Transformers:the Last Knight, American movie (2017)

Well, if we are to believe mister Michael Bay, supposedly this is the last time he takes the plunge into the world of Transformers. I do say supposedly on purpose, because he has made this statement quite a few times already in the past. And we all know what happened with those words: they were covered up in a pretty large sum of money. Michael Bay has always been a director that has been receiving large amounts of very negative press, especially where the Transformers are considered. It has also divided the fan community as well, with some people absolutely hating the direction he has taken the beloved robots in disguise into. This fifth part of the franchise has certainly been pounded into the ground the most. Pretty much every single review, with maybe one or two exceptions, has completely destroyed this movie. As such, despite being a fan of the previous films, my expectations for this one were at their lowest. Let us see if this movie really deserves the amount of punishment it has been receiving. Roll out!

Really fighting a giant robot with a wooden stick is the best idea you came up with?

This movie continues the story almost right from where part 4 ended. Optimus Prime has left Earth in search of his creators and hasn’t been heard from in quite a while. On Earth almost every single government has declared the Transformers as outcasts, and a special task force called the Transformer Reaction Force (TRF) has been established to destroy and kill them all. Cade Yeager together with Bumblebee try to save as many Transformers as they can, but it is an almost impossible task. During one of their rescue attempts, he comes into possession of a mysterious metallic talisman, that might hold the key to saving the Earth from an ancient threat. Together with an English lord who seems to know more about the object, and a beautiful female Oxford professor, Cade tries to stay alive while on the run from Decepticons who are also after the talisman. But amidst all the chaos there are indications that the homeworld of the Transformers is on it’s way to Earth, bringing doom for every single living being on the planet. But the greatest threat comes in a very unexpected way: namely in the form of a robot called Optimus Prime…..

Yes Megatron, we know you are evil, you don’t have to look at us like that.

This is a typical Bay movie, and that means you know what you can expect from it. Mindless action, slowmotion shots, explosions and an almost non-existent story. Yep, this movie certainly has all of these elements in it. I’ve heard it said that because of this fans will use it as an argument to say that this is the reason for watching it any way. Well, I am a fan of Transformers, both the old cartoons and these new movies, but from an objective point of view I have to say this movie was one of the weakest installments from the franchise. That’s not to say that this film is as bad as everyone says it is, there is still enough in it to enjoy, but the engine certainly has run out of steam. For a movie that is supposed to feature robots kicking the crap out of each other, there is actually quite a lack of scenes like that in this film. Except for a gigantic battlescene near the end, we hardly see robots fighting each other, but instead it focusses on the human elements engaging the Transformers.

This is a new form of American Football that will be introduced next year.

The special effects are still every bit as impressive, and you can certainly tell that is where most of the budget for the movie went. The Transformers themselves look awesome, especially a new robotic dragon form that makes it’s first appearance here. The humor for this movie was the thing that was ridiculed the most by everyone in reviews. Comedy is a very selective thing, and admittedly there were certainly quite a number of cringeworthy scenes in it. But, during those scenes, there were also a lot of people in the audience with me that did laugh out loud. Which means that it’s all a matter of perspective. What works for some people, might not work for others. I did have a few laughs as well, but the humor certainly wasn’t it’s strongest point. That honour still goes to the numerous special effects and action sequences.

I am Optimus Prime….yes…we heard you the first 300 times. 

Lastly we ofcourse have the human factor, this time represented by Mark Wahlberg who reprises his role from part four, and none other than Sir Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins plays the role of the English Lord Edmund Burton, a role which suited him, and he seemed to be having a lot of fun while playing it. The female element this time comes in the form of the beautiful actress Laura Haddock, who plays the love interest for Mark Wahlberg’s character. Ofcourse as you know Bay always objectifies his women and this movie is no exception, although when compared to the previous films it wasn’t too bad I guess. Lastly we have the young actress Isabela Moner who plays the role of the kid Izabella who gets caught up in the war by accident. Her part, though small, was pretty interesting, and I wish she would have had a larger role in the film.

Let’s shed a little light on the subject shall we? 

So, in the end we are left with a film that just feels like a washed up version of what has come before. There were certainly enough things in it that I did enjoy, like for instance a King Arthur angle that was pretty interesting, and the large scale battle at the end. But most of the scenes in between felt more like filler, and it almost seems like they just ran out of ideas of what to do. Combined with a pretty weak story, and action scenes that also weren’t as impressive as what came before, this was definitely the least interesting part of the franchise. Still, the heavy flack this movie has been receiving has blown things way out of proportion. This is still mindless fun, and certainly has enough entertainment value to make it worth a trip to the cinema. Just don’t expect to enjoy it as much as the previous ones. It will be interesting to see in what direction this franchise will go with a new director at the helm. Only time will tell I guess.

I give Transformers the Last Knight a 6 out of 10 score.