Well ladies and gentlemen, Michael Bay has really done it this time. He brings us the fourth film in the Transformers series, sans Shia LaBeouf. Replacing LaBeouf's witty, weasely, comedic antics is Wahlberg's classic gritty, girthy, no nonsense, "say hi to ya motha" style character. This character change is the only thing that differentiates this film from the other three. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.
After the bloody and destructive battle of Chicago from the third film, the Autobots retreat into hiding and despair after the presumed loss of their leader Optimus Prime. There is hope on the horizon however, in the form of Cade Yeager, a true American hero. Wahlberg plays Yeager, a struggling inventor/mechanic from Texas. His makeshift laboratory is in his barn behind his house, but he also owns a mechanic company with his friend Lucas. Being a single dad, he is overprotective of his daughter, Tessa Yeager (Nicola Pelts). She's finishing her senior year and looking forward to college but financially isn't stable enough to attend without a scholarship. As she applies for financial aid, her father is busy coming up with the next big invention to put her through college. Having said that, one day on the job, Cade and Lucas (T.J. Miller) stumble upon an old truck in a demolished, rundown movie theatre salvaging parts for their mechanic business. Little do they know, they've stumbled upon Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. One thing leads to another, and a paranoid, corrupt CIA agent, played by Kelsey Grammer, catches wind of Optimus Prime's whereabouts and tries to get rid of all the Transformers because he struck a deal with the leader of the Decepticons, Lockdown, a ruthless bounty hunter who is out to destroy the Autobots, and most of all, Optimus Prime. This clearly makes total sense, obviously. Sigh"¦
Let's talk about the script. First of all, I'm not buying that Mark Wahlberg of all people is a friggin' inventor/engineer. Yea right! Second of all, what really happened to Tessa's mother? Did one of his inventions kill her? I want answers. Moving on, the script, penned by Ehren Kruger, is so-so, which is pretty good for a Michael Bay film. The one thing I liked about the script was the theme of advanced technology too complex for our time to the point where it can end humanity as we know it. On to the music; the lead track ("Battle Cry"), performed by Imagine Dragons was dreadful and overdone. I felt I was watching a wannabe Terrance Malick drama on steroids. The final verdict "“ it is an average popcorn flick, even for Michael Bay's standards. I won't watch this again anytime soon.
