Writer: Naseem Randhawa

Writer Ratings:
Overall:
Cast:
Plot:
Effects:
Cinematography:

Watch this if you liked: "Transformers" movies, "Pain and Gain"

"Transformers" peaked with its first movie and it should have stopped right there.

Being loud, CGI-heavy with expensive action of epic proportions is THE typical formula of any blockbuster movie. Although "Transformers: The Last Knight" encompasses all of these elements, its weakness lies in its ridiculous and often cheesy plot, but even as the films keep getting worse and worse, this Bayhem will still be a blockbuster success thanks to those who just want to see some alien robots fight each other.

Let's talk about the plot. Why desecrate the memory of King Arthur with a story that just doesn't make sense or blend well with these alien robots? From the Dark Ages to a contemporary setting where humans are at war with the Transformers, it is just too big of an unnecessary gap for audiences to jump to without the proper plot threads weaving them together.

But hey, OK. Sometimes, ridiculous stories can work right? If they don't take themselves too seriously and had a lick of fun in them that is.

2009's "Transformers" was a thrill because we had a funny albeit annoying Shia LaBeouf's Sam Witwicky trying to make sense of these new visitors to Earth and it also touched on his endearing relationship with Bumblebee. It had its flaws, but it was a fresh introduction to the Transformers world and felt very Spielberg-ian "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"-like adventurous. Since then, we've ran out of all our awe to give to filmmaker Michael Bay. We've seen all the flashy CGI done over and over again, so what's new?

Picking up three years after "Age of Extinction", everyone hates the Autobots and Decepticons now. Mark Wahlberg's Cade Yeager is living the life of a recluse and together with Oxford professor Dr. Vivian played by Laura Haddock (the token sexy "Transformers" chick), they have to uncover the past of the Transformers before the rogue turned Optimus Prime destroys Earth. In comes Sir Anthony Hopkins, in a bizarre career move we're yet to fathom. He plays the English lord, Sir Edmund Burton, a member of a Knights Templar kind of society that's guarding a secret that has something to do with the hunt of a magic staff that somehow everyone wants.

Nope, "Transformers: The Last Knight" doesn't make sense, but its OK. Cause you'll still go watch it, won't you?


Cinema Online, 21 June 2017