There is little to be said for the “Transformers” film series exclusively directed by Michael Bay. Through the course of 10 years starting with the generally tolerable first entry, the franchise (based on Hasbro’s action figures) has been a glutton for some of the most obnoxious, incessant, overstuffed, and nauseating hours of cinema released into American theaters, much of which can be attributed to the sensibilities of its juvenile direction at the hands of Bay. With the series’ consistent box office success (specifically in foreign markets such as China),showing no signs of stopping (with the planned Bumblebee spinoff in 2019), “The Last Knight” has now graced theaters worldwide…or has rather poisoned the dignity of the silver screens.
Clocking in at a relentless two and a half hours, “Transformers: The Last Knight” stays true to the series’ lack of cohesive storytelling, as well as wastes any potential room for enjoyment in its overall selling point: the robots. The previous installment, “Age of Extinction,” set the bar for just how careless and negligent the creative team behind these films could be, and while “The Last Knight” isn’t as much of an abysmal experience as “Age of Extinction”, it truly confirms the precedent that Paramount Pictures, Michael Bay, and the writing team has for the property:: no matter how bad, it will make money. It is staggeringly depressing how real this notion is in the industry of $200 million box office smashing blockbusters that overcrowd the summer season. Typically a review of such films would explicate some sort of plot and what its main characters serve in the narrative structure. In the case of “The Last Knight,” there is not enough Tylenol to properly ease the pain and assort the confusion that could be called the film’s “plot”. It is remarkable how a series whose roots stem from robot-to-vehicle changing action figures could overcomplicate a series that sells an audience on robot on robot action, but rather spends a wide majority of its running time of dull characters and ignominious comedy.
More important than” The Last Knight” is the effect films of its nature have on the industry and the general populace. As stated, the franchise is a mega box office success with each film easily reaching over a billion dollars worldwide, while without fail being lampooned by critics. With this being the case, the real question becomes: “Why continue to watch them?” A very reasonable question without an easy answer. One can only hope that audiences begin to finally smarten up, but with international markets being all more important in a film’s success in today’s world this is unlikely.
” The Last Knight” is not simply a bad movie with horribly incoherent editing, juvenile comedy, and mind numbing scenes of loud, and explosive action; it’s a stain on the fabric of an industry that has set a precedent for lackluster, effortless products that sucker intelligent human beings into thinking is a “fun summer movie”. Ultimately the depressing fact is even with all that has been said, I still saw the movie…and that’s something I have to live with.
Photo courtesy of Den Of Geek.
