Throughout the past 10 weeks of “Then & Now” we have discussed large film franchises, their beginnings, where they are now, and where they are going. Now at the end of the campaign, we will be discussing a franchise that has seen more consistent success than most. That is the Transformers franchise of films that began with a film of the same name in 2007, and is still getting regular releases to this day. Michael Bay directed the film and several others after it, creating a massive cash cow for Paramount that has consistently performed extraordinarily well at the box office. But does this film that was a smash hit over a decade and a half ago still hold up or does it belong in a rusted pile of scraps in a junkyard? Let’s roll out and find out!

Based off the Hasbro toy line and 1980s animated series, Transformers tells the story of a conflict between two robot alien factions called the Autobots and Decepticons and how two teenagers named Sam Witwicky (Shia Lebeouf) and Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) are roped into that conflict on modern day Earth. There are other side-plots involving the U.S. military’s involvement in the conflict but Sam is essentially the film’s protagonist whose eyes we see the story through. Needless to say, the story and script are nothing to write home about. The plot is needlessly convoluted and complicated, setting up too many characters and subplots that don’t add much to the overall experience. All the characters are one-note caricatures and feel like stock characters taken from any generic action movie. The actors don’t do much to elevate their characters, with Shia Lebeouf doing his best with sub-par material and Megan Fox turning in one of the most lackluster performances of a lead actor in a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster of all-time. The supporting cast isn’t able to do much with their roles either, leading to a cast of characters who are completely forgettable. The only memorable performance is Peter Cullen providing the voice of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, whose voice is iconic in the role. The film also suffers in its tone, being far too childish and cheesy to appeal to an adult audience, while also being too vulgar and dark to appeal to young children. This essentially leads to a film that really only appeals to pre-teen boys, a demographic that the film proved to be extremely profitable with.

From a filmmaking craft standpoint, there is also very little to praise about the film. The cinematography is jerky and spastic, constantly rushing from one sequence to the next without establishing a coherent sense of continuity. The editing is fast-paced and moves at a breakneck pace, despite the fact that the runtime drags out to be at least a half hour longer than it needs to be. The lighting is too saturated and overexposed, leading to constant occurrences of Michael Bay’s infamous “lens flair” technique that is essentially him shining a flashlight in your eyes over and over. The overall cinematic look of the film is rather ugly and colorless, being “dated” to 2007 in all the worst ways. The overall direction seems to be focused more on using as much over the top CGI as possible in order to let audiences watch the same explosions over and over again instead of trying to tell an actual gripping story. However, the use of CGI to bring the Transformers themselves to life has aged remarkably well for the most part and is the standout feature of the film. The robots are all designed quite well and really pop on screen when they move around in believable ways. This is achieved through a mixture of practical effects and CGI, and are quite impressive all things considered on a technical level. It almost seems that this film could have been much better overall if it had just been a CGI-animated film about the Autobots and Decepticons…

Speaking of an entirely CGI-animated Transformers film, that is exactly what they are making now. Transformers One is the next major film in the franchise and is set to release this September. The film is an origin story to the Transformers franchise, giving us a backstory to Optimus Prime and Megatron’s relationship, starring Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry as the duo. Based on the trailer that has been released, it is safe to say that it appears to be an energetic and fun take on the franchise that is taking it in a bold, new direction. This can only be good news, as the live-action films have only gotten more and more panned by critics over the years and have only become more and more derivative of themselves for over a decade. For the first time in a while, it appears to be an exciting time to be a Transformers fan. Here’s hoping that they return the franchise to its iconic animated roots that made it a cultural phenomenon in the first place.