Transformers. You remember them. Toys from the '80s. Robots in disguise. Got a big movie coming out this summer. Were on the cover of Empire a few months back. Yeah, them. Well, a short while ago, the USA was abuzz when 20 minutes of footage showed up at ShoWest. Today, the British press got to see what all the fuss was about. And boy, did we see...
Front and centre in a Leicester Square cinema, we saw four unfinished sequences – two taking place in Qatar (the first and most impressive involving the hinted-at reveal of Decepticon helicopter Blackout), and two in California. Besides all the ooh-ing and aah-ing (followed, of course, by running and screaming) over the 'Bots themselves, the big promise here is in the performance of youthful lead Shia LaBoeuf, who in the ten or so minutes of screentime we saw manages to hit just the right level of humour and energy.
Yes, we got to see Optimus Prime, and yes, he looks cool, if a little different. The big kicker, though, is hearing Peter Cullen back at the mic, voicing the leader of the good guys – opinion in Empire Towers was divided over his use of the expression "My bad," but such naysayers are fools, and overlooking the almost certain absence of context.
Bottom line is, this is looking very, very cool, and is set to live up to the expectations of fans. We have Michael Bay's trademark technical brilliance, but there's a sense that in among all the Bayisms the director has loosened up on the earnestness, allowing for a sense of fun that doesn't push over into cheese. Our hopes for the summer of 2007 continue to burn bright, but we'll all have to wait until July for the finished product. Isn't there anything faster than time?
P.S. To the people in the light up Transformers T-shirts: Where did you get those? We want them. Please email us.