Transformers Dark of the Moon

Transformers Dark of the moon.
Its quite long The film runs at over two hours. Over two hours, for a summer popcorn movie based on a toyline? 
 I guess a 9 year old would sit through that, but a six year old?
There were no Dinobots alas  The Wreckers however, make an appearance. The Wreckers, were from the British comics. Per Wiki, its Dale Erhart jr, who drives one of the cars.
As the population ages, mythic history now begins, in 1960. Whence History books used to end, mythology now begins. Doctor Who, took us to the Moon shot, The First Class of the X Men, took us to the Cuban Missile crisis
The trailer, contained most of the highlights of the opening minutes. A space battle, and the last of the Primes, before Optimus, escapes from Cybertron bearing some new technology. 
This Prime known as Sentinel, is voice by Leonard Nimoy, I had to look that up. I thought it was Ernest Borgine!
The Autobot ship crashes onto the Earth’s moon. So we have a brief period piece. McNamara, is mentioned and John f Kennedy shown. President Kennedy, is shown demanding NASA move Heaven and Earth, to get to the moon. To get to the UFO, before the Russians . Oh Bobby Kennedy gets a mention too
Buzz Aldrin makes a Cameo. ``Which is nice!’’ Nice, for the kids, to see a real hero
The action takes a brief sojourn to Ukraine. The Communists, used the Autobot technology in Chernobyl . The price of flats in Kiev, is not mentioned.

The Transformers are acting apparently as peacekeepers, on Earth. I will leave it to you about the morality of using Aliens, to enforce peace on Earth.
The film, tries to do something with Shia Le Boeuf’s character. He is trying to get a job, for the first half of the film. This actually has some resonance. Lots of people may have achieved much in HS. Quarterback, or head of the chess club. I had some minor social cachet. In the working world, its back to square one. That’s why teenagers, can be so awful among other things. They have to reinvent themselves,
``I just want to matter''.
The same is true, I suppose for soldiers. One scene where Sam/Shia confronts troops outside NEST headquarters, shows how fearless he is. Shia/Sam has saved the world. Sam has had a medal pinned on his chest, now he finds the world does not care. He has to deal with Le Canard. One of Sam comrades, is happy, getting a job, with the Space shuttle. There is a scene, where a space shuttle attached to the Transformers, ship is destroyed. I remember the Challenger, and a lot of Children will remember the Columbia

Its notable, that Sam/ Shia's love interest. The splendidly spiteful, Megan fox, (There is a dig at her as being mean. Real reason was some Nazi remarks, and her poor performance on set) Anyway Megan is replaced by a British model. Rosie Huntingon-Whiteley

There is one presumes, a class issue, at work here. Megan's character was portrayed as a blue collar, and no knickers. Huntington is clearly a blue blood. The film, did not reflect this. Miss Huntington has done better than Shia. Women often do. They mature faster. One would expect her to be a few years older, than Shia's Sam Witwicky
Shia’s parents, are enjoying retirement, living in a lovely motor home. They nag, him about getting a job. To return to my point, leaving college, used to mean one could quite easily walk into a job and apartment. That it not so easy now. I had to spend a year unemployed after University it felt
The Navy  Seals, make an appearance. In the battle for Chicago, after the death of OBL.
Dutch, is Alpha, from DollHouse and V, plays John Turturro aide.
John T, was once in Spike Lee's movies. ( Lee was not above making shoe commericals)
John T is giving an interview, to Bill O'Reilly, on fox news. The film, is set, in the present day. Obama is mentioned, as giving Sam/Shia, the medal. One of the jobs, Shia applies, for mentions, that the staff are mostly republicans and would not be swayed by an award from the Obama white House
Another nod, to modern politics, is the NEST having a base in Washington DC. Are they guarding Bed pans and blankets, see the SWAT teams attached to the Department of Education. Or the shot gun purchases.
There, are some great set pieces. A group of Special Forces soldiers dive out of a plane, an Osprey. Which have a bad reputation for safety, as it happens. However our soldiers dive to the ground on glider wings. There is a battle in an apartment block, that the Deceptions are about to flip over. Bey loves his toys. The battles are quite violent. The Transformers, have there limbs torn off, there is an execution of Autobot prisoners. I know its CGI, and there were similar scenes in the original Animated movie, but its surprising.

Shockwave, appears in the film. Yet he is not scheming! 

The film is better then the second installment. That’s not hard, its not great either. Bey needs an editor.

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