Transformers:
Dark of the Moon

After the drubbing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen took a few years ago from fans, critics, people who saw the movie, people who didn't see the movie and little kids who had to wait to see it on DVD and felt the wait was not worth it because their toys had better character development, they might as well have called this sequel Transformers: Redemption.

Shia LaBeouf is back as Sam Witwicky, but not all is well in Transformers universe. Even though he has a drop dead gorgeous girlfriend way out of his league, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whitely), who is willing to financially support him while he is looking for a job (and, did I mention she looks like a supermodel, and they give her some brains as well?), Sam is unhappy with his supposedly boring life (I am willing to trade). He's not allowed to tell anyone about his exploits in the first two movies, so the young college graduate is hunting for any entry level job that will take him, while his ego takes a bit of a bruising.

However, that is not Sam's destiny. The evil Decepticons have launched a nefarious plot to recover an Autobot spaceship that crashed on the dark side of the moon years ago, and holds the power to defeat Optimus Prime (voice by Peter Cullen) and his team of Autobots who protect Earth.

Will the Decepticons be successful?

Does the future of Earth and the Autobots lie in the hands of the greatest Autobot warrior and leader ever, Sentinel Prime (voice by Leonard Nimoy)?

How many Star Trek jokes and lines can they work into the movie?

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the ultimate Michael Bay movie. It has moments of absolute greatness next to moments of utter, epic, monumental failure, which leaves you with a movie you can enjoy, but will make you roll your eyes at the pieces of hideous dialogue and ill advised animation.

First, the good. Bay knows how to make an action movie. I can't get enough of the awesome robot-on-robot action as the Decepticons and Autobots engage in hand-to-hand combat that resembles the best of a Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee movie. It's loud, wanton destruction, which is thrilling for the eyes even if it makes your ears hurt a smidge.

Then, when focused on a serious, dramatic tone, Bay and writer Ehren Kruger impact the audience and hit us a bit emotionally. Krueger picks some nice moments for comic relief, and, yes, Star Trek fans will pick up on a few references and lines that will have us laughing in acknowledgement and thanking Nimoy for resisting the urge to veto (if he was uncertain about so many reminders he is Spock). Bay and Krueger effectively capture the horror of the events transpiring on the screen, and the despair of those trying to stop it.

However, Transformers: Dark of the Moon has too much comic relief, and lowest level, idiotic, painfully unfunny comic relief at some of the worst times, along with dumbed down, crass dialogue. They got rid of the questionable Autobots who brought to mind some of the worst racial stereotypes you could imagine in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but replaced them with two mini-Autobots who kind of sound a little too silly all of the time. Plus, John Turturro is just way too crazy as Agent Simmons, who comes off like a graduate from the Gary Busey school of life. He's supposed to be brilliant, not crazy.

Also, some of the opening moments feature the worst use of animation I have ever seen. I won't reveal the plot points in the scene, but the story involves President John Kennedy and the race to the moon in the 1960's. Sadly, "Kennedy" is seen in the Oval Office as a horribly animated, recreated CGI figure, instead of using some stock footage or getting an actor to portray him. It looks as phony as an email from some Nigerian Prince who claims he wants to send money to your bank account. Actors will never have to worry about being replaced by CGI figures after seeing this klunky, unrealistic character.

After a slow start, Transformers: Dark of the Moon gets very good.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi action violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuendo