By now, it’s safe to assume that people who have seen these Transformers movies are pretty much expecting to get the same stuff over and over. Since that’s the case, I’m sure there’s a good chance that the members of the general public who liked the first four in the franchise will likely feel the same way about Transformers: The Last Knight. Then again, some of those fans could have also had their fill and are now considering jumping over to the side where moviegoers are asking for a little more than what Michael Bay has been offering.
The story in this one is just as irrelevant as the stories that have been in the previous movies, but they do attempt to try a little something with it. While we’re still following Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) as he continues to save the world from destruction, there’s something else going on. On this journey, he and his eclectic crew manages to uncover the connections between the past and present that may explain why these beings from another planet are so interested in Earth.
Most of what’s going on here will be hard to even remember for most. A lot of that has to do with the action being incoherent, but some of it has to do with this not being the kind of thing that you have to invest in too much. The only thing that you really need to give is time since these movies tend to be at least two and a half hours long. Other than that, you don’t have to think much or even care about anything since it seems as if nothing is at stake. Because of this, you also don’t really need to keep up with anything that’s happening over the course of the movie if you don’t want to.
What I’m about to say is obviously not high praise or anything, but I actually came to understand why some people actually like these movies. They’re certainly not what too many would consider great, but they give their audience some features that are large in scale and continuously feel as if they’re a part of the type of large battle that we usually have to wait to get at the end of a movie. This could allow some to become engaged without having to get emotionally involved in any of it. You know it’s not going to be deep, but you’re just here for the action even if it’s sometimes hard to know what’s actually going on.
Like the movies that preceded it, Transformers: The Last Knight is empty in virtually all aspects. That might be okay for plenty of people, but it is clear that many will not feel the same way. For those of us who are asking for more, you likely won’t be able to take any of what others enjoy about this stuff out of it. In fact, if you’re somehow able to remember a significant amount of anything that happens here, I have to give you some credit. For the most part, it’s all a blur and nothing in it ever really entered my mind the way the average film would regardless if it’s something I liked, loathed or was indifferent to.
With that being said, the only thing that stuck with me after seeing this dud of a movie was when the Transformers and Decepticons were pushed to the side and ignored for a decent amount of time. When that happened, I was able to get a small glimpse of what this adventure could have been if they actually focused on the characters to some degree. During this portion of The Last Knight, I was able to have a decent time. Based on what’s here, I can see this being a movie that could be fun to an extent if they would have chosen to go in that direction. It’s just unfortunate that the aliens from outer space had to unceremoniously make their way back to us at some point.
When looking at how wildly successful this franchise has been (largely due to China at this point), it’s amazing how something that’s using a story that’s essentially pieced together with duct tape can be released and survive as long as this will. I guess those who have enjoyed these from the start love the loud noises, the explosions, the attractive women and the maybe even the racial stereotypes from the autobots that have been attached to what’s taking place. Many of us will continue to ask for more than what’s here, but as long as there’s an audience, we can expect for this franchise to live on even if it does lose Michael Bay and Mark Wahlberg as expected.
Rating: PG-13
Director: Michael Bay
Cast:
Mark Wahlberg
Josh Duhamel
Anthony Hopkins
John Turturro
Stanley Tucci
Laura Haddock
John Goodman
Isabela Moner
Jean Dujardin
Santiago Cabrera
Peter Cullen
Gil Birmingham
John DiMaggio
Frank Welker
Ken Watanabe
Film Length: 150 minutes
Release Date: June 21, 2017
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
- Score - 3/103/10
