The action in the overlong Transformers: Age of Extinction is relentless; just when you think the eardrum shattering scenes are finished, there is more. And then some more. And then even more. To make matters worse, each of these scenes is accompanied by loud sound effects so heavy that you would think that you were at a Skrillex concert.

It is as if film-maker Michael Bay decided to test his audience to see how much he could get away with. Undoubtedly, the action sequences are skillfully made, and fairly entertaining, at least initially, but like an overbearing host who continues to insist that his guests devour his culinary delights, Michael Bay regularly shoves stuff down your throat until there is room for no more. And just when you start choking, he will push even more through your tight-lipped mouth.

Granted, this is not saying much, considering that the infamous film-maker had previously given birth to cinematic abortions such as Bad Boys (1995) and Pearl Harbor (2001), but for the record, I enjoyed Michael Bay’s first Transformers film, which I consider to be his best work. On the other hand, the sequels were progressively worse, and sadly, Age of Extinction is from the bottommost drawer of the franchise.

Transformers: Age of Extinction proves that director Michael Bay may also be its undoing!

This is quite unfortunate, because the giant robots in Age of Extinction are gorgeously rendered, powered by sublime CGI. What’s more, their movement is beautifully animated, allowing the Transformers to move more realistically on film than ever before. In particular, I enjoyed the facial animations of the Autobots, especially their noble leader Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), whose eyes carry a strange vulnerability. I also enjoyed how Age of Extinction managed to feature strong characterisation for its robot stars.

Like a day that begins pleasantly before an unexpected mugging, Age of Extinction places audiences in a false sense of security by opening with scenes that present a somewhat interesting story. Replacing the previous principal human characters in the franchise is Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), an overprotective father who is constantly chastised by his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz) for leading the family into debt. Tessa’s concerns grow deeper when the junk-collecting Cade returns home one day with an old truck which he hopes to salvage for parts. Of course, this truck is a malfunctioning Optimus Prime, who along with his Autobot compatriots has gone into hiding after being viciously targeted by a human special ops crew led by CIA agent Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer).

As a nod to fans of the 1980s Generation 1 cartoons, Optimus Prime disguises himself as an old truck which is reminiscent of the iconic red Kenworth cab. Of course, Harold Attinger’s suspicions that this vehicle is actually Optimus Prime are confirmed when he is told by his flunkies that this vehicle is indeed a truck. Perhaps if Optimus Prime truly wanted to go into evasion mode he should have disguised himself as something else, like an ice-cream van.  

Sadly, the narrative quickly transforms into full Michael Bay mode soon after, with the characters displaying little emotional intelligence. For example, when the Yeager family traumatically watches an old family friend disintegrate after being caught by a bomb from the Transformer-hunting robot Lockdown (Mark Ryan), they show little empathy. Worse still are Michael Bay’s signature camera angles, where almost all the characters in the film are introduced through shots of their private parts. This is especially uncomfortable when we learn that Cade’s young blonde daughter is only 17, raising more questions about Michael Bay. To be fair, Bay’s gratuitous camera angles don’t discriminate; we get a good look at the rear ends of everyone from Mark Wahlberg to bit thugs. Sadly, the film cheats us by not giving the same treatment to Optimus Prime.

While many Transformers films have been considered to be giant toy commercials, Age of Extinction takes the distracting advertising to the next level. Because the franchise achieved box office gold in China, we are forced to look at Chinese hotels and watch the main characters spend minutes pointlessly consuming local Asian drinks.

In my opinion, fans of Transformers would be better served by watching the recently concluded Transformers: Prime TV Show, or the comic books from IDW Publishing, because it is evident from Age of Extinction that Michael Bay understands neither the spirit of his subject matter, nor the principles of good filmmaking. It is about time he rolls out.

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and brief innuendo

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 6th, 2014