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A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)
A true cinematic piece of art comes to online streaming
Jim Carrey's performance as the infamous Count Olaf in 2004's film adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events is fondly remembered. Skip to 2017 and Neil Patrick Harris has easily become the more definitive portrayal of the vile character, giving fans more of what Count Olaf conveys in the novels. Neil also acts as the series producer and therefore a good amount of credit must go towards him as the series itself is sublime.
Following the first four books of the novel series, fans finally get to witness a more faithful and determined adaptation that has already been renewed for a second season. It's clear the producers want fans to obtain the full story rather than be cut short like the 2004 film.
The cast of youngsters offer nothing short of brilliant and engaging performances. Regardless of their age they captivate the audience and the journey they travel becomes your journey too. In regards to Neil Patrick Harris' many performances as Count Olaf and his 'disguises,' there is a nuance to him that effectively differs him from Jim Carrey's portrayal in the 2004 film.
From the set design to the cinematography, this series looks and feels like a continuing film rather than an ongoing series. The effective use of green screen and stages bring the Gothic feel of the books to life. The camera work is quite cinematic and never settles for easy visuals. The tone of the series is quite dark yet not so dark that children cannot watch it.
Overall it's a beautiful series that is cinematic in nature and provides fans of the book series a much more faithful and compelling adaptation than the 2004 film.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
BvS is a DC fans dream and ignites a world of wonder
Let's just get one thing straight.....all the people saying Batman v Superman sucks are wrong. All the critics giving it incredible hate are wrong. There's no way this film is as bad as everyone makes it out to be....and it's NOT. Regardless if it met your expectations or not, it still delivers a solid popcorn flick that is entertaining. So those saying it's terrible are wrong. It's not an opinion, it's fact. It's like saying Star Wars (the original) is terrible. That person would be considered an idiot and it's not an opinion because it's one of those films that can't be considered anything below "entertaining" and BvS fits into this category.
Now that the rant is over, time to talk about what was awesome in the film.
Batman: Ben Affleck, first hated upon the casting announcement, proves that he is the Dark Knight comic fans have been waiting for. He delivers a solid mix of the Batman we see in the comics, Arkham games and overall every Batman you could possibly think of (Adam West and earlier incarnations aside). He proves that he will become the best Batman once he gets his own film (Under the Red Hood please). Not only that, he balances Batman perfectly with Bruce Wayne, portraying the two with such ease you'd start to wonder that maybe he was born for this role.
Superman: I've read a lot of complaints saying how bland and boring Superman was, that he was given barely any screen time. I however found he was given equal screen time with Batman and I also found myself rooting for him in the final battle with Batman. He did what Superman needed to do and always has done.
Wonder Woman: The biggest surprise to me. Gal Gadot owns this role. You can still think she was miscast but ultimately she was bad ass in the role.
Oh and then there's Alfred! I wasn't really on board with Jeremy Irons as Alfred but he delivers something new to the role that escaped Michael Caine in The Dark Knight trilogy. Still Gotham's Sean Pertwee remains my favourite Alfred.
In regards to Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor....it's safe to say you'll either hate him or enjoy him thoroughly as the maniac. I enjoyed him as Lex. It was different but I kept thinking we could have had a better Lex Luthor.
The visuals in this film were stunning, the action incredible and the story was really good. A lot of people (and I mean everyone but me) complain that the film has poor pacing and feels like 5 films happening at once.....but I found that each and every character's story that they were going through tied effectively together with the overall story. The whole "feels like 5 films" thing bugs me. Think back to 2008 with a little Tarantino film call Inglourious Basterds. A film that at it's very core has multiple movies happening at once that tie together effectively to one main story. If you're going to use the argument that BvS feels like 5 films, then consider that this Tarantino film did essentially the same thing yet got acclaim from critics and audiences upon release. To me this renders the '5 films' opinion redundant.
Lastly, here's why I believe BvS got such bad reviews. Marvel has dominated the superhero film world, no doubt there. It created a standard for super hero films. The world of the MCU is kid friendly, light in tone, very different to the dark world of the DCEU. I believe critics and a lot of the audiences have been too wrapped up in Marvel films, the same formula executed every time (sure yes different stories but essentially the same styles) that when BvS hit.....the critics didn't know if they should say it's good or bad because it was completely different from a Marvel film so they decided to say it was bad. This happened with Man of Steel as well.
I am a die hard DC Comics fan, I read and bleed DC Comics. So when I say BvS is a DC Comics fan's dream you know I mean it.
This film is under rater, undeserved of the low ratings and ultimately delivers a new type of super hero film to see if you're sick of the same Marvel formula executed twice every year. It's time for change and it begins here.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
A fresh and exciting return to the Star Wars universe!
Star Wars is back.....there it is, that very phrase. After waiting over 30 years for a good Star Wars film we finally have one, and it was worth the wait.
The Force Awakens is stylish and imaginative filled with nostalgia and parallels to the original trilogy. The new characters, Fin, Rey, Kylo Ren and Poe are all introduced perfectly and become instant hit characters. Daisy Ridley is the breakout star of this film.
The visuals were beyond stunning and John Williams score is outstanding. The direction is brilliant from JJ Abrams and the film itself is perfect.
A lot of people are complaining that it is a remake of A New Hope. I can assure you that, while there most certainly are PARALLELS to the original Star Wars film, the story is completely new and fresh. The Force Awakens sets up an interesting and intriguing story that will no doubt continue into episode 8 and 9.
The Force Awakens is a 9.5/10
The Flash (2014)
This show is near perfect. Don't listen to the haters, it's awesome!
Looking at the reviews for The Flash here.....it's rather pathetic. People claim the writing sucks, the characters are silly, the story is lame.....well I am here to tell you that THEY ARE ALL WRONG!!!!
The Flash is awesome! With only one season down it's proved it is a force to be reckoned with! It's got an amazing cast, incredible stories, visual effects, acting, cinematography. Season 1 is in my honest opinion the BEST LIVE ACTION SUPER HERO ADAPTATION EVER!
A lot of the reviews on here say the Flash is really bad. Like one of the worst shows ever, claiming that the only reason it has a rating over 8/10 is because of fandom.....this isn't true. They are basing their hate of the show on the first few episodes. I can honestly admit that the first few episodes aren't that great, I can admit that. It felt like a mediocre series. However once you hit the mark of Episode 9.....that's when the real fun begins. The stories from there only get more involving, intriguing and overall amazing.
The whole Reverse Flash Story is perfectly executed, with plot twists and turns thrown at you nearly every episode. It was hard to see what would happen next! It just kept getting better and better. The Flash actually stands up as being BETTER than Arrow....and far better than Smallville....regardless of what some reviews say.
Needless to say The Flash is the definitive superhero ride. It's going to be tough for season 2 to match season 1 or even exceed it, but Arrow Season 2 did it, so why can't the Flash.
I do have some negatives though, none of which are the show's characters, heck even Iris West is a cool character, far better than Arrow's Laurel Lance. Some of the negatives stem from the first few episodes which other reviewers use as a basis to criticise the entire show. Don't judge it all if you haven't seen it all...cause if you'd have seen it all....you'd realise your first thoughts were silly.
The Flash to me is one of those rare 10/10 shows, like Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, Lost and Doctor Who. It ranks up there for me in my top 10 shows of all time.
Final Girl (2015)
A great thrill ride, beautifully made and unappreciated.
The early reviews for Final Girl are disgusting to say the least. I feel these days the audience gets less appreciative of films and more stupid. Final Girl is a fine example of a beautifully made independent film.
A great cast of young actors. Abigail Breslin delivers another solid performance. Alexander Lukin brings a great chilling menace to the story. The cinematography is incredible. Those who complain that it wasn't lit properly cannot see what the film was trying to do. They did the lighting style for a reason. Over lit, artificial yet astounding and eye catching.
It had a great story that pulled me in from the start. Really don't understand the complaints and hate. It's like everyone was expecting a big budget over the top Hollywood film......these days the typical audience doesn't appreciate independent films.....this film was awesome and if you like independent art films that were shot beautifully with great visuals and stylised lighting, I recommend checking Final Girl Out.
Terminator Genisys (2015)
Heavily under-rated!!! A fantastic TRUE third film in the franchise. Ignore the critics and hate it's actually really good!!!!
Terminator Genisys has been hated ever since it was first announced. People seemed to hate the idea of another film since the bad T3 and Salvation. Then the trailer came out and divided the audience, then the second trailer came out and divided those who were still keen for it from the first trailer. Ultimately I was one of the few still keen for this film. AND IT DELIVERED!!!!!
James Cameron advertised this film as being the true 3rd film of the franchise....and it most certainly is. An awesome true sequel to T2. All the critics are slamming this film. I believe it's because these days critics are less credible and actually make up their minds before seeing a movie and go in with a negative attitude and decide the film is bad before they've even seen it. Genisys was really good.
It had solid action sequences that were very entertaining. The visuals were spectacular. Really reminiscent of the T1 and T2!!!! The acting surprised me quite a bit. I always liked the casting of Emilia Clarke, especially since she looks like a young Linda Hamilton. She actually nailed the role. Jai Courtney was good as Kyle Reese, he's no Michael Biehn but he did better than I originally thought.
Arnie is front and centre in the action and he was awesome in this film, really proved he can still be an action star.
People complain the plot is far to confusing.....it really isn't....what you need to understand is some questions were PURPOSELY left unanswered for the sequel. Other times people are confused simply because they aren't paying enough attention. The answers are there so make sure you listen!!!!
Genisys was incredible. I'm happy to see it as part of the franchise and am super keen for the sequels. The box office better do well cause if that's the reason why the next 2 sequels aren't made.....I will RIOT!!!!
Genisys delivers great visuals, acting, solid action and a very intriguing story that is just awesome!
Don't listen to the negative reviews of critics and fans alike. Go and see the film and judge it for yourself. It may have a 25% rotten tomatotes critic score but it has a 70% rotten tomatoes audience score and 7.2 on IMDb....thus proving critics are arrogant sods and the audience knows what a good film is when it's put on the big screen!
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Age of Ultron doesn't live up to the hype, but still provides a solid installment in the Marvel Saga.
It's impossible not to compare Age of Ultron to the Avengers first outing in 2012. Many critics and fans will be divided. Some claiming it's better than the first film and others saying it doesn't live up to it. I for one am one of those people who still enjoyed the first Avengers film more than Age of Ultron. This doesn't mean I didn't like Age of Ultron. As a matter of fact it's in my top 5 films of the MCU. A few weeks ago I would have said Age of Ultron was going to be the best of the MCU. I found myself a little bit disappointed in the overall project and here is why.
1. Ultron.... Ultron in the trailers looked to be a promising villain. I myself have found the typical MCU formula to be filled with underused and unmotivated villains. The only villains I really care about in the Marvel saga is Loki, Thanos and The Winter Soldier. Rarely will you ever hear someone talk about their love for Obadiah Stane, Maleketh the Accursed and.....Whiplash.... The trailers for Age of Ultron promised a very interesting, powerful, menacing and overall threatening villain. Walking out of the movie, I found Ultron to be forgettable, not much of a menace and overall not the Ultron I was looking forward to. Ultron's ultimate quest was to destroy humanity while also, for some strange reason, trying to make himself more human, aside from the fact that he wants to destroy humanity. Now destroying humanity is a typical plot device initiated by villains however Ultron promised to be more than the typical 'monster to destroy the world.' But in the end that's all he ends up being. SPOILERS ALERT; his creation was rushed, actually he was created by Tony sometime between Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron but couldn't be activated because the technology wasn't working until they got Loki's staff from Hydra. SPOILERS END. Aside from his origins being rushed, from the trailers it seemed Ultron would be protecting the Earth for a little bit in Act 1, setting up his development as a character and ultimately making his turn to destruction far scarier. SPOILER ALERT This doesn't happen, as soon as Ultron is born he scans the internet and decides to destroy humanity. SPOILERS END. James Spader's voice is perfect for Ultron, but his goals and motivations were, in the end, underdeveloped and unconvincing. Not to mention, although he's supposed to be the biggest threat so far in the MCU, he just seems like a typical villain like Whiplash and Ronan the Accuser. His threat against Earth isn't convincing and isn't large enough on scale to provide fear for the audience. Tony seems to be so scared of Ultron yet Ultron does nothing the entire movie that gives evidence to why an audience should fear him. The Invasion of New York mastered fear for the audience. Ultron just didn't.
2. A VERY slow first act I myself am a film fanatic and greatly appreciate character development. You can have a slow first act in a film and it can be great if it's solid character development. Age of Ultron's first act seems to be shoving unnecessary character development in the audience's face for no reason at all. We had the first film for that, not to mention all of Phase One set before The Avengers. We know these characters. We love these characters. We know their back stories, even if we haven't seen it before, like Black Widow's back story, we have heard about it and don't need to see it. It just felt like Whedon was trying to show you who these characters are even though we already know. It was a bit annoying. The first act could have been so much more. We did see how Ultron was born, but this SHOULD have been act one instead of being rushed. Instead of giving us character development, develop Ultron more, show his journey to evil. The first act was overall slow. All talking and boring.
3. Humour....too much humour The Marvel films are known for their use of light hearted humour. I love it and it works. However Age of Ultron uses SO much humour that to me it took away from the darkness and threat of Ultron and, with all of humanity at stake, you would think the team would be too scared to make jokes. I love comedy, but Age of Ultron was filled to the brim with it and it just took away from the overall seriousness of the film.
4. Have I seen this before? The final act of the film felt a lot like the final act of the first Avengers. While still immensely entertaining, the final act was pretty much the same as the first film. SPOILERS ALERT; not to mention, the scene where Hulk is possessed and goes on a rampage and fights Iron Man, while awesome, we have seen this before, when Hulk went crazy in the Helicarrier in the first Avengers. Don't get rid of the scene just play it out differently.
Now for some things I did like.
1. Hawkeye has great development.
2. Sweet as fight scenes
3. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and the Vision are awesome!
4. The final scene
Seeing SPOILERS ALERT; the new avengers team was cool. My only nitpick is it was a perfect moment to bring in Spider-man, Dr Strange, Black Panther, heck any Avenger we haven't seen yet. Wasted opportunity.
6. The Cinematography Honestly, along with Guardians of the Galaxy, Age of Ultron has the best camera work in the MCU
Overall Age of Ultron, while a bit disappointing due to overhype, a slow first act and underdeveloped villain, is still a great film and a fine addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Chappie (2015)
The most underrated film in a long time. CHAPPiE is incredible
CHAPPiE is perhaps the most underrated film in the last few years. Rotten Tomatoes says that the film has a roughly (often changing) 28%-30% approval rating. Metacritic gives it a 40/100 and Roger Ebbert gave it a 1/4 stars.......DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE CRITICS as they obviously cannot see brilliance when it is shown in the cinema right in front of their eyes. Let's begin this positive review of the incredible film that is CHAPPiE. Starting with.
The Story CHAPPiE is set in Johannesburg where the police force there have resorted to buying robots that can combat the threat of illegal activity in the city. When one robot is seemingly destroyed, creator of the robots, Deon, takes the robot home and imports an AI program into it (which he has been working on for years) and it creates Chappie! Suddenly Chappie falls into the hands of criminals who try to teach Chappie how to be 'bad' in order for the criminals to pay back their boss while Beon struggles to teach Chappie to be good.
The story in this film is pretty basic, but when you break it down to all its themes, motivations, symbolism, politics and character development, it is incredible. The tale of Chappie struggling to differentiate the good from the bad in the world is done so brilliantly and overall the story is fun to watch.
The characters. I'm not going to talk about all the characters, but I will talk about the three that hit me the most. Chappie, Deon (Dav Patel) and Yolandi (played by and named after the African rapper).
Chappie is an incredible character. We are instantly pulled into his story as he comes to life and doesn't know who he is or what's going on. He is in a sense a baby, new to the world. His journey of learning is beautiful as you dwell closer to him as a character every time he learns something knew and dread what he could do when he learns something bad. Sharlto Copley's performance is fantastic, offering an emotional aspect to a non human element.
Dav Patel brilliantly portrayed Deon as the engineer who is trying to lead Chappie on a good path but is ultimately caught between the games of the criminals trying to persuade Chappie to do bad.
Yolandi was a surprise character. For a new actress, she did very well at bringing out Chappie's motherly figure. I'll not say more, just go to the cinemas and see the performance for yourself.
Themes and Politics
The overall themes in this film are so cleverly hidden in the entire story that you walk out knowing that you witnessed genius. The knowledge of good and evil, the journey of a child growing up, sacrifice, heroism, the ultimate realisation that sometimes in order to do good you might need to do something bad. The themes in this film, as to be expected from Neill Blomkamp, were carefully and wonderfully placed.
The Direction and Cinematography
Critics obviously don't recognise a brilliant director when he's obviously there. Neill Blomkamp is THE biggest new director (by new I mean his career is only kicking off). The direction in this film was great, with Neill effectively bringing out the all in the actors. The cinematography was brilliant as well, with cinematic and rich shots that leave you glued to the screen. With three films now under his belt, all of which I love, Neill is a brilliant director who should definitely get the chance to make so much more. Needless to say I am super keen for his ALIEN film.
Conclusion
CHAPPiE is a rich film, incredible to say the least and not to mention HIGHLY ORIGINAL (which leads me to believe critics no longer like original films). While District 9 is still my favourite of Blomkamp's films, CHAPPiE easily comes in at second, beating Elysium which I really loved. The performances were great, the direction was superb and overall this is an incredibly UNDERRATED FILM!!!!!!! Go and see CHAPPiE and know that this film deserved so much more than what the so called critics gave it. CHAPPiE is the reason why I go to the cinemas.
PS. The setup for CHAPPiE sequels is REALLY AWESOME!!!! I hope we get another CHAPPiE!
Doctor Who: Besieged (2013)
Quite possibly the best Doctor Who fan film yet!
Doctor Who Besieged is an incredible fan film based on the official BBC series Doctor Who that ultimately brings one of the dreams of Whovians that was supposed to be impossible to life. A crossover with the Alien franchise.
In this fan film, we get Ryan Kendrick as quite possibly the BEST fan film Doctor to date! He ranks the best, even beating Kenneth Raymond Moore of Doctor Who Fire and Ice and Jack Edwards of Doctor Who Animus. He is a delightfully fun, humouress, smart and witty Doctor, combing elements from clear fan favourite Time Lords, Tom Baker, David Tennant and Matt Smith.
We even get an interesting and joyful companion in Adi. The acting in Besieged doesn't fall short of amazing. It's well acted, with every character being a intrigue to watch. The writing here also makes heavy use of reference and easter eggs to both Doctor Who and Aliens.
The visual effects here are good for its budget, presenting detailed aliens, green screen and good locations.
Now to get onto the story. SPOILER WARNING: After an experiment in orbit of a start goes terribly wrong, the Doctor and Adi arrive on the ship to see what's going wrong? Finding themselves on a mysterious planet, the Doctor encounters an Alien Queen and facehuggers who teleport onto the ship above and begin to cause havoc.
While watching this, it occurs to me that sadly we will never have a true official Alien/Doctor Who crossover in the official Doctor Who series, but this is as close as we will get and it delivers. A solid story, a great line up of actors and characters, good locations, this fan film is nothing short of incredible.
Lastly, SPOILER ALERT, the film ends with an amazing regeneration scene which, along with its music, should be used in the official series for a Doctor. The Doctor stands strong near a lake, accepting his life, and regenerates, or perhaps SPOILER ALERT he dies as his face begins to turn into a black abyss.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Birdman nails every aspect of cinema. Story, characters, camera work, this film is beauty
Birdman marks a late entry into what was the already good film year for 2014. But with this addition, it not only meets expectations, it exceeds them.
Birdman marks 2014's best film. Not to mention that visually it looks stunning. The whole film has been worked to look like one single take and this enhances the viewing experience.
Michael Keaton proves that he has still got it. His performance as the lead character is astonishing and now he has been nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. He excels at his role, providing a solid and powerful performance.
Edward Norton also gives one of his best roles to date. Mike is the egocentric douche bag of the film and he brings his character to life so efficiently that it is far beyond believable. Emma Stone is the other notable performance. Stepping aside from the comedy of Easy A and the loveliness of Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-man franchise, Emma delivers a strong, rehab struggling woman who is just craving for her father's love on the inside.
The writing is incredible, you won't find a single piece of dialogue boring and when you have Norton and Keaton on screen together, the chemistry is just mind blowing.
Birdman is without a doubt the best film of 2014.
Halloween (1978)
A film that would be thrilling for its time but fails now.
Finally got a chance to watch John Carpenter's 'Halloween.' After hearing so much hype about it, I was disappointed to say the least. A film lacking a terrifying and well developed villain, Michael Myers is there to kill, but we don't have any reason to be scared of him, falling back on the only evidence that he killed his sister years ago. Compared to the horrific character of Freddy Kruger, who we immediately fear from the fact that he can kill you in your dreams, Michael Myers failed to capture my imagination and did not frighten me at all.
Now I get to the film's characters, Jamie Lee Curtis plays the good stereotypical girl who is the last man, or in this case woman, standing. But with her lack of character development, knowing only simple things such as she goes to school and is a baby sitter, I failed to grasp her as a true human being. She needed a back story, she had none and the reason why Michael Myers is going after her remains vague (of course it is revealed in the sequel that SPOILER, Michael Myers is Laurie's brother. If we had known that she was adopted from the start, throw in a couple of subtle hints of the connection between Laurie and Michael then I may have been able to connect to her character. Alas she had no impact on me as a character.
With all the scenes of the film, it was utterly filled with irrelevance and, what appeared to me, slapstick comedy. Every time Michael Myers was seen across the street, around the corner, in his car, staring at Laurie and her friends, it didn't come off as terrifying, it came off as silly. The music cued every time we see Michael standing tall just adds to the hilarity of what should be frightening scenes. Also, a lot of the first hour of the film is filled with boring and not very necessary scenes filled with pointless chatter about sex, school and babysitting when it should have been filled with back story, reasons they should be killed or reasons they shouldn't. Ultimately I think the film succeeds as a horror film for when it was released in 1978, but watching it now in 2014, as a 19 year old (and keep in mind a huge horror fan as well as film fanatic) it just utterly fails to impress me like A Nightmare in Elm Street and Fright Night did.
In the end, this is my opinion, people who were around in the 1970s will enjoy this film, but for those who only get truly frightened by horror films such as Insidious and The Conjuring (Yes I believe James Wan is the NEW horror Master) then you will only laugh at this film.
Verdict 4/10
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
While not perfect, it gets the closest to what a Transformers film should be
Age of Extinction takes viewers five years after the battle of Chicago in Dark of the Moon. It presents a new human protagonist, Cade Yaegar, as well as returning Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. The plot: Humans have hired Transforming Bounty Hunters to hunt down remaining Decepticons and Autobots on Earth while they try to build their own Transformers to eventually take over the job.
Let's start by saying, this isn't a perfect film, far from it. What a Transformers film should be is it needs the main character to be Optimus Prime. It needs to be 90% transformer screen time and 10% everything else. A transformers film should have fighting robots, a plot that entirely centers around the Autobots and Decepticons. The problem with the Michael Bay films is they are human centric and have very little screen time for the Transformers. Age of Extinction is ultimately the best of the Transformers films as it focuses much more on the Transformers than in the previous films. They are given more screen time and this is what we Transformers fans want.
Optimus Prime is the main transformer in this film, which is great, a factor that has been lacking in the previous 3 films where arguably Bumblebee is the main transformer. Optimus finally manages to fit his leadership role in this film, not to mention we see his G1 truck and robot form, although rusted, at the films beginning. While we are introduced to new autobots who you think we wouldn't care about, surprisingly you care about them more than you think you would. Hound, voiced by John Goodman, is one of the new autobots who manages to stamp himself as a cool character, who really should just have been called Bulkhead for a shout out to fans of the show. Bumblebee's role is minor compared to his role in the previous 3, which I like as more screen time is given to Optimus.
Mark Wahlberg is a better actor to have than Shia Labeouf, hands down. Mark's character actually gets involved in the war of the transformers and doesn't just run around screaming like Shia did. He helps fight which I believe is an improvement on the human side of the story.
The bounty hunter transformer named Lockdown is amazing. His appearance is bad ass, his voice perfect and his role is probably the second best in the movie with Optimus being first.
Ultimately what we get from the Transformers in this film is what Transformers fans want. Solid robot fighting. Optimus finally fills his leadership role. The human story is a bit dull, however I appreciate that when the humans are on screen they are actually a part of the transformers story, unlike Shia in Revenge of the Fallen when that film was all him and nothing else. The third act battle is the best of all the transformer films. We get a lot more screen time for the Transformers, which is all we ask for.
There are bad things in this film, most I'll let you find yourself, but a thankful death of a comedic relief character was well needed and well received within the first act of the film.
Overall Age of Extinction is a solid good time for entertainment, it's the closest we have got to a transformers film fans actually want and it's the best of the films so far.
It's gotten very bad reviews however I think critics have overlooked the fact that the Transformers have much more screen time, the human characters are more involved AND Optimus Prime is finally who Optimus Prime should be, leader of the Autobots and main Transformer.
7/10