This film had very nice, large scale action sequences presented in immersive 3D that had a constant depth to it that many 3D films lack. Most of my complaints about the film are merely based on the fact that it does not quite measure up to the previous installment, "Dark of the Moon".
The film is a little bloated, and its runtime could be cut down, but by this point that's almost expected of this franchise (although not a problem I had with the last film). It takes a little while to get going due to the necessity of having to introduce a new human cast into the mix. The scenes at Mark Wahlberg's farmhouse are not the most interesting the film has to offer, but once it is left behind (or, more accurately, blown up), the film's pace rarely lets up. The new characters established in this early section of the film meet with varying levels of success when it comes to making an impression. Wahlberg works, even if this isn't the most complex character he's ever played, as he is already familiar to the audience. He is more suited for certain action sequences than Shia LaBeouf was, and is believable picking up an alien gun and jumping into the fray. On the other hand, one of the best parts of the last film was LaBeouf's character knowing he was facing certain death by going into enemy controlled Chicago, but bravely going anyway. Wahlberg's greater physical prowess makes it always seem like he would have a fighting chance of surviving, making moments like that harder to create. The film evades this problem by not trying to create such a scenario--the whole movie is almost a non stop roller coaster, throwing the characters from one situation to the next without time to contemplate their mortality. The younger characters don't fare quite as well. The character of Wahlberg's daughter is fine, but I can barely remember her boyfriend, as he made virtually no impression on me at all.
This film also continues the franchise tradition of featuring well known actors in the supporting roles. This time it's Kelsey Grammar as the villain, seeking to wipe out all Transformers, and Stanley Tucci as an ethically questionable scientist who gets most of the film's funny lines. The humor tends to be hit or miss, but Tucci did get quite a few good moments.
While the story didn't involve me as much as it did in the last film (which made the action scenes genuinely harrowing), I still appreciated the spectacle that was on display. If one was to ignore the other films in the franchise, this film could be said to feature some of the most over the top, intricately crafted special effects driven action sequences of all time. The 3D is a tremendous aid in this regard. As the year has gone on and I have seen various films in 3D, I've found that with very few of them is the third dimension a worthwhile addition (of the films I've seen in both formats, only "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" had 3D that I thought really enhanced the film). I won't be seeing this film in 2D, but I cannot believe it would be the same experience. In many 3D films it becomes easy at times to forget you're watching a 3D film. The sense of depth is often lost. That never happened here.
Yes, this film had its problems, but I don't really feel like dwelling on them because it accomplished exactly what it set out to do and left me satisfied. The grandiosity of its action and scope make it the very definition of summer movie entertainment.
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