The new “Transformers” film serves up a pretty remarkable image. It’s the sight of an American flag flapping in the breeze, and there’s nothing remotely ironic about it.
Director Michael Bay doesn’t wear his politics on his sleeve like, say, Sean Penn. But his “Transformers” trilogy offers up plenty of “hoo-rah!” heroics from the American military.
And in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” opening wide June 29, Bay indulges in some blatant pro-American imagery. We see not one but two shots of Old Glory in a positive light, and the film touts the battle between liberty and tyranny as an expressly American value system.
Some critics aren’t happy about it.
The more action sequences, locations, actors, historical events, machines, effects, monosyllables, weapons, and American-flag close-ups the movie shoves in its mouth and ours, the less we’re able to taste. – Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe
Some, like NPR’s Scott Tobias, are in a snit that the film glorifies the U.S. military:
That means more leering shots of hot cars and hot women, the absurd gravitas of a military propaganda film, the “comic relief” robots with foreign accents, and an editing style that’s either legitimately avant-garde or timed to the wing-flaps of a deranged hummingbird.
The San Francisco Examiner might trump them all with its review by Rossiter Drake (cool name, by the way)
Bay frames the conflict between the freedom-loving Autobots and their rival Decepticons as an allegory for America’s War on Terror, and though his shamelessness is hardly surprising, it is borderline offensive all the same.
Bay clearly isn’t concerned about spoiling his standing with American movie critics. They hate him, more or less, and I’m often on board with that assessment from a strictly aesthetic point of view.
And the film’s box office fate is hardly in doubt. “Moon” will make a fortune wherever it plays, just like its predecessors. The whole notion that overseas audiences won’t pony up to see films with pro-American elements seems more of a mirage after the success of “Battle: LA.”
“Dark of the Moon” is all about those shape-shifting robots, but it’s impossible to miss the movie’s patriotic flare, arriving just in time for Independence Day.
(Photo: Josh Duhamel (fourth from left) plays Lennox and Tyrese Gibson (third from right) plays Epps in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” from Paramount Pictures. Photo credit: Robert Zuckerman © 2011 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Hasbro, Transformers and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro. © 2011 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Wesley Morris? Scott Tobias? Never heard of them and I certainly won’t be seeking out their opinions in the future. At my son’s request, we’re seeing the movie in 3D later today. We happen to enjoy seeing the military portrayed as heroes, American flags waving, big explosions, and fast cars. Happy 4th of July weekend!
I love Michael Bay, but I don’t love the TRANSFORMERS movies at all, and this one looks to be more of the same but with 3D presentation and still no 3D characters. I appreciate the level of unironic respect his TRANSFORMERS movies give the U.S. Military, I just wish that level of respect was given in better movies.
Liz, please check back in with your thoughts on the film.
Hunter – can’t disagree, but as much as I don’t feel 3D is necessary it’s pretty solid here.
Respect for the Armed Forces?
Slow-mo American-flag scenes?
Thunderous crescendo of patriotic music?
Yep. Michael Bay works them in every time.
“The Rock”
“Armageddon”
“Pearl Harbor”
…and all three of the “Transformer” films
And I’m sure if I watched “Bad Boys/II” again, there would be American flags in there, too. With a humorous yet respectable nod to the Miami PD.
We had great fun! My son is not a fan of going to theaters, but this is the perfect movie for 3D (and we went with IMAX 3D). It had the right amount of action (and no shaky-cam) and it was fun just being able to sit back and “ooh” and “aaah” at all of the cool effects. While my husband and son loved the final fight, I preferred the flying squirrel-like paratroopers. Thankfully, no sucker punches, and even a few autobots yelling “Let’s roll!!”
I was looking forward to seeing this because, unlike many others, I really enjoy Bay’s ideas on action (granted Transformers II was harder to like than most). But I’m even more jazzed on it since the American military – including my own former service, the Air Force – gets plenty of love and respect here. Screw the reviewers who hate the movie for the pro-military take only – they wish they had the guts it takes to stand-up to tyranny and can only snipe from the sidelines.
Film critics who hate the USA should GTFO of the USA.
He should have stopped after the first one.
The second one was terrible and I’ve heard the third isn’t much better.
In Green Lantern I thought Parallax and the new back-story and rationale for power rings not working on yellow (yellow energy is based on fear which breaks the will to use a power ring) also alluded to terrorism. Perhaps that (along with the failure to use 3D to create mind-blowing ring effects) explains that movie’s poor showing.
I’m going to take a chance on this one in 3D as well, with the oldest grandson in tow…
Bay frames the conflict between the freedom-loving Autobots and their rival Decepticons as an allegory for America’s War on Terror, and though his shamelessness is hardly surprising, it is borderline offensive all the same.
When someone finds the idea of being on the side of freedom and against terrorism as “borderline offensive,” that tells me everything I need to know about their worldview. (Seriously, is there a lab somewhere where they grow people like this?)
“(Seriously, is there a lab somewhere where they grow people like this?)”
I think they grow THESE people in pods.
JimmyC, Kenn. Read more. Freedom + Usa = Non sequitir. Your constitution is being eroded everyday. As are the freedoms of countries like Libya, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaraguan.
The idea of freedom in this film is nice when it stands alone but when there is sections of the film with annotations of ‘Illegal Nuclear site’ and the autobots bombing it and the Libyan flag. That’s offensive. America deems it illegal to have a nuclear power plant. Hm. Freedom much?