2017 Summer Movie Season - Transformers The Last Knight: Review & Analysis

                                                                              

Rusting Parts!!! Fifth Transformers Entry Is Stable

Yet Uninspired Installment!!!

Review By Brandon Porter

"Optimus Prime, You Destroyed Your
 Homeworld. Do You Seek Redemption?"
"My Maker...I Do..."

Story Description

Since the dawn of early civilization, mankind has a hidden history. A relationship with the highly intelligent alien race known as the Cybertronians aka the Transformers. Long buried in the deepest aspects of human history, a great danger from the past threatens to fulfill the prophecy of a global extinction. Faced with a massive threat that could eradicate life on the planet, Cade Yeager  (Mark Wahlberg), young orphan Isabella  (Isabela Moner), Oxford professor Vivian Wembley (Laura Haddock)  Major Lennox  (Josh Duhamel) and the Autobots must band together to stop impending doom while also facing Megatron and his decepticons and a shocking new adversary...Optimus Prime!!!!

Cade and Vision Explore The Inside
Of Ancient Cybertronian
Ruins

Critical and Financial Analysis

Ever since the first entry in the mega blockbuster action franchise, the Transformers series has been the Hollywood franchise that critics and fans love to hate. 10 years later, the franchise is still going strong with its fifth installment arriving to solidify a newly minted shared Universe. Transformers The Last Knight comes in looking to bring a more focused narrative much to the dismay and disbelief of its harshest critics. In terms of critical acclaim, a bloodbath ensued. The movie was hammered relentlessly by critics earning it an abysmal 15% critical rating from critics and a below average score of 58% rating from audiences via rotten tomatoes. Despite the majority of the Transformers films earning bad critical ratings, the critics have been particularly hard on this film as this ranks as the worst critical score of the summer movie season and the lowest critical score of the franchise with reviewer Peter Travers dubbing it as 2017's most toxic film. Financially, the franchise may have finally be showing signs of rust. Transformers opened with a good but surprisingly low box office total of $69.1 million domestically making it the lowest grossing opening weekend for a Transformers film. With series low critical reception and a low return at the box office, the robots in disguise seem to be running low on energon as the franchise seems to have begun to show signs of fatigue after boiled over backlash and universal sense of displeasure and frustration could see this once box office powerhouse fall into potential obscurity and irrelevance.

Brothers in Arms Now on Opposite sides 

Film Review

Over it's ten year existence, the Transformers franchise is a juggernaut that has established itself as one of the most marketable franchises in cinema history while also being the bane of a lot of moviegoers existence particularly hardcore fans and critics. The Last Knight brings us back to the world of the robots in disguise for an ambitious and jam packed 5th chapter. Once I finished the movie in IMAX, I can say that The Last Knight isn't necessarily a step back for the series but it definitely is far from a step forward. For the past ten years, this series has relied on style, action, and big booms over story,character, and heart. While that has led to financial success, it seems the series charm is finally starting to wear off. Acting wise, Mark Wahlberg returns as Cade Yeager and he finds himself moseying along throughout the movie not necessarily keeping the audience engaged. In contrast, Laura Haddock is likable as Vivian and was actually quite fun to watch making her a rare standout in the film. Isabella Moner never really gets to shine in the film due to her lack of screen time and she never establishes a presence on screen. Anthony Hopkins is fun in the beginning of the movie but unfortunately overstays his welcome rather quickly. Action wise, the film does offer good amounts of explosive chaos but there is never enough to really keep the audience thrilled enough. It also doesn't help that these action set pieces are buried under heavily dragged out dialogue scenes. In the end, Transformers The Last Knight is definitely an improvement over its predecessor Age of Extinction but the same tricks that have carried the series through the critical scrutiny are wearing thin and damaging the franchises appeal and staying power. What was supposed to be a rebirth and fresh start for the franchise might instead spell doom for the once powerhouse blockbuster spectacle 

Rating and Final Thoughts

Despite obvious strengths over its predecessor, the fifth installment of the Transformers series

shows signs of both lack of engagement and lack of effort. 

In the summer of 2018, An old friend and fan favorite will

get the spotlight in his own 80s set adventure!!!