Since 2007, Michael Bay has brought Transformers to life on the big screen. While the fifth opus comes out this Wednesday in our dark rooms, back on the previous episodes of the saga. First worn by Shia LaBeouf and Mégane Fox, the duo of actors has gradually abandoned the franchise to make way for Mark Wahlberg. What is the Michael Bay saga worth?
Transformers – A Promising Start
Released in 2007, this first opus of Transformers foreshadowed some good elements. Pyrotechnician Michael Bay behind the camera, a franchise of giant robots known to aficionados, stunning special effects and a rather appreciable cast were some pleasant elements. Shia LaBeouf in the role of the excited teenager, Mégane Fox as a service lighter, Josh Duhamel as the professional soldier, John Voight impartial state representative and finally John Turturro, comic element serving to bring down this same state and being completely at the antithesis of the latter. The recipe was thickening in this fun, funny and impressive teen entertainment, blockbuster of better quality than summer productions. Michael Bay had managed to give a certain thickness to his human protagonists inserted in a war of giant robots, thanks to the parents very funny by their discrepancy with the situation. This first Transformers managed to brilliantly combine comedy and action, in a register sometimes, dare we say it, intimate. Relatively well received by the press, this very first episode seduced by its plastic, the rhythmic interpretation of Shia LaBeouf and especially by hallucinating action scenes. We all knew there would be a sequel, but no one expected an expanded universe at Marvel Studio.
Transformers 2: Revenge – Where to Fall into Mockery
In 2009 we take the same ones and start again. This time Michael Bay puts the package, inserts a background to the robots, obviously brings back Megatron, the great antagonist of the first opus and incorporates an overdose of humor not necessarily very mature. Michael Bay goes fair play, even if it means falling into derision, in the second degree and losing all sense of dosage. In this second opus humor takes precedence over the relationship between the protagonists, even going so far as to insert a grumpy old autobots not necessarily very funny. Michael Bay falls into his usual faults: epileptic editing, disconcerting scripted facilities to accelerate his pace, simplification of transitions and an endless finale in a desert. This second opus is not unpleasant but rests on its achievements without offering great scripted surprises.
Transformers 3: The Dark Side of the Moon – Beginning of Surrender
We are in 2011, the third opus of the saga comes out in our theaters with a first abandonment to the casting. Mégane Fox is no longer part of the party. She abandoned filming due to differences with the director and was replaced by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Michael Bay falls into pyrotechnic one-upmanship, completely abandoning his characters to engage in the incessant fights of robots. This third opus is terribly asphyxiating. The spectator does not have time to breathe in front of this incessant sequence of fights and repetitive situations. The filmmaker no longer takes his time at all, detaches himself from his stakes and his characters to fall into the laziness of the classic blockbuster. Transformers 3 only serves to present redundant fights despite some risk-taking, especially with the very impressive giant worm. However, some supporting roles could have saved the film such as John Malkovich or Patrick Dempsey. The first is under-exploited and the second, far from his romantic comedies, caricature a villain role. Ridiculous, the actor gets lost, like his filmmaker who goes so far as to integrate Galvatron, the biggest joke of the saga.
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction – Viewer's Extinction
2014, Shia LaBeouf also abandons ship, replaced at short notice by Michael Bay's new darling: Mark Wahlberg. The whole old cast jumps. No more Josh Duhamel, no more Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, no more Mégane Fox, no more John Turturro or no more Tyrese Gibson. Mark Wahlberg is alone. Surprisingly the first part of the film is worth seeing. Michael Bay sets down his camera, offering some shots certainly patriotic but textually splendid. Mark Wahlberg ensures the other side of the camera with his undeniable charisma and the post-destruction atmosphere, calmer, in a world that seems peaceful allows to breathe a little. Of course this atmosphere will not last. Michael Bay will sign a fourth opus bigger and bigger than the previous one. With its (very) excessive duration of 2h45, the spectator comes out completely lobotomized from this experience, the heart at the edge of the lips. The action scenes are more and more cluttered and the arrival of the dinobots does not calm the frenzied pace of this production. Transformers 4 definitely gives migraine.
The fifth episode is released this Wednesday in our theaters with the return of Josh Duhamel, John Turturro and Tyrese Gibson. Mark Wahlberg will also be back, accompanied by the legendary Anthony Hopkins, who joins the franchise for this fifth episode. Episode that should also be the last of Michael Bay and which is entitled The Last Night.
