Transformers

BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Transformers. Bay, Michael; director. DVD. Dreamworks Video. Release Date: October 16, 2007. PG-13. ASIN B000VR0570

PLOT SUMMARY

Sam Witwicky's not the coolest guy, but he tries, maybe a little too hard. His Dad buys him an old beat up yellow Camaro. It turns out his beat up car is named Bumblebee, a robot alien called an Autobot. Bumblebee was sent to be Sam’s guardian from the Decepticons. The Decepticons have come to Earth to find the Allspark and destroy the human race. The Autobots are trying to stop them. Sam has the map to locate the Allspark and he doesn’t know it. The map is on his great-grandfathers glasses that he is trying to sell on eBay. Sam is joined by his crush Mikaela. Together with the Autobots they will try and save the human race.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

I remember my brother watching the Transformers cartoon when we were younger, so I really wasn’t expecting anything great from this movie. I was completely wrong. Transformers is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. It has everything; action, humor, humans, robots, and idiots. The special/digital effects are unbelievable. The transformations of the Autobots and the Decepticons are incredible. I was expecting an action movie, and there was most certainly plenty of action. However, I was not expecting the movie to make me laugh. My favorite scene is when Sam offers Mikaela a ride home. Bumblebee (before we find out his alien status) plays all types of inappropriate, yet appropriate, songs on the radio for the two teens, trying to help Sam out. The plot is intriguing and keeps you hooked from the moment the movie starts. This movie has something for everyone. I can’t wait to see the sequel!

VIEWER’S ANNOTATION

Sam bought a car that turned out to be an alien robot. Who knew?

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

After launching his career as an award-winning commercial and music video director, Michael Bay quickly emerged as one of Hollywood's boldest and most bankable feature film directors. Characterized by his aggressive visual style and high-octane action sequences that have become the L.A. native's cinematic signature, the films that Bay has directed and produced have hit $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales.

Now established as one of the industry's elite action filmmakers, Bay has been dazzling audiences since the premiere of his first feature film, Bad Boys, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, in 1995. The $9 million film won Best Action Sequence at the MTV Movie Awards, and it grossed over $140 million worldwide, making it Columbia Pictures' top-grossing film of that year. Bay's impressive sophomore effort, The Rock, starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, followed a year later. Shot on location on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, The Rock surpassed Bay's blockbuster debut, taking in more than $335 million worldwide. Bay continued his hot streak in 2001, directing the epic Pearl Harbor and sharing producer credit on the film with Bruckheimer.

Bay turned the 80’s cartoon Transformers into an exciting live-action blockbuster that grossed over $700 million worldwide, making it Bay's most successful film to date, and established it as Dreamworks' biggest film franchise. He is currently at work developing the third chapter to Transformers, slated for a summer 2011 release.

Bay's production company, Bay Films, remains one of the most cutting-edge production entities in Hollywood today and continues to grow. Five years ago, Bay joined forces with producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form to create Platinum Dunes, a company whose mission is to make films with budgets under $20 million that would give talented commercial and video directors the chance to break into the feature world. (Bay)

GENRE

Fiction, Sci Fi, Action/Adventure, Movie

CURRICULUM TIES

New York State: None.

BOOKTALKING IDEAS

Not Applicable

READING LEVEL/INTEREST AGE

Ages 13 and up

CHALLENGE ISSUES

None

In order to prepare yourself should this movie be challenged you may wish to take the following steps:

•Watch the movie or familiarize yourself with the movie and its plot.
•Refer to the library’s collection development and circulation policy.
•Read movie reviews from sources such as Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times.
•Seek the opinion of teen readers that have seen the movie.

Should this movie be challenged you should follow the additional steps below:

•Advise the senior staff of the challenge.
•Let the patron know that their challenge will be filed and that senior library management will review their request and notify them once a decision has been made.
•Offer any further assistance should the patron have additional questions.

WHY DID I INCLUDE THIS MOVIE?

I heard about this movie from my sister-in-law and I thought it would be a good movie for teens.