in.
  3. Robert Carlyle was in it! I saw a glimpse of his character, Durza, in the beginning of the film and thought to myself, “Is that Robert Carlyle?” 30 minutes later Pia leans in and says, “Doesn’t he look like Robert Carlyle?” And not 5 minutes later, Loi, Rabang’s sister turns to Pia and asks, “Is that Robert Carlyle?” A testimony to the make-up that he looked familiar but not obviously himself.
  4. Special effects were great. The flying scenes with the dragon gave me a serious case of vertigo.

And now the not so good…

  1. Damn! A lot Most of the dialogue was sooooooo cliched. Lots of eye-rolling and groaning at some of the things being said. Everything seemed so obvious and aimed at a way younger crowd which is a shame because the general plot and characterization are both decent.
  2. Continuity Alert: In one part, Eragon decides that he’s going to save Arya, a rebel princess and goes to the Durza’s stronghold to rescue her. Where did he get cloak? How did he get into this evil guy’s lair without being seen? And on escaping, where did the horses come from? So many questions, so few answers.
  3. John Malkovich is barely in the movie for 5 minutes! He’s just there to demand for Eragon to be caught and then at the end he slices through the map to reveal his own dragon. That’s it!!!
    And to add insult to injury, he’s playing an evil King called Galbatorix! What is he? A left over from the Asterix comics?
  4. Julius kept turning to me and going “Lord of the Rings wannabe” which i half-agree. Some of the scenery evoked a sense of the Lord of the Rings but it need not have been the case.

[rate 2.5]

However, both Pia and I agreed that we enjoyed it more than Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Watch it at the cinema only if there’s nothing better showing.