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Transformers is as big as it gets when it comes to summer blockbusters. Featuring plenty of destructions, explosions and gigantic robots, you can’t help but enjoy the visually and audibly loud action sequences. The movie tells the story of Autobots and Decepticons, two alien opposing factions of robots that can transform who are bent on finding the AllSpark, which gives life to lifeless technological things. Decepticons seek it in order to use it to turn Earth’s technology into robots and take over our world (we actually see the AllSpark in action when it transforms a Nokia cell phone, Xbox 360 and Mountain Dew vending machine into robots).

Caught in the middle is the human race led by Sam Witwicky who ends up purchasing an old beat-up Camaro and discovers it’s actually a robot in disguise. The other subplots (such as the whole Section 7 business, army units…) do not add much to the storyline. But then again you’re not here for a great story. You’re here to watch robots transform, and destroy each other. Transformation sequences are truly a marvel to behold, and definitely not possible without our advanced CGI capabilities. Director Michael Bay knows it and the movie is peppered with up-close shots of cars, airplanes and tanks transform into giant robots.

If all you need from your movie is great action sequences, then Transformers will give you pretty good value for 2 hours. I’m hoping that the sequel (due out next year) will be less about exposition, and more about intense battle sequences.

Rating: 75%

Video-game adaptation on the big screen has never been known for its quality, or commercial success, but for some odd reason studios keep greenlighting them. Latest movie I had the chance to catch was Hitman, based on the Hitman videogames. The movie is pretty faithful to the videogame, featuring Agent 47, a bald uber-assassin employed by the uber-shadowy organization known as Organization that has ties to every government. One day, Agent 47 is tasked to kill the president of Russia, and after the job is done, he somehow turns up alive. Now Agent 47 must fight his own peers and the Russian President’s men to save himself and his new-found female friend.

If you expect the story to make logical sense, you are watching the wrong movie. Agent 47 has a UPC tattooed to the back of his head, making him extremely easy to spot in the crowd. Wouldn’t an assassin want to eliminate that? He is tasked to publicly killing the Russian President so that he could be replaced with a body double. Wouldn’t it make more sense to make the switch private so no one can ever suspect it? Also, why is every other assassin that the Organization sends after Agent 47 so incompetent? If Organization wanted to get rid of whoever kills the Russian President afterwards, shouldn’t they have chosen an easier target?

At least the action sequences are pretty good, and that’s about the only positive aspect of the movie. If you are a die-hard fan of the game franchise and have to see how it looks when you are not in control, go ahead and rent this flick. Everyone else can easily find a better action movie to watch than this mess.

Rating: 35%

The Bourne Ultimatum

The last movie in the Bourne trilogy delivers everything from incredible action sequences, superb car chases and engrossing storyline. Most action movies aren’t able to deliver all that in a single movie and the director Paul Greengrass superbly manages it. Jason Bourne’s final trip back home is easily the best in the franchise. Here’s to hoping that this fantastic filmmaking won’t get lost in his next project.

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