Transformers 3: Dark Side of Optimus Prime

The third installment of the Transformers titled Dark of the Moon is named appropriately.  It is dark, gloomy and violent.  It's all about lost friendship, betrayal and losing what you thought is yours.  We see some rays of hope here and there but even Optimus Prime has become more brooding and angry.

The movie begins with a little disruption in the space time continuum or rewriting of history if you will.  During the battle for Cybertron, a lone ship called the Ark and piloted by Sentinel Prime (voiced by SciFi god Leonard Nimoy) escaped the battle worn planet.  It carried the "Pillars", which could have shifted the battle in favor of the citizens of Cybertron.  The Ark crash landed on the moon and was promptly detected by NASA in 1961.  Thus began the space race between the two superpowers of the time, US and USSR.  

Until Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969 and found the wreckage of the Ark and brought home some artifacts, with the astronauts swearing never to tell a soul about the ship.  Hey, they even brought Buzz Aldrin in the movie to tell us what they saw during the 21 minute break in communication between earth and the moon 42 years ago.

Fast forward to the present and the Autobots are now allied with the Americans.  A botched operation in Chernobyl resulted in the discovery by Optimus of a power cell from the Ark.  This is where he started to, uhm, transform into a dark, moody, angry autobot.  Go watch the movie to find out what happened next.  

The movie is fast paced, action packed and violent.  We now see people getting killed by the Decepticons.  (By the way, was that blood coming from the Decepticon when they were hacked to pieces by the Autobots?)    In other words, the movie is all high testosterone.  Some parts however felt like I was watching Independence Day, especially when Optimus Prime made the speech about their fight for freedom. 


Speaking of testosterone, guys will not miss Megan Fox at all. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is super hot.  From her opening scene showing her derrière and yes, in that scene where she wore a body hugging white dress, she was just smoldering.  Seriously though, she needs to get some acting lessons. 

I saw the movie during the special screening sponsored by Nuffnang and PLDTMyDSL last night at the Shangrila Mall.  There were several cosplayers in the lobby before screening time who were in their autobot costumes.  Some were game enough to pose for pictures with their fans.

A group of young kids got the scare of their young lives when Bumblebee's head rolled on the floor. Literally.  Off went the cosplayer running after his headgear while the kids ran back to their parents.  Ugh... where's my camera when I needed it?