ROTTEN TOMATOES: Variety Posts "Transformers" Review

Variety Posts "Transformers" Review

by RT Staff | June 21, 2007

Variety's Jay Weissberg has the distinct honor of having the first Tomatometer-approved "Transformers" review.

Describing it as "big, loud, and full of testosterone-fueled car fantasies," and "certain to do gangbusters biz," the film is sure to spawn multiple sequels or spin-offs.

"Transformers" stars the increasingly prevalent Shia LaBeouf as regular guy Sam, and Megan Fox as the hot girl he wants to impress. Sam inadvertently purchases the yellow Camaro that just happens to be Bumblebee, one of the good Autobots who have come to Earth to fight the evil Decepticons. Many pulse-pounding battle sequences ensue.

The film boasts an impressive cast, with the likes of Jon Voight, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, and Bernie Mac in supporting roles, as well as Hugo Weaving providing voice work. According to Variety's Weissberg, though, the real stars are the CGI team at Industrial Light & Magic, who create the visually stunning transforming robots and meld them into action-packed scenes and interactions with the live actors.

"Transformers" arrives in theaters on July 4th.

Source: Variety

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(1-20 of 47 posts) | Reply

cgcbooks writes:
on Jun 21 2007 08:03 PM

This summer's biggest box office champ.

(Reply to this)

Mavtactic writes:
on Jun 21 2007 08:19 PM

[b]FOR FREEEEEEDOMMMMMMMMM!!![/b]
YAY FOR MINDLESS, VIOLENT FUN

(Reply to this)

RoadDogXVIII writes:
on Jun 21 2007 08:22 PM

Y'know, I can't really tell if it's a good review or a bad review. But at least Jay made note that Shia LaBeouf gave a sympathetic performance, and Turturro's over-the-top performance was an ode to the cartoon.

I will give Michael Bay props for reeling in Peter Cullen to reprise his role as Optimus Prime. If you get a new voice for him, nerd complaints will fill up message boards to infinite numbers. Plus with Steven Spielberg on board, how can you not go wrong. Maybe Bay's getting his shit together after disbanding from Jerry Bruckheimer's camp (that is, until "Prince of Persia" comes out).

(Reply to this)

Mr. Kong writes:
on Jun 21 2007 08:28 PM

In reply to this comment (#870510)
According to the Transformers page, it's a fresh review.

(Reply to this)

jey10soccer writes:
on Jun 21 2007 08:28 PM

It is definitely a positive review. You get a sense that he enjoyed the movie, and he feels that most people will as well. He does have some negatives, but regular people won't even notice them. I know I won't!!

(Reply to this)

Sputnik99 writes:
on Jun 21 2007 10:39 PM

Excellent....
Sounds pretty promising, as it has for months now. Seeing what were once the cool little robots now livin' large on the big screen will be a blast. Here's hopin' the best for the Transformers.

Now, lets get ready for the Bay haters to start flinging their crap again or better yet, someone to start saying something like Variety reviews are bullshit. I'd like to see that one! Bring it on trolls!

(Reply to this)

Elixir writes:
on Jun 21 2007 11:31 PM

i'm excited, i cant wait.

(Reply to this)

lavatory love machine writes:
on Jun 21 2007 11:39 PM

I may just give michael bay one last chance

(Reply to this)

deneco4 writes:
on Jun 22 2007 12:27 AM

[b]hmmm...[/b]
I love Hugo Weaving, but I sure wish Frank Welker was Megatron's voice.

I dunno why Bay didn't bring him on as Megatron. The character depth is already there since Cullen and Welker have been dueling with voice-overs since the 80s.

Oh well...we shall see.

Oh and Starscreams voice better kick ass. No mention of any of the voices except for cullen which stinks. Im starting to wonder if they even talk at all except for Optimus and Megatron.

(Reply to this)

Silverevilchao writes:
on Jun 22 2007 12:37 AM

[b]I want to see this movie. ;.;[/b]
Giant robots--duking--it--out---

*head explodes*

(Reply to this)

VML writes:
on Jun 22 2007 01:05 AM

Gotta love me some big hot robots! :D

(Reply to this)

nalindra writes:
on Jun 22 2007 03:42 AM

I sure hope that this is not some movie filled with mindless and unwanted action.Lets hope for everyones sake that this movie does have a decent story rather than robots kicking ass every minute.

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Jun 22 2007 03:51 AM

In reply to this comment (#870516)
They talk. A lot. The only one who doesn't is Bumblebee, I hear, because his voice box got damaged in the crash. Haven't read the prequel book yet so I'm sure on all the details.

(Reply to this)

bertrumredneck writes:
on Jun 22 2007 05:24 AM

In reply to this comment (#870519)
"Unwanted action"? Of course people want action you moron. And every movie even bad ones has a "story"

(Reply to this)

Film Cricket writes:
on Jun 22 2007 05:40 AM

I want action, lots of it, and I will loudly talk in the theatre if the Transformers aren't continually kicking each other's asses. I see no need for intellectual or emotional subtext in a franchise that started out as a sci-fi comic book, turned into a toy line and cartoon, and now is a blockbuster summer film franchise. This is about watching CGI robots fight and transform into cars, in the luxury of a state-of-the-art first-run theatre. I probably won't buy the DVD since on a small HD screen even with DTS home theatre it's not the same. This movie is the ultimate summer blockbuster, and I can't see any other franchise topping it unless Lucas devotes 500 million dollars to filming the entire Yuuzhan Vong invasion saga.

(Reply to this)

blank blank writes:
on Jun 22 2007 06:47 AM

the one thing im afraid of (and some people have already said this in user reviews and such) is that the robots will be so busy and so frenzied that we wont be able to see them transform clearly or tell them apart when they are fighting.

(Reply to this)

evanset6 writes:
on Jun 22 2007 07:07 AM

In reply to this comment (#870519)
[b]??[/b]
Are you f***ing retarded? Or are you just being sarcastic?

(Reply to this)

Derbeste writes:
on Jun 22 2007 07:36 AM

In reply to this comment (#870516)
I agree 100%

If you're going to have Optimus's original voice.....why skip out on Megatron's?

It was hard enough to take in Leonard Nimoy as the upgraded Megatron (Galvatron) in the 80s movie. But since he was fighting Rodimus, it was ok.

But those two voices would have provided an anchor for fans struggling to put their old "friends" into these new CGI bodies.

I wonder if they simply felt the scratchy, high-pitched voice of Welker would have been too over the top. If they did....holy WTF? From what I hear, this movie can't be over the top. meh....maybe they just wanted more star power in Hugo Weaving.

Please just don't let him go into some diatribe in which every word starts with a "v". ;-)

P.S. Starscreams voice will probably be portrayed by Curious George.

(Reply to this)

nalindra writes:
on Jun 22 2007 08:45 AM

In reply to this comment (#870521)
[b]Who's the moron![/b]
Plz don't show ur low intellectual level by calling others moron just because they don't share ur view.And yes every film has a story and we already know what the story of transformers is going to be.

Robots vs more robots in our world and we're rite in the middle.Looks like war of the worlds to me with a little bit of terminator.

Ghost rider had a story,batman and robin had a story but they were idiotic stories.Character build up was appaling and it was just some scenes put together to form a general story.

Films like pirates of the carribbean curse of the black pearl,spiderman 2,batman begins and the matrix,they were not random stories.Apart from special effects and action every small detail was vital specially in batman begins and the first matrix.Mind blowing scripts.

If u want action and only action watch wrestling but as I said I hope that michael bay haven't destroyed the film by just giving us some acrobatic stunt performing robots who can dodge missiles instead of bullets and that as a whole the parts in between action scenes is intriging and captivating.

Thats what I meant by a "story" not some as u say a dumb ass story that even a little kid can write when given a essay.

(Reply to this)

nalindra writes:
on Jun 22 2007 08:47 AM

In reply to this comment (#870524)
Fortunately I'm not retarded but I belive I have already answered to ur question.

(Reply to this)

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