Transformers

(minor spoilers) So yesterday, I got to be 8 for a two and a half hours or so while watching helicopters, tanks, trucks and other such things turn into giant robots and beat the hell out of each other.

Sure it had a few Bayisms (a little to long, some pained dialog, etc), but he kept himself largely in check (Spielberg's production influence at work I suspect). The story wasn't bad, many of the actors actually acted, and then there's the giant robots.

Both Sadimac and I got a little tingly when Optimus Prime made his big entrance, and then made the big announcement of his name in that great original voice (by Peter Cullen) that resonates through my childhood memories.

It's from a kind of corny childhood cartoon, I know, but it's a voice that I associate with (an admittedly larger than life) integrity, bravery, and self-sacrifice. Only one fictional screen character since then (Maximus form Gladiator) has carried that weight for me, and I've always compared him to Prime anyhow.

The action scenes were great. Blackout's attack on a human army base, Ironhide dodging a barrage of Starscreams missles, Prime fighting Bonecrusher on a freeway, and a badly damaged Bumblebee taking on Brawl really stand out, but everything is just such a thrill your favorites will surely vary.

My last bit of praise goes to the use of strong female characters, with no weak ones to "balance it out." Maybe Bay took a cue from Joss Whedon, maybe he went out on his own, but either way it's a welcome sight that we're seeing more, but not nearly enough.