TRANSFORMERS
TOYING AROUND!!!
By Vishal Verma

Rating:- * *

What is it?
Giant robots battling other giant robots to the death.

Ear-shattering, adrenaline-pumping car chases.

Every kind of ammunition ever made, exploding at once.

Million-dollar sets being pulverized.

Thanks to some of the best CGI work ever created, the Transformers you remember as toys and TV characters from the '80s have become gigantic, complicated affairs.

CGI techniques bring beloved playthings to life, but the film's focus drifts from the toys.

"Transformers" has a distinctly '80s feel to it, a nod to the toy line's 1984 debut and the presence of executive producer Steven Spielberg. When the bad robots (the Decepticons for those not steeped in the classics) hack into the U.S. military's computer network, the resulting panic is straight out of the Cold War, with accusations flying toward China and the Roo-skies.

Since Bay over sizes everything, he was wise to cast LaBeouf, Hollywood's reliable new kid. Each time the movie gets out of control; he grounds it with a wry sense of humor and, ­frankly, the only multifaceted performance to be found.

Although it's hard to imagine anyone making a project of this magnitude more than once, the end strongly hints at a sequel (or two), on the assumption that the first will be a meteoric smash.

Whats it all about?
California teen Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) knows nothing about the Transformer phenomenon, however, when he buys a Camaro with some very strange skills. Before long, the car — named Bumblebee — has helped Sam with two equally important missions: seducing his longtime crush, and escaping the evil aliens who have recently dropped into the neighborhood.

Once he has gotten over the shock of having a car that can transform into a 20-foot robot at will, he learns that Bumblebee and other Autobots need his help recovering an all-powerful life force that their enemies, the Decepticons, are planning to steal. What this means for Sam is a race to save the planet.

What to look out for?
Bay's action choreography leaves something to be desired for that cribbing results in the movie's best scene — the Autobots hiding in the backyard of teen-aged hero Shia LaBeouf's house while Shia tries to distract his suspicious parents. There you have everything you want from a "Transformers" movie — the cars, the robots, some personality and a healthy dose of much-needed fun.

It's not the only time that the movie comes alive, but such moments are too rare in a sci –fi  flick .

What Not?
Where’s the life, flesh and blood baby?
Unfortunately, though Bay has a way with CGI toys and action set pieces, the director fails in making human beings come to life. "Transformers' " multiple earthling story lines are tedious and oddly lifeless, doing little besides marking time until those big toys fill the screen.

Conclusion: get into this car only if you want an enjoyable but senseless ride !!