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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that even though the myriad tie-in toys are being marketed to kids as young as 2, this explosion-heavy action movie based on the '80s cartoon and action figures is not for young children ... no matter how "cool" they think the robots/cars are. It's packed with scenes of loud, hectic combat (including gunfire), destruction, and flying missiles and bodies. Plus, it's long (144 minutes, the last 20 or so of which are devoted to a big fight scene), the characters swear ("bitch," "s--t," "damn," a couple of incomplete "f--ks," etc.), and there's some sexual imagery (shots of cleavage and a short-skirted bottom, jokes about masturbation and virginity, and more).
Families can discuss why kids want to see this movie -- is it because of the story or all of the toys and other tie-in products they've been hearing about? Who's the movie's intended audience? Is it today's kids (and, if so, what age group?) or grown ups who were kids when the toys were first popular in the '80s? How does this big-screen version compare to the different TV shows and the previous movie? Do the explosions and crashes seem more serious here than in the cartoon versions? How does the fact that the new movie is live action instead of animated affect what age kids it's best for?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs
You'd expect a summer action movie directed by Michael Bay, CGIed by Industrial Light and Magic, and based on a line of toy cars to bring the noise. TRANSFORMERS does exactly that. Big and boomy, it skimps on plot and character development, instead focusing on its decidedly spectacular explosions. Though the opening voiceover offers a cursory backstory -- the good Autobots and the bad Decepticons fought over a cube that has the power to create worlds and, in the process, destroyed their own planet -- it hardly matters why these giant robots have come to earth. The point is much simpler: They blow stuff up.
First, the bad robots head to the Middle Eastern desert, where the US Air Force has stationed men near Qatar. A Decepticon disguised as a helicopter attacks a unit that includes the very buff Sgt. Epps (Tyrese Gibson), Captain Lennox (Josh Duhamel), and ACWO Figueroa (Amaury Nolasco), whose buddies goof on him for speaking Spanish and cultivating "magic voodoo powers." The attack sends the men into speedy, loud action mode -- partly to protect a young Arab boy and mostly to exercise their genius for killing large mechanical objects.
Back in the States, Secretary of Defense John Keller (Jon Voight) gathers great minds to figure out the strange happenings, including brilliant Australian Maggie (Rachael Taylor), who deciphers a code with the help of her mentor, a stereotypical computer geek named Glen (Anthony Anderson). Their efforts lead to the discovery of a secret US project, "Sector 7," which has been hiding and examining Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving), a bad robot that crash-landed in the Arctic decades before.
Before you can say "Independence Day," the movie cuts again to the "regular people" contingent -- specifically, 11th grader Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). Taunted by his classmates, nerdy, entrepreneurial Sam has a massive crush on scantily clad Mikaela (Megan Fox) and is about to get his first car, courtesy of wealthy dad Ron (Kevin Dunn). Sam finds an ancient yellow Camaro at a used car dealership run by the disconcertingly buffoonish Bobby Bolivia (Bernie Mac) and drives off not knowing it's an Autobot named Bumblebee. Neither does Sam realize that he has in his possession the key to the all-powerful cube -- a key that all the robots, good and bad, desperately want.
The many plot strands don't so much come together as collide, owing to intervention by dimwitted FBI Agent Simmons (John Turturro), as well as the Autobots' courageous, red-and-blue-colored leader Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen). After saving Sam and Mikaela from a Decepticon assault, Optimus introduces them to his crew of Autobots, which includes lots of wheeled vehicles -- but no flying machines or girl robots -- and one "black" robot, who uses street jargon and throws gang signs.
Instantly fond of Sam, the Autobots soon join with the Air Force guys (who return from Qatar just in time) to save the U.S. ("Everyone's a solider now!" exults Will as the final battle begins). By contrast, the Decepticons -- as their name suggests -- are the subject of all manner of violent retribution. This blockbuster-to-be's firepower is tremendous, with extended battle scenes, snarky one-liners, and an exceedingly simplistic moral. When it's suggested to Optimus Prime that humans aren't worth fighting for, he insists, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." (Except, of course, the Decepticons.)
Fans will want to see other summertime explosion movies -- like Men in Black, Mars Attacks!, or Star Wars. You might also want to check out the 1980s cartoon series, Transformers; the more-recent TV series, or 1986's Transformers: The Movie.
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Sexual ContentMikaela wears a cleavage-showing midriff top; bikini girl posters in Sam's bedroom; Miles calls Mikaela "the evil jock's concubine" Miles reminds Sam that it's "bros before hos" song "Sexual Healing" on car radio; close-ups of Mikaela's sweaty belly from Sam's POV; Sam says "I'm cool with females working on my engine" Sam says he keeps a magazine called Busty Beauties under his bed; Glen admits he's still a virgin (this appears to be a joke at his expense); following a noise in his room, Sam's mom asks him "Were you masturbating?", embarrassing Sam and his dad; Sam's online user name is "Ladiesman217." |
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ViolenceEarly attack by alien robots results in fiery explosions and bodies flying; solider in sight of monster robot fires at camera; Transformer attack at car dealership (loud noise, car windows blow out); barking dogs chase Sam; huge battle in the desert (robots vs. Air Force); Transformers attack Sam and Mikaela (lots of chasing, crashing, noise); flashback shows destruction of Transformers' planet; little robot monster with sharp limbs terrorizes humans and infiltrates Air Force One; lengthy fight scene in city streets ends film -- more explosions, shooting, missiles, and bodies; Bumblebee is damaged and must be towed. At one point, the villain transforms into a plane and flies into a sky-scraper -- images that will remind many viewers of 9/11. |
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LanguageIn addition to a couple of incomplete "f--ks," the language includes "damn," "crap," "bitch," "s--t" (multiple uses), "ass," "crack-head," "frigggin'," "hell," spelled-out "bee-otch" on Sam's car freshener. |
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Social BehaviorSam is mostly a good kid; he deceives his parents, but he also saves Mikaela from a bad boyfriend and the world from bad robots. Mikaela has criminal record and can hotwire cars. There are some stereotypes -- a Latino character is mocked for his "magic voodoo powers," a computer expert embodies lots of geeky cliches, and a "black" robot uses street jargon and gang signs. |
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CommercialismThe entire film is virtually a commercial for Hasbro toys (the company is listed as both a production company and the maker of Transformers action figures). There are also visual or verbal references to Mac laptop, eBay, Camaro, Austin Healey, Porsche, 40-Year-Old Virgin, Volkswagen, music acts (50 Cent, Garbage, The Strokes, Rage Against the Machine), the Redskins, Armageddon, Ding Dongs, Taco Bell, Nokia, Mountain Dew, Star Trek, and GM vehicles (most of the Autobots are modeled on GM cars). Bumblebee speaks in bits of commercials and TV shows ("Message from Starfleet, Captain"). |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoSam's dog takes pain pills (he calls the dog a "crackhead"); Sam asks Agent Simmons if he's "on drugs." |
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