“The last time Optimus Prime said this,” I began as I turned my head in Greg’s direction, “he died!”

But that’s just the beauty of the film. Despite all the worries that Transformers fandom had about this summer blockbuster of the year, director Michael Bay silenced most, if not all of his critics with an action packed alien invasion thriller with loads of comedy elements. Most importantly, of course, he delievered a re-imagining of the cult franchise that was worthy of the heritage built around it. The pacing of the movie was almost top-notch, and although it did seem like there was a little too much happening at one time, Bay expertly handled all the different subplots together without much trouble.

While I think Shia LeBouf performed admirably as the lead character, it was really the supporting cast that truly made the film enjoyable to watch. Josh Duhamel of Las Vegas fame held his own as the main military hero despite being little more than a token support character. John Tuturro was absolutely brilliant as the smarmy head of Sector 7 while Jon Voight’s Secretary of Defence was a blast to watch. Voight, in particular, seemed perfectly casted as he added a sense of credibility and class to the cast of characters.

But ultimately the heroes were the Transformers themselves. It is a testament in itself that the voice actors behind the robots were able to truly embody the sense of being titans among insects. Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime continues to be the definitive sound of robotic heroism and, for this movie, brought with him a sense of emotion and sometimes humour.

Despite there being way too many Bay-isms - trademarks of the director that were blatantly obvious at times - I think this movie benefitted greatly from the Spielberg touch, who probably prevented it from being dumbed down too much. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop relative newcomers Megan Fox and Rachael Taylor from being little more than stereotypical eye candy, and Taylor’s intelligent and gorgeous character in particular seemed extremely forced especially when it was painfully obvious that the actress had no clue about the techno-babble she was saying half the time.

Definitely a movie worth rewatching. I give it 9 out of 10.

Afterthought
As I watched Transformers in the huge Cathay hall, I could only think one thought - “Star Trek will be so cool”. For those not in the know, there will be a new Star Trek movie in 2008, which will reintroduce the characters of Kirk and Spock to a new generation of fans, just like what Transformers did. The Star Trek movie will be scripted by the team of Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who also wrote the screenplay for Transformers and for Mission Impossible: 3. Of course, a lot will also depend on the skills of the lead actors who have yet to be officially casted, but if Orci and Kurtzman can bring their style of combining hardcore geek elements and mainstream entertainment seamlessly, then this re-imagining of Star Trek will be everything fans have hoped it would be.