Optimus Prime

I was born in July of 1984 (yeah, that means I'll be 23 in three weeks), so my knowledge of 1980's toys and cartoons is kind of lacking. He-Man-Who? So when I heard a Transformers movie was in production I realized it meant absolutely nothing to me. Nada. Zip.

Tonight I decided to take myself out to a movie (as noone else was offering, haha.) Having seen, and been freaked out by 1408 last week (with some girls from work), I wanted something a bit lighter this week. It was between Ratatouille, Evan Almighty, and Transformers. Hmmm, an animated family comedy, a family comedy, or robots! and car chases! and battles! and explosions! and and and...hahaha, I'm totally my father's daughter.

I've been a fangirl of Shia LeBeouf for years, and was not disappointed. I love his facial expressions, stutters, and everything else that make his performances seem so less memorized and so much more in the moment.
Shia plays Sam, a high school student with a crush on the jock's love interest, a brunette, woot! (oh yeah, I'm blonde now...oops.) This freakishly thin, décolletée-baring brunette is Mikaela. She is not my favorite, but she isn't all that annoying.
The movie starts a bit slow but finally picks up after Sams car (an autobot named Bumblebee) gets in a small battle with the police car (a decepticon), and Sam and Mikaela are introduced to Optimus Prime and his team. I was giggling like a schoolgirl (or like, uh, myself) during the entire introduction of the autobots; from falling from the sky to transforming into their vehicle shapes, through the explanation of the backstory.

I haven't seen anything of Josh Duhamel's other than Win A Date With Tad Hamilton, but I enjoy him. He is a pretty boy who can actually act (take note Paul Walker.) And I've had a nerdy crush on John Turturro since O Brother, Where Art Thou? so his slightly goofy character, Simmons, was fun to watch.

I did feel a bit left out, however, from the excitement that was filling the room. Late 20s and 30-somethings crowded the rows, cheering at moments that meant something to them, but nothing to me. To me it is a beautiful car, transforming into a freaking awesome autobot in the most gorgeous CGI set to a loud score. To them it is their childhood on the big screen.

Usually my late night movies are empty except for me and that one couple in the back row. Tonight the entire theater was full, so my loud laugh was more evident than usual. When you are the only person in a full theater to laugh at a line in the movie you just know you've got a...unique sense of humor. ("That is the Secretary of Defense!" "I'm so underdressed." Bwa ha ha.)

It was slightly long and pretty cheesy at bits, but it was fun and I want to see it again!

Apparently the man near me was excited by the model turned actor who played a soldier alongside Josh Duhamel: "I called you 'cause my movie is over wit' ...nah, nah, it was good, Ma, Tyrese was in it! Yeah, Tyrese was in it!"