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Transformers
Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 35
  3. Negative: 2 out of 35
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  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    90
    Transformers is a wet dream for fanboys, with vehicles that whiz and whir into alien robots, spectacular sci-fi stunt chases, glistening military hardware, overheated computer software and brainy, hot girls who love Popular Mechanics.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Jay Weissberg
    90
    Big, loud and full of testosterone-fueled car fantasies, Michael Bay's actioner hits a new peak for CGI work, showcasing spectacular chases and animated transformation sequences seamlessly blended into live-action surroundings.
  3. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    83
    It's all about the sheer visceral rush of mega action.
  4. Empire
    Reviewed by: Ian Nathan
    80
    The script may have rubbery legs, but the action is rock-hard. The surprise is the lightness of touch: treat as a comedy for best results.
  5. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    80
    The movie's biggest misstep is a complete lack of the classic Transformers theme song. How do you not use the coolest '80s toyline-turned-cartoon music ever?
  6. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    Everything comes down to an epic battle between the Transformers and the Decepticons, and that's when my attention began to wander, and the movie lost a potential fourth star.
  7. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    75
    The most surprising thing about Michael Bay's much-anticipated, blockbuster-bound Transformers is how funny the movie is.
  8. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    75
    A classic Michael Bay mega-movie. Interested in plot and character development? Move along. You're blocking the view.
  9. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    75
    It's a heavy-metal opera with humor.
  10. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Hartlaub
    75
    Even more ridiculous than it sounds.
  11. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    75
    Yes, it's loud, explosive and silly, but it also perfectly embodies the concept of a summer blockbuster with its simple good-guys-vs.-bad-guys plot, cheeky humor and flawless special effects.
  12. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Eric Alt
    75
    Grab some popcorn and make a pit stop, then sit back and enjoy it. You signed up for a movie about giant robots.
  13. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    75
    The energy never lets up, and two committed, unfussy leading actors are an improvement over other summer flicks.
  14. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    75
    LaBeouf is likable and grounded, two things you need from the lead in a film like this, although his female co-stars seem to have been cast based on how well their Maxim covers would sell.
  15. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    75
    The whole thing is too giddy to be taken seriously and too much of a confection to leave much of a lasting impression. But for 140 minutes, at least, it should give non-fanboys at least an idea of what all the fuss is about.
  16. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    75
    Just about everything connected to this movie is a tie-in, except for the popcorn. And even then I'm not too sure.
  17. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Pete Vonder Haar
    70
    Depending on your expectations for Transformers, rear-ending theaters this July 4th, you'll either be ecstatic or horrified to learn that the movie hits on all three cylinders in convincing fashion.
  18. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Nathan Lee
    70
    Transformers is mercilessly inhuman and completely hysterical from frame one.
  19. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    70
    The final scene is pure teen wish fulfillment: Imagine making out with your girlfriend on the hood of your sentient Camaro, as your own personal robot bodyguard looks on fondly (all right, that part's a little creepy).
  20. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joanne Kaufman
    70
    For almost two hours of car chases and car wrecks and extraordinary animated transformation sequences that meld fluidly with live action, the welcome mat is out for Michael Bay's cheerfully dopey saga.
  21. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    70
    It's a wonderfully playful experience.
  22. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Anthony Lane
    70
    In previous movies, Michael Bay dabbled wearily in Homo sapiens. At last he has summoned the courage to admit that he has an exclusive crush on machines, and I congratulate him on creating, in Transformers, his first truly honest work of art.
  23. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    67
    Bay, at heart, isn't a fantasist; he's a literal-minded maestro of demolition.
  24. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    63
    The climax of Transformers contains all that is proficient and slick and all that is drecky and soulless in Bay's work.
  25. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    63
    Partly impressive, partly inane buck-banging toy of a movie.
  26. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    63
    Some kind of mess...terpiece.
  27. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    50
    Deafeningly loud and proudly silly epic.
  28. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    8-year-olds of all ages, prepare to storm the multiplex!
  29. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    50
    A movie of epically assaultive noise and nonsense.
  30. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    42
    Turns the franchise into a terrible '80s comedy.
  31. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    40
    Transformers is about as clever as an unplugged blender.
  32. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    40
    Transformers' multiple earthling story lines are tedious and oddly lifeless, doing little besides marking time until those big toys fill the screen.
  33. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    40
    The film has just enough collisions to be a crashing bore.
  34. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    38
    Louder, flashier, and more hollow than anything else out there.
  35. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    30
    Not a movie, just one gigantic commercial for Hasbro.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 754 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 291 out of 432
  2. Mixed: 45 out of 432
  3. Negative: 96 out of 432
  1. BenS.
    7
    I saw transformers in an Imax theatre, which made the special effects extra special though your neck gets tired of looking back and forth. The movie was relative to the cartoon back in the day but it wasn't completely true to it's roots in a few ways. The original Transformers came out before the internet was invented and in the movie, the alien robots said they used it to get all the information about earth. Shia Labeouf's charector was tracked down through ebay so i'm sure it's not the same plot though I don't remember what the plot was.… Full Review »
  2. grandpajoe6191
    7
    Michael Bay's Blockbuster "Transformers" has everything lock-n-loaded for the summer year; sexy chicks, transforming CGI vehicles, and explosions!!!
  3. OptimusPrime
    10
    Mr. Tea, your IQ's dropping steadily because you rated this film so low! I saw this 2 times and the second time it was as action-packed, entertaining and thrilling as the first time (which by the way was amazing)! Everything you would want in a movie… Full Review »
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