Movies

Director Michael Bay finally delivers a worthy third instalment to the ass-kicking, shape-shifting alien-robot franchise. Transformers: Dark of the Moon really is in a league unmatched by its predecessor Revenge of the Fallen.

Bay does two things in his blockbusters: spoon-feed the plot through trite dialogue, and blow things up on an unimaginable scale. Yes, the explosions are bigger, louder and slowed right down to the frame to give audiences enough 'wow' time. And while the dialogue isn't much improved, the plot at least adds intrigue.

The story starts with a prologue set in Kennedy-era 1960s during the space race between the USA and Russia. Bay twists the facts a bit to suggest that the race was ignited when both nations detected an unknown vessel had crashed on the dark side of the moon. This has present-day ramifications that could spark mass destruction.

Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is embroiled yet again in the on-going war between the Autobots and Decepticons, while also juggling a relationship with girlfriend Carly Spencer (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the infamous Megan Fox replacement).

LaBeouf's Sam seems rather on-edge this time around, throwing pointless tantrums and cracking one too many wise-guy remarks. When we meet Huntington-Whiteley it's a case of "Megan who?", but this love affair is short lived. Her acting ability is non-existent, and it's distracting to see her look unscathed during scenes of unimaginable destruction.

Most of the cast members, if not all, unnecessarily ramp up the comic goofiness, but ultimately the best performances come from the actual transformers themselves.

There is no doubt the movie is long, and midway it becomes a struggle to sit still. However, all is forgiven with the awe-inspiring climactic truck battle between Optimus Prime and the Decepticons.