Transformers:The Last Knight is the fifth part in the franchise and not even close to the last one. If at this point you still had hope or expectations this being like the superior cartoons then you are delusional. Michael Bay had the Transformers wrong right from the start. I doubt he actually has seen the cartoons or read the comic books. And he certainly has no clue why kids loved the Transformers so much. Making Transformers side characters in their own adventures is idiotic. Still from all the chaotic messes in the franchise this one seems to be the most ambitious, funniest and believe it or not, the most focused.
The film is divided in two parts. The first part is a comedy as in farce. The second part is the melodramatic adventure he used to make like The Rock and Armageddon. I expected the usually shenanigans where Bay would overwhelm us with action and spectacle so chaotic and confusing that you wouldn't be able to follow what was going on. To my astonishment Michael Bay held back and actually tried to tell a story that made some sense. Mind you the film does suffer from hyperactivity and quick cuts that make your head spin. But for the most part the plot was easy to follow. It's like someone finally was able to convince Bay that less is more. I do think he cut a little too much for my taste. Like the Decepticons having been reduced to glorified cameo's. The Autobots don't exactly fare that much better but at least some of the key figures within the group play vital and essential parts. Especially familiar characters Optimus Prime and Bumblebee shine. The funniest scenes are with Anthony Hopkins and Cogman (robot butler). The banter between these two is hilarious. But Cogman also has a split identity and on occasion has murderous tendencies in particular towards Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg). We don't blame you Cogman most of us do. Speaking of Mark Wahlberg. He was extremely likeable in this part. Even more so than in previous part. Laura Haddock as Vivian Wembley also was a welcome addition to the franchise. A vast improvement on previous actresses Megan Fox and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
The cast of this part is filled with big names. New and old. It was nice to see and hear them in action if you managed to recognize their voices. But then there were newer characters who we get introduced for the first time and seem to be vital at first to only find out that they barely matter. I would have preferred it has they allowed John Turturro to play a bigger part instead. But must be a money thing.
Then after an hour and a half the comedy ends and events become a whole lot more serious and dramatic. A little bit clumsy in some scenes however still having some dramatic impact if you allow it. Up until this point there weren't that many proper action sequences to speak of. But it was as if Michael Bay's leash got undone and he was allowed to be his old self again. And it was marvellous. As far as I could make out what actually was going on. That is what you get if you don't adapt the original iconic looks. But to be honest I did get big picture of it all and I embraced it.
In general people really seemed to dislike this fifth part. I on the other hand was fully entertained. I did not expect this to be as funny as it was and certainly did not expect Bay to hold back on action until it really mattered. Perhaps because he was aware that this was going to be the last film in the franchise he is going to direct and wanted to make one last solid impression? I am real curious what the future will bring. There is a rumour they are going to reset the franchise. Hopefully we will finally get the Transformers films we wanted all along. Until that day you can enjoy this one.
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