Everyone's a critic: 'Transformers'

Four stars (out of four)

Though Transformers were not my toy of choice as a child (say what you will about nature vs. nurture, I loved me some Barbie dolls), I did have quite an exposure to them through my older brothers in the '80s and from my nephews in recent years. So going into this movie I already knew a bit about the world of the Transformers. Then I got an updated education. Wow. Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg's "Transformers" was a giant leap from the old Transformers cartoons. This movie was a pleasant surprise. The "summer blockbuster," big special effects, loud explosions, mainstream movies are not usually my cup of tea, but "Transformers" was very entertaining. There was a lot of comic relief and a teenage love story to break up the action. The back story of the Transformers origin was a little confusing and the movie was at least 20 minutes too long, but the special effects were amazing and actors' performances were good. The real stars were the Transformers themselves, however. They were extremely elaborate and impressive creations. This movie was a fulfillment of a lot of 10-year-old boys' dreams -- whether you were around that age when the Transformers came out originally or are that age now -- but I think it would be enjoyable to a wide variety of moviegoers.

-- Kendra Eads

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Three stars (out of four)

This week I got the exciting opportunity to see the movie "Transformers." I was very surprised by the audience I got to share this experience with. As the parent of two boys, 17 and 21, I was expecting to see a much younger crowd. Instead, the majority of my fellow moviegoers were older teens and young adults with a sprinkling of middle-aged couples. This movie has something for everyone. It starts out in a current world, where Decepticons attack military intelligence in Iraq and then move to the United States. The Autobots have been sent to protect the "young species" of the earth against the Decepticons and keep them from obtaining the cube. I found the special effects to be pretty amazing and really liked the human qualities shown in the alien robots. There is a lot of gunfire and killing, so families with small children may want to check it out with friends and family who have seen it before taking little ones. Not wanting to ruin the movie for those who have yet to see it, I will leave you with these last two remarks: Not everything is what meets the eye and our government will always warn us when we need to "duck and cover." Stay for the credits and you'll understand.

-- Barb Gleason