MICHAEL MEDVED

Latest Transformers movie is horrible yet watchable

Jun 24, 2017, 5:22 AM

The last Transformers movie was called “The Age of Extinction.” I reviewed it under the title “The Age of Exhaustion.”

The movie was nearly three hours, and was entirely unwatchable. It was one of the worst movies in recent years. “Transformers: The Last Knight” is an upgrade.

It’s horrible, yet watchable. I give it two out of four stars.

It’s a terrible movie, but it’s not nearly as bad as “The Age of Extinction.” The reason for that is Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Laura Haddock is also a highlight on screen. She plays a professor and a towering intellectual. She’s fun and you would hope she shows up in any future Transformers films.

RELATED: “Jackie” isn’t a date movie — unless you’re dating the wrong person

What this movie really is, is a King Arthur movie, with Stanley Tucci playing a drunk Merlin.

The movie begins, wonderfully, with the King Arthur tale in Camelot and medieval Britain (and we all just never knew that giant robots from space were the Knights of the Round Table). By the way, this is much better than “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” that came out earlier this year. That takes the title of “worst movie of the year.”

But “Transformers: The Last Knight” is way too much. There’s way too much going on and way too many scenes of giant robots in the sky, dueling each other in front of glorious sunsets. This all from Director Michael Bay – a director with whom excess is part of the point.

Yet Akiva Goldsman, an Oscar winning screen writer who was brought in to reboot the franchise and help write this movie, may be one of the reasons it’s a little bit interesting.

Another reason is a few moments throughout the film, such as scenes with another new transformer who is a sound-alike, lookalike of C-3PO. They even make a joke about the glaring C-3PO act, and everybody laughs because it’s obvious.

That may be why the film is, at times, surprisingly watchable. It clearly does not take itself seriously while providing some surprises.

What’s odd here is the fact that the first Transformers film was mediocre, and they’ve gone downhill since then. The rest of them have been awful. This is the fifth film in the series, yet it stays alive and people keep going to see it.

Michael Medved on AM 770 KTTH
  • listen to michael medvedTune in to AM 770 KTTH weekdays at 12pm for The Michael Medved Show.

Michael Medved

Gaza attacks...

Michael Medved

Medved: The sad, ‘crazy’ tale of a Gaza water park, and Hamas’ war against fun

After barely three months of operation in 2010, the dream of a fanciful facility to attract tourists and delight locals lay in ruins.

6 months ago

2024 presidential debate...

Michael Medved

Medved: Will 2024 be the year of crucial political debates on TV?

It’s not difficult to imagine either Biden or Trump uttering some inaccurate or incoherent combinations of words that could undercut any momentum.

6 months ago

medved populism...

Michael Medved

Medved: GOP heading to irrelevance as party fails to embrace demographic changes

The spreading speculation about a new civil war isn't based on regionalism this time, but on distinctions in education and identity.

8 months ago

biden...

Michael Medved

Medved: How Biden learned money misdeeds can hurt most of all

The doomed example of "Tricky Dick" demonstrates the way that financial wrongdoing and personal enrichment can upset the public more than sex scandals.

8 months ago

Trump...

Michael Medved

Picking the right running mate could powerfully boost Trump’s prospects

It’s impossible to forecast who Donald Trump will pick as his running mate for the upcoming election of 2024, but it’s safe to say who he won’t select.

8 months ago

trump campaign...

Michael Medved

Medved: Can a new Trump victimhood campaign win back the White House?

Facing more than a half-dozen hostile legal proceedings before next year’s presidential election, can Donald Trump mount an effective campaign?

9 months ago

Latest Transformers movie is horrible yet watchable