I am usually one to defend Michael Bay from critics who say that his films are shameless and childish. After all, I grew up watching great action films like Bad Boys, The Rock, and Armageddon. These films are still great, as long as you go into them with the frame of mind that allows you to overlook certain unbelievable aspects. This is the reason why the original Transformers worked so well. The audience was in this mind set from the opening credits simply because they had already paid money to see giant alien robots wreak havoc on our gentle planet Earth. I had a similar mindset when I sat down to watch the sequel entitled, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Let me start off by saying that it was one of the most unrealistic and overdone films I have ever seen. Let me explain. The first film was well done because it gave the transformers a certain level of power and sophistication that was well beyond our human capabilities. This was evident from the very first scene as a single decepticon (evil transformer) literally tore through a U.S. military base with little resistance.
The unrelenting power and sophistication of the transformers was completely absent in the second film. This is evident from the opening credits as we find out that the humans and transformers have begun working together. Why do the transformers need humans in battle? These are the same humans who were completely helpless against transformers in the first film. Where is the consistency between the two films?
Between the first and second film, the transformers seemed to be less like alien robots, and more like humans. Not only that, we all of a sudden find out that the transformers not only act like humans, but age like humans as well. This was one of the dumbest aspects of the film. Mid way through we meet an old decepticon living in a museum. He is remarkably human-like as he is somewhat senile and walks with a cane. We also meet transformers who seem to be teenagers judging from their crude adolescent toilet humor that is prevalent through the entire film.
I know that Michael Bay has a target audience that is somewhat younger, but that is no excuse for making such a childish and over the top movie. “I make movies for teenage boys. Oh, dear, what a crime,” said Michael Bay. The crime is not appealing to a target audience, it is making a film that only twelve year olds can enjoy. One might say that films like X-Men, Spiderman, and Ironman are for teenage boys as well. However, these films had great commercial success because they contained a level of realism that appealed to adults. Michael Bay had this in the first Transformers, but somehow lost it along the way. Let me finish by saying that Michael Bay has the ability to make great action films. I am not writing him off yet because despite a few standouts, the majority of his films are well done. He has already turned down the next Transformers movie, and I hope he can rebound with something that blows us away.