This movie kicks f&$@ing a$$! Go see it now! Get up from in front of your computer and go now. What are you waiting for? Why are you still here? Run… Seriously though, it is everything I could hope for in a live-action robot movie and exceeded my expectations as an adaptation of the Transformers. That’s right, exceeded. I went in not expecting much and was really surprised. As a matter of fact, Michael Bay has actually succeeded in getting me far more emotionally involved with these characters than I ever was with the original cartoon. I have generally enjoyed Michael Bay’s movies over the years (with the exception of Pearl Harbor… sorry Michael.) but sometimes those have been nothing more than mindless fun with spectacular action pieces. Transformers just moved him into a whole new level of storytelling. He’s honed his style and lets it serve the story instead of feeling forced or “stylized.” It has everything in just the right doses. Action? Check. Drama? Check. Comedy? Check. Giant robots? Check. Metallic mayhem? Check. You get the point. It hits all the points you expect from a big summer blockbuster but does it with style and quality. Fans were divided when pictures starting hitting the web of the robot design; some liked them, but most where dead set against them. I was more ambivalent until I started to see them in motion, then I really started to like them. When I finally got to see them in all there glory on the big screen I fell in love with them. They really do a) look better in motion on the big screen and b) you really do forget you’re watching CG. It is ILM’s best work to date. The robots are imbued with so much character and life you really do forget they're not on the set. The voice actors are wonderfully cast as the robots, especially Peter Cullen. Now more than ever I really am glad I shook his hand and got a picture with him. Because Optimus Prime is now in the same category as Flash Gordon or Luke Skywalker and I feel like I met a Hero ( with a capital H). When I had the chance to meet him, he mentioned he thought Michael Bay really helped him bring humanity and soul to the part. He did, it’s there in aces all over the screen. The rest of the robots, the Autobots in particular really have distinct characters that stand out. There’s no missing who is who. I was particularly fond of Iron Hide. SLIGHT SPOILER: Roll past next three pics to miss next paragraph…. As for Bumble Bee not having a voice, it works amazingly well and provides for some of the funnier moments in the film as Bumble Bee uses the radio to communicate with Sam. SPOILER ENDS. Which brings me to the human actors in the movie; everyone is well cast and really sells the computer-generated robots. Shia LeBeouf(Sam) really shines here. He’s natural and believable as a teenager faced with this larger than life situation. Megan Fox(Mikaela) is of course insanely hot but still manages to not feel like dead weight in the movie. Kevin Dunn and Julie White as the parents of Sam provide some very funny moments in the movie. The entire cast is well chosen. There a handful of films that had a huge impact on me growing up and I vividly remember the cinematic experience for each, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, The Matrix, and Flash Gordon in no particular order to name a few. No matter what you may think of those films, they all set out to do the same thing. They create whole new worlds. They created a new mythology. They told stories about heroes, myth and legend. In my opinion there are no better tales to tell. Transformers has just been added to that lexicon, to skip out on it is to miss out on cultural history. There will now be a NEW generation of fans, bigger than it ever was, who years from now will say “Remember the first time you saw Transformers?” For those of you that are the old honor guard that hate the changes and feel as if your childhood has been ruined; you need to grow up and stop being cry babies. They did well. It all works, much more so than a 22-minute daily toy commercial. If you can’t see that; then you are perpetually living in the past and that is not a good thing. Be happy that there is a new generation of kids that will know and love these characters while we adults enjoy a great tale as well. They took the best parts of the mythology, simplified it just a bit (to make it easier to understand for non nerds) and left it wide open to bring in many more favorites as these films continue. Yeah it was a big, loud crazy adventure but at its heart it really is a story about the human spirit overcoming great evil and about how one person can make a difference. So go see it! Just relax, sit back and enjoy. Just make sure to grab a BIG bucket of Popcorn, I promise it will be gone before the movie is over. Have you seen the film? Please tell us what YOU thought in the comment section. COMMENTS MAY HAVE SPOILERS PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.