Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Michael Bay is perhaps most refreshing for his unabashedly simple take on making movies. But he's also damn good at making them. The combination meant a summer blockbuster winner in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," which eschews character development and plot logic for a cataclysmic, systematic destruction of Chicago during an all-out war between the Autobots and their archenemies, the Decepticons. This one ain't going to stretch your brain cells; it might even kill a few. But it's slickly produced, high-energy entertainment that's a three-hour blast.

Let's dwell on plot lightly, shall we? After all, it's not the film's strong suit. Evidently, when the now-its-a-car-now-its-an-ass-whooping-gun-toting-robot home world was dying as a result of the botwar, a planet-saving technology was curiously jettisoned into space and crash-landed on Earth's moon - paving the way for the lunar landings, NASA's dominance, and "Transformers 3." I'm not sure how such an enormous wreck on the face of the moon evaded the notice of everyone on the planet - not to mention the seemingly endless parade of Autobots and Decepticons who have been chillin' in our atmosphere since the first movie came out. But now the Autobots' original leader, Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy), is back to kick ass, and Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and new girlfriend/fembot Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) are back in the saddle. Can they lead the US military and foil the Decepticons' nefarious plans before downtown Chicago is a pile of rubble or (more importantly) before they are stepped on by an overwrought robotic semi?

Let's also skip the whole "acting" thing - because, frankly, the word is a distraction to what essentially is 2.5 hours of fanboy shoot-em-up fun. It makes LaBeouf the perfect leading man, although it can't help us understand why Frances McDormand and John Malkovich signed up for fairly sizeable roles here. Even original spaceman Buzz Aldrin hits up the payroll for a scene or two; and his evident lack of acting chops just goes down like so much butter.

The real thrill of "Transformers" this time around is bifurcated. First, there's the adolescent mix of adrenaline and testosterone as evidenced by massive cars alternatively posing as sex symbols and as instruments of violence. The louder they peel out, the more destruction they wreak, the better. And Bay is absolutely a master of the medium when it comes to suppressed sex and violence; you can feel his innate ability to tap into these baser constructs with every tool in his arsenal, from constant camera movement to bombastic music. He smartly maneuvers around the obviousness of the film's appear with humor, from witty one-liners to the oversized political statement of Megatron dismantling the Lincoln Memorial in order to take a seat himself.

Either I'm a convert to Bay's storyline at this point (I've seen all three films), or he's getting better at helping his audience distinguish the good guys from the bad guys in the predictably torrential blizzard of CGI-generated car parts that pass for a bot battle; I was at least able to follow the plot this time.

Put simply, it's base in so many ways; but it doesn't aspire to much more. And it's damn good entertainment for fanboys of all ages.

- - - - -

Blu-ray presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD and-in a first for Paramount Home Entertainment-English 5.1 Discrete Dolby Digital and English 2.0 Discrete Surround Dolby Digital tracks. The disc additionally features French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

DVD in the Combo pack presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Discrete Surround, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Digital copy is presented in English 2.0 Stereo with no subtitles