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Transformers
Paramount Pictures

Transformers reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 61 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.0 out of 10
based on 35 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 555 votes
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Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for violence, profanity and sexual humor

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Rachael Taylor, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, Anthony Anderson, and John Turturro

Aliens make Earth their final battleground. As the forces of evil seek the key to ultimate power, Earth's last chance for survival rest in the hands of young Sam Witwicky. (Paramount Pictures)


GENRE(S): Action  |  Adventure  |  Sci-fi  
WRITTEN BY: John Rogers (story)
Roberto Orci (& story)
Alex Kurtzman (& story)
 
DIRECTED BY: Michael Bay  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: October 16, 2007 
Theatrical: July 3, 2007 
RUNNING TIME: 144 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
Variety Jay Weissberg
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.
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90
The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
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.
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83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
It's all about the sheer visceral rush of mega action.
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80
LA Weekly Luke Y. Thompson
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?
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80
Empire Ian Nathan
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.
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75
San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
Even more ridiculous than it sounds.
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75
Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan
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.
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75
Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
Just about everything connected to this movie is a tie-in, except for the popcorn. And even then I'm not too sure.
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75
USA Today Claudia Puig
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.
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75
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
A classic Michael Bay mega-movie. Interested in plot and character development? Move along. You're blocking the view.
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75
Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
The most surprising thing about Michael Bay's much-anticipated, blockbuster-bound Transformers is how funny the movie is.
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75
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
It's a heavy-metal opera with humor.
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75
Premiere Eric Alt
Grab some popcorn and make a pit stop, then sit back and enjoy it. You signed up for a movie about giant robots.
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75
Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
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.
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75
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
The energy never lets up, and two committed, unfussy leading actors are an improvement over other summer flicks.
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75
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
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.
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70
The New Yorker Anthony Lane
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.
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70
Slate Dana Stevens
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).
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70
Washington Post Desson Thomson
It's a wonderfully playful experience.
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70
Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
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.
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70
Wall Street Journal Joanne Kaufman
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.
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70
Village Voice Nathan Lee
Transformers is mercilessly inhuman and completely hysterical from frame one.
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67
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Bay, at heart, isn't a fantasist; he's a literal-minded maestro of demolition.
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63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
Some kind of mess...terpiece.
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63
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Partly impressive, partly inane buck-banging toy of a movie.
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63
Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
The climax of Transformers contains all that is proficient and slick and all that is drecky and soulless in Bay's work.
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50
The New York Times Manohla Dargis
A movie of epically assaultive noise and nonsense.
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50
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Deafeningly loud and proudly silly epic.
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50
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
8-year-olds of all ages, prepare to storm the multiplex!
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42
The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson
Turns the franchise into a terrible '80s comedy.
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40
Time Richard Corliss
The film has just enough collisions to be a crashing bore.
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40
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Transformers is about as clever as an unplugged blender.
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40
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Transformers' multiple earthling story lines are tedious and oddly lifeless, doing little besides marking time until those big toys fill the screen.
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38
ReelViews James Berardinelli
Louder, flashier, and more hollow than anything else out there.
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30
Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
Not a movie, just one gigantic commercial for Hasbro.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 555 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Lacerta gave it a1:
I give it an ace because although it is an action movie (and it had A LOT of action) there is no script, there is quite a lot of stereotyping (especially in regards to black people) and the dialogues give me the impression that I'm watching a 'who's the biggest smartass' contest and who’s going to have the last word 'duel' Even characters that are supposed to be very serious are more than willing to jest and look funny/stupid/naive just to be part of the 'gang'. I have spotted some very amusing 'hidden' messages in this movie all relevant to the war in Iraq. 'No sacrifice - No victory' says the father to the son to convince him that it is ok to buy a piece of junk as his first car!!!'No sacrifice - No victory' sounds like a motto that could be used to promote the war in Iraq and shut the mouths of people that oppose the war. 'He will die in vain if we don’t accomplish our mission' says Optimus for Bumblebee...I think the same goes for all the soldiers that have been killed in Iraq. In case the (new) president decides to get them out of there all the 'brave' (brave like Bumblebee is) soldiers would have been sacrificed for nothing. 'Losing is really not a option for these guys' says Sec. of State! to Simmons - meaning that the marines NEVER lose or give up!I totally lost it and LOL'd on this scene.STUPIDITY on its finest. There are a lot more...I'll leave it to you to find them - if thats your 'thing'. This is a good action movie only as long as you DO NOT take it seriously. The worst thing is that the movie does take ITSELF seriously and tries to convey all these messages of bravery and valor instead of just being entertaining. This is supposed to be a movie for children i.e there is no blood in this movie, and yet it is full of political statements and innuendos on moral character and duty. SPOILER: Closing up I HAVE to ask, WHY at the end of the movie did they decide to go to this town where the risk of civilian casualties would be so high??? You have all these HI-TECH machines from hell (Decepticons) that can transform into jets and helicopters and shoot lasers and the most reasonable thing to do is to have a kid get the cube to a chopper waiting on the roof of a building??? What on earth is that CRAP?!!?!!? IQ=ZERO! Surely one of the best looking WORST movies ever. GREAT ACTION + GREAT VISUAL EFFECTS + ABSOLUTELY NO SCRIPT = 1 / 10

Bangell gave it an8:
From the very first speech, it was corny as hell. "Ooh, save the world from the evil robot!" And megatron, cybertron and all this other crap was just ridiculous. However, the film blended action and humour to make a great watch. It actually made me laugh out loud, especially the scene in the fat computer hacker's house. The action was fast and exciting, showing the US military as well as giant frickin robots engaging each other. It was kinda obvious from the start what was going on - the "sound" wasn't really mysterious or anything.

Mario S. gave it a9:
Absolutely amazing.

Ben L. gave it a4:
So, okay, I guess I'm the only one who's not a critic who didn't like this movie. I'll be honest, this movie was a big disappointment, and my least favorite of the summer so far. Transformers delivered on its promise of stunning action and visual effects. The opening sequence in Qatar was literally jaw-dropping. My friend next to me had to push my mouth back up. Absolutely stunning. The final 45 minutes were also full of jaw-dropping visual effects, the most amazing shot being Optimus and Megatron flying through a building in downtown Los Angeles. Unfortunately, there's another hour and twenty minutes of the movie that we have to sit through. The plot for this movie is barely enough to cover two hours, let alone close to two and a half. The Decepticons are evil and want to use the Allspark to turn Earth into their new empire. The Autobots have to stop them. That's it. So Bay fills the rest of the movie with total filler material that's about as necessary as the cannibal island in Pirates 2 (meaning completely unnecessary). There is almost no characterization for any of the main characters. There is no depth or motivation for any character. Sam wants to score. Mikaela is there for eye candy. The Sector 7 agent is there for humor only (not to mention poorly executed humor). The Secretary of Defense is there to have a veteran actor on board. The chick hacker is there for eye candy. And that's just the humans. The Transformers have no character development whatsoever. They're giant five-story tall robots that transform into cars and blow things up. Nothing more. There are no relationships explored between robots. The closest we come to character development for them is Megatron's line, "You fail me yet again, Starscream." That's it. In the final battle sequence, I found myself disinterested because I didn't care who won. I didn't really care if any of them died. No motivation was explored on either side. It was just Autobots vs. Decepticons. That's just boring. Another thing. I'm able to suspend belief for movies if I have to. I'm a seasoned 24 viewer. But I can't throw believability out the window. Come on. A five-story robot literally pissing on some guy. Give me a freaking break. It's hard enough even accepting that there are five-story tall robots that transform into cars. When you have them do really stupid things like that, you destroy any possible credibility that the movie may have. Bay also tries to insert campy humor into the movie. He fails miserably. The only time I laughed while watching the movie was when the soldier (don't know his name) in Qatar was on the phone with the operator who was asking him about a credit card. That was it. The cheesy humor puts more nails in the grave marked "Credibility and Believability". Finally, we have this massive battle in downtown Los Angeles. Massive death, destruction, and mayhem. And in the end, the government buries the evidence and goes about their normal business. Come on! Like you could cover that up. That's like trying to cover up the destruction of the White House. It's just not possible. Completely impossible. That put the credibility coffin six feet under. So, in the end, this movie focuses on eye candy and nothing else. The effects are eye-popping and jaw dropping. But eye candy will not float a film. To get a really good and entertaining film, you need: 1) characters you care about 2) a plot that is more than twenty words when boiled down 3) stunning action (on which Transformers delivers 4) believability and credibility And all Transformers has is eye candy. It is certainly not "more than meets the eye". 3/10. You also know it's not good when one of the trailer you see (1-18-08) is as memorable as the movie itself. If you want a great action movie this summer, go see Live Free or Die Hard or The Bourne Ultimatum.

Jack L. gave it a0:
Let's hear it for Mr. Bay, his Playmate posse (Fox??? & Taylor), the ADHD kid (LaBeouf) as well as the bodies at work and minds on vacation (Gibson & Duhamel)! Buttom line: BENEATH CONTEMPT.

Kyle T gave it a10:
Aside from the boring first half of the movie and the human cast that we don't really care about, Transformers is shown exactly the way it should be. This is the definitive moment in Transformers history, and it is no doubt the most fun movie to watch in 2007. Hopefully, Bay makes TF 2better, though.

James Cool gave it a10:
Just like my last name, this movie is cool!

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