�Before time began, there was... the cube� and so begins what is arguably the perfect embodiment of the summer blockbuster - big, bold and brash - Transformers.
As two races of robotic aliens � Autobots (good bots) and Decepticons (bad bots) � battle it out for Allspark, a cube that grants total power to all who possess it, young Sam Witwicky�s (Shia LeBeouf) unfortunate genealogy lands him in the midst of the ensuing battle to save planet Earth.
As your average teenager, Sam is more concerned about getting the girl and a new set of wheels, than saving the world. Unaware that the antique glasses he is hocking on e-bay hold the key to mankind's survival, Sam and love-interest Mikaela (Megan Fox) find themselves caught up in a CGI tug of war befitting director Michael Bay.
With Bay at the helm you know you�re in for some spectacular action pieces but, perhaps due to the influence of Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, Transformers has a roundness that Bay�s previous flicks � Armageddon, The Island - lacked. There are shades of ET about Sam�s relationship with Mikaela and that of his own parents. In one touchingly funny scene, Sam takes possession of a dented yellow Camaro, the untransformed Autobot Bumblebee, which aids his wooing of Mikaela through the use of the in-car radio and some nifty driving.
At times, the action suffers under the weight of on screen detail, particularly in the large scale battle scenes. In fact, it�s often only when the action stops and the Transformers stand still that you can really appreciate the sheer magnitude of the whole thing.
Due to a rather nifty running time some of the characters feel slightly undeveloped, particularly computer-boff Maddie Maddeson (Rachael Taylor), but Shia LaBeouf, on a roll after A Guide to Recognising Your Saints and Disturbia, brings the right tone to the film�s central performance.
Fan boys have done much to protest about the changes made to the Transformers themselves, but few could argue that the movie fails to captures the spirit of the original. The plot is thin but those expecting depth from a movie based on a range of Hasbro toys should know better. Transformers is the kind of big screen spectacular that the cinema was made for. Forget the script, and enjoy the ride!
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