Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Transformers

also known as “Transformers: The Movie 2,” “The Transformers,” “Transformerid”
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language.

Reviewed by: Taran Gingery
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Adventure Adaptation
Length: 2 hr. 24 min.
Year of Release: 2007
USA Release: July 2, 2007 (wide)
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Relevant Issues
Copyright, DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures

SEXUAL LUST—What does the Bible say about it? Answer

Extraterrestrial intelligent life

What does the Bible say about intelligent life on other planets? Answer

Are we alone in the universe? Answer

Does Scripture refer to life in space? Answer

Questions and Answers about The Origin of Life Answer

Teenagers
Teen Qs™—Christian Answers for teenagers
Teens! Have questions? Find answers in our popular TeenQs section. Get answers to your questions about life, dating and much more.
Featuring Shia LaBeouf
Megan Fox
Josh Duhamel
Tyrese Gibson
Jon Voight
Rachael Taylor
John Turturro
Anthony Anderson
Michael O'Neill
Director Michael Bay — “Armageddon,” “Pearl Harbor,” “The Island
Producer Michael Bay
Steven Spielberg
See all »
Distributor
Distributor: Dreamworks. Trademark logo.
DreamWorks Pictures
, aka DreamWorks Studios, a production label of Amblin Partners

Distributor: Paramount Pictures Corporation. Trademark logo.
Paramount Pictures Corporation
, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS

The Earth has become a battleground. Centuries ago, on a distant planet, the robotic alien races known as the Autobots and the Decepticons waged terrible war over a powerful cube called the All Spark. The cube was lost and both races vowed to find it. Now the cube has come to rest on Earth, hidden away by the US government for years, and the final stand of the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) against the Decepticons, led by Megatron (voice of Hugo Weaving) will take place on our planet. But the Autobots have an ally: humans.

Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) is just an ordinary teenager. He wants good grades, a girlfriend, and above all, a cool car. Imagine his surprise when his slightly used Carrera turns out to be Bumblebee, one of the Autobots, and thus it turns out that Sam is far from ordinary. He is the last hope for the Autobots and possibly for all mankind, the only person who can help them in their battle. As the US military and top scientists prepare for a cataclysmic confrontation with the Decepticons, Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox) race against time to help the Autobots locate the All Spark before Megatron does.

Morally, there are many nods to courage, honor, and friendship. The Decepticons show no mercy towards the human race, viewing us as pathetic and worthless, and despise the Autobots for defending us. Even one of the Autobots questions the wisdom of protecting humans, saying that we are generally cruel and prone to violence. Optimus Prime responds by saying that he sees much good in us, and that, as a race, man is young and has much to learn, but they must be given the chance. Self-sacrifice is praised through the phrase “no sacrifice, no victory,” and several times throughout, the Autobots risk (and in a few cases, lose) their lives for the humans and Sam, and others constantly do the same for them.

Violence is heavy, but very unrealistic and stylized. Cars and other machinery explode and are thrown around like so much confetti, and property damage to buildings is extreme, but what does one expect from a Michael Bay film? (“Armageddon,” “Pearl Harbor,” “The Island”) The Decepticons toss humans about like rag dolls, making the body count large, but not graphically so. One Decepticon does impale a soldier with a spike. Humans and robots fire missiles at each other in more ways imaginable, resulting in massive explosions, and robots clash with one another in bone-crushing battles. In spite of all this, very little or no blood is seen.

Language includes several mentions of the s-word, quite a few misuses the Lord’s name and other milder profanities. There is no sex per se, but Sam and Mikaela kiss passionately against his car. At other times, the camera lingers on Mikaela’s body, and her clothing is usually revealing of both midriff and cleavage. There are several mild sexual innuendoes and an awkward moment when Sam’s parents think they’ve caught him masturbating (he wasn’t). Sam’s dog relieves himself on a man’s shoe, and one of the Autobots sprays a kind of oil from his groin in an obvious visual joke.

That said, the true center of the film is the special effects, and these truly are extraordinary. “Transformers” is a have-to-see on the big screen. Seriously, if you are going to see it at all, that is where you need to see it. Everything, from the spectacular battle sequences to the miniscule details of the Autobots’ shiny features, top almost anything seen so far this year. Of course, no film is complete without the human factor, and “Transformers” has that. LeBeouf holds himself well, but he is supported by a cast including Jon Voight, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Rachael Taylor, and Tyrese Gibson, who, while not given a whole lot to do, manage to make the most of their screen time. The many voices of the Autobots lend true human emotion to cold steel. Only Megan Fox seems to be there to provide more “eye-candy,” where no more is actually needed.

At moments, while watching the movie, I felt like I did when I first saw the dinosaurs of “Jurassic Park,” when I said that nothing like this has ever been seen before. I felt like a boy again. I was reminded of the days when I took Legos and built mechanical wonders out of them. At least, I thought they were mechanical wonders. Fans of science fiction and action will not be displeased, and neither, I think, will fans of Transformers. For by the end of the film, I felt like a little kid in the movie, who, upon seeing the Autobots for the first time, exclaims, “Cool, mom!”

Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

Editor’s Note: As the reviewer mentioned, there are issues of concern to some Christian viewers in this film. As always, before deciding to view, please consult the neutral and negative Viewer Comments below for further details.

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—I don’t even know where to start. This was perhaps one of the best movies I have ever seen. I thought it was fantastic in all aspects. The fight scenes were just phenomenal. I’m seriously thinking about getting one of those Camaros too. If you have not seen this movie yet,see it. it will not disappoint you. it is very funny and yet action-packed. It is fairly clean too. There is one scene where there is an awkward moment between parents and son due to a certain issue. This movie is one that I will see again in theaters and buy on DVD when it comes out. Go See It! IT WAS AWESOME!!!
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Charles Crawford, age 19

Viewer response to above comment: “This movie is fairly clean”?! With all due respect, are you kidding me? My friends and I watched this movie tonight, expecting to see violence only. Two of these friends had been told that the movie was void of bad language and sexual content. We ran into a brother in Christ, who told us that there was mild language. So we walked into the theater, expecting to watch a movie that contained merely violence and mild language.

Boy, were we surprised when we found out that we had been lied to by the people who had recommended the film. The foul language and sexual content took away from our experience. My friend Jared and I are fans of “Transformers,” having watched the cartoons when we were younger. Jared was very excited about being able to see this movie, and now he regrets watching it at all! The folks who put this movie together had absolutely no reason to include trash.

There were, however, several things that I did enjoy. The special effects were awesome, and the non-sexual humor made me laugh. The transformation scenes were very cool, and I even like the re-vamped version of Optimus Prime. I was disappointed that my favorite Autobot, Blur, wasn’t in the movie. I was, however, pleased that Bumblebee was a prominent character. Without the trash, it would be the perfect summer blockbuster. But I don’t think I’ll recommend it.
My Ratings: Very Offensive / 5

Linda, age 27

Positive—This film was originally set to be shown on July 4th, then 3rd but as I went to Fandango they had the first showing at 8pm July 2nd so I went to see the film at Loews with my wife and 3 yr. old daughter. Being a Transformers fan dating back to the late 80s and early 90s, I could not wait to see this film but somehow lowered my expectations on the storyline after seeing a negative comment on the script from another Web site. This film is excellent in every way but not perfect. The CGI effects are out of this world—Michael Bay did and outstanding job in bringing the characters from the animated series to the big screen. I feel bad for the person who gave the script a bad take, the storyline actually has depth and creativity in most ways. Of course they had to modify some of the characters and sequence of events in a good way like Bumble-Bee is a Camaro instead of a Volkswagen etc. The action sequence will leave you at the edge of your seat even at the start during the scene at Qatar.

The only negative thing I observed were some lines that were meant to spice up the conversation and make the scenes comical like when Sam was trying to look for the pair of glasses containing valued information in his bedroom and his parents went in to check on him. His Mom asked him if he was m… (playing with himself) because he was slow to open the door. I think it was not necessary and could have made the scene funny just the same without it. See all »
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Tades Jacob, age 39
Positive—I’d like to know what part they talked about drugs? I didn’t see that mentioned at all. Anyway… Very Awesome movie!!! It brought me back to the 80s when I was a youngen… Awesome awesome awesome… I wouldn’t say this movie is for kids!!! There were very few swears. This movie is worth seeing!
My Ratings: Good / 4½
R, age 34
Positive—As a child of the late 80’s, of course, I knew what Transformers was. I never was much of a scholar on the show, but I knew I liked it. Fast forward to the 21st century, where I see that a live action movie is coming. After some hesitation due to Michael Bay’s involvement, I came to hope the film would deliver more than just feelings of nostalgia. It did, and so much more. The action is pretty much non stop, in a good way.

If they had tried to make the film anymore serious, it might have come across as really dull. The effects are great too, particularly some shots of the Autobots rolling along a highway, and quickly transforming to stand up and face a Decepticon attack while still moving! I couldn’t get over the thrill of hearing Peter Cullen voicing Optimus Prime. The rest of the cast does an okay job as well. After growing up with the show and toys, and now seeing them come to life on the screen in such a fantastic way was simply awesome!
My Ratings: Average / 4
Christopher, age 25
Positive—I thought the movies was great. The problem was that it sells itself as a family movie and then proceeds to include things I found offensive for my 6, 9 and 13 year old kids. In an attempt to improve on the humor (unnecessary) the film does the following: It mentions masturbation. That might sound funny for adults, but why should my 6 year old need to be introduced to the term? Two of the black actors in the film are both portrayed as being extremely disrespectful to their elders. In the first scene, the old mother of the car salesman is referred to as mammy and she gives him the finger! He then proceeds to go on a disrespectful tirade about his mother. In a different scene, the overweight computer geek tells his grandmother to shut-up, etc. My children had lots of questions regarding this type of behavior. It was not funny at all. All in all the movie did a good job of presenting the struggle to chose between good and evil. It even emphasized that sometimes you must sacrifice your life to achieve the goal.
My Ratings: Average / 4½
Angela Jacobs, age 41
Positive—To start out with, I must admit that I agree with everyone’s comments about the inappropriate stuff that was placed in the movie. HOWEVER, in my humble opinion, it was rather mild compared to what we see on the big screen today. I would not recommend the movie to young children; fine for teenagers depending on age and maturity. As far as the movie. I thought it was AWESOME. As a young boy I grew up on Transformers. I honestly kept my expectations a bit low so I would not be too disappointed, but I was blown away by the special effects, the visuals, even the storyline was done very well. I really enjoyed the way the U.S. military was involved in the story.

The movie themes I thought were great; friendship, bravery, honor, all came across very well. To me the biggest theme was standing up for those who cannot defend themselves. The autobots did not just focus on fighting their enemy; they focused a lot on protecting humans. Optimus Prime believed in freedom, and really saw the best in humanity in-spite of the mention of the violent nature of humans. I highly recommend this movie. You will not be let down I assure you.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Troy Mendez, age 32
Positive—I am not going to write how great the movie was, because it speaks for itself; it stays true to the cartoon, had a compelling storyline, and nearly made me cry on several occasions due to fond memories rushing in. I will write about what I did not like. They did not have to “trash it up” a bit. We get it, Megan Fox is a beautiful young woman, attired very provocatively and the rest. They didn’t have to parade her around like that because it was designed to play off the emotions of young men, such as myself. I was sitting there going “She’s hot, we get it.” I prayed like crazy for the images not to play on my mind; I wanted to see robots! The crude humor could’ve been left out, too.

I was in the company of two friends and there were plenty of children around us so I hope producers will release an edited version because that would be swell. That same hope also transfers to a sequel as a “Beast Wars” storyline would fit nicely following this blockbuster hit.
My Ratings: Offensive / 5
Andrew, age 20
Positive—Excellent. Good action. Great guideline, and good condensing of previous material for movie flow. There is a great opportunity for you to show the similarity of how you can live in this world and not be of this world.
My Ratings: Excellent! / 5
J, age 34
Positive—I loved this movie!!!… It was so much fun to watch… people were cheering and clapping throughout the whole thing. I would recommend seeing it in the theater for the full experience.
My Ratings: Average / 5
Holly Barrows, age 31
Positive—I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It had a lot great elements in it that any Transformers or action movie fan would like. However, it does have content that is NOT for children under 13 (hence the rating). This content includes sexual innuendos and some cussing. The cussing is, for the most part, drowned out by sound effects during action scenes. These offenses have already been commented on by others, so I will not repeat them. What I will comment on is the positive attributes about the film and certain complaints about it. First of all, being a conservative Christian and a newly enlisted soldier, this movie really surprised me with its conservative message and positive portrayal of the armed forces. I particularly liked the lines in the film, “These guys really don’t like to lose” and “No sacrifice, no victory” (an continuing theme throughout the film). Transformers has a lot to deal with self-sacrifice, justice, and defending the defenseless.

As to the complaints about the violence, there is no more violence than any other sci-fi/war film. This movie has the same type of violence as the Transformers cartoons, just in live action this time. The reviewer talked about 'The Decepticons toss(ing) humans about like rag dolls'. They did this in the tv cartoons as well. Nothing new. In fact, I can remember one time, in the cartoon series, when Starscream (the second in command of the Decepticons) pulled a race car driver from his vehicle and threw him. So if you know the cartoons, you will not be surprised at the violence you see. Also, in the original comics, there were humans as the main characters. Sam Whitwicky even had a girlfriend (who was a model mind you) in the original stories.See all »
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
PVT. Morse, age 21
Positive—“Transformers, more than meets the eye.” And so goes the theme song to a very fond memory from my childhood. Did this Michael Bay film do my childhood love justice? Yes. Unequivocally so. At it’s heart, the Transformers franchise is pure escapism. This film achieves that with flair. The CGI work in this film is simply mind blowing. I couldn’t believe my eyes as Optimus Prime transformed with literally tens of thousands of parts moving on screen. According to the producers each FRAME of animation for this film took 38 HOURS to animate. EACH FRAME. Graphically the movie is impeccable.

Story-wise this movie stumbled. There were plot holes big enough to drive Optimus Prime through. Is this a bad thing? Only if your a perfectionist. Enjoy the escapism.See all »
My Ratings: Average / 5
Chris, age 20
Positive—I went to see this movie with my husband and was surprised to find that I liked the movie a lot. The special effects captivated me and I truly enjoyed the fictional character Optimus Prime. Though I enjoyed watching it, if I had a young son who really, really wanted to see the movie I would not want to deny him the really cool action and moral lessons about brevity and self-sacrifice, but I would have to cover his eyes during a couple of scenes that involved the character Mikaela, who is perverted and lacks discretion and depth, and who ends up being a criminal.

I might not let my young daughter see it though, and I know this is unfair but young girls are the ones who are most influenced by the glitter, popularity, sassiness and false beauty of characters like Mikaela. Everywhere we look we see images of women like her because she represents a deadly idol in our culture. See all »
My Ratings: Offensive / 3½
Ariana, age 24
Positive—I really loved this movie a lot. Having grown up in the 80’s and 90’s when Transformers dominated toy shelves, I was obviously excited for it, so much that I followed it’s production online since the beginning. The animation and cinematography are absolutely stunning, and the movie has a very snappy sense of humor along with explosive action scenes.

However, much has been said by my fellow Christian viewers about the language, violence, and sexual humor in this film. Yes, there is language inappropriate for children. Yes, there’s a violence. And yes, there is some sexual humor, the most notable of which is the scene where Sam’s parents mistakenly think they walked in on him masturbating. The latter scene is obviously going to go right over younger kids' heads, but it will probably be the source of some inappropriate snickering amongst teenagers, so it comes down to your disgretion, and what kinds of talks you yourself have had with your kids about the topic. I felt it was in bad taste, but not enough to make me dislike the movie. See all »
My Ratings: Average / 4½
Timothy Berntsen, age 21
Positive—I went to see this movie expecting not to like it at all, I was wrong. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I loved the action and also the romance. I think that parents who say kids shouldn’t watch this are wrong, If your child is under 10, then yes it may be too much, but older than that I think by then they should know that ever boy is thinking about girls. It’s a part of life parents are just going to have to accept. Definitely watch the movie; it’s amazingly written and acted. I LOVED IT!!!
My Ratings: Excellent! / 5
Beth, age 18
Positive—With so many comments already on this movie, I wonder if this one will be taken, but to me, I share the sentiments of the reviewer. I felt like a kid again and just kept saying “cool” in my mind over and over again. The sexual innuendos for me didn’t really stand out because the suspense and action kinna diluted it. Since “Jurasic Park” and “Godzilla 2000” I’ve never been so much on the edge of my seat. To me it’ll be a real pity even for Christians to make their kids miss out of this movie, firstly because it’s awesome, but then secondly because even if it doesn’t meet up 100% with moral standards, your kids will still meet more appauling moral standards in the world, and it’s better they meet them with in a movie like this so mom and dad can discuss the good and bad with them afterwards than that they meet them when they’re on their own and make the wrong judgments. I’m definitely getting the dvd. Oh yeah, and the movie scores just moved me. You could feel how noble it is to fight for what is right! Totally cool.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4½
Emmanuel, age 24
Neutral
Neutral—Most has been said I just wanted to express that this is not the Saturday Morning Cartoon we remember. It is very adult. The skimpy dress of the girl was, on purpose, over done. The masturbation talk was hard to overlook and we had our 14 and 12 year old daughters with us. The Action is great. I just feel they could have cut out a lot of the smut and still had an awesome action movie. Also, being a PG-13 rating, the previews before the movie started where not appropriate for the younger audience either.
My Ratings: Average / 4½
Micki, age 37
Neutral—No one under age 14! (depends on maturity level) Many comments already mentioned on this site properly express the various concerns this movie should bring to a Christian parent; i.e. unnecessary sexual comments, sexual images, foul language, to name a few. I would not recommend this movie to anyone under the age of 14. Parents, please heed the warnings to save yourself the embarrassment, especially during the masturbation topic. Yes, you will need God’s guidance to deal with your child when told they cannot see this movie. But you won’t regret it. Regarding the film overall, I was never a Transformer fan, but it was very entertaining. Excellent moments of humor in the beginning of the movie and lots of action throughout.

However, there were some “cheesy” and lengthy scenes that were not needed to make the film successful, such as searching for the glasses while the Autobots waited outside and how the main characters dealt with “sector 7” in the street. Michael Bay’s “shaking camera technique” is always annoying and a bit nauseating. This technique especially impedes on seeing what’s going on the screen, especially during fight scenes. One might as well shut their eyes. It’s frustrating!—but typical in his films. So, when in stadium seating, sit way up top, it helps a bit. In conclusion, its a fun movie overall, yet, very violent and most suitable for adults.
My Ratings: Offensive / 3
Jeff, age 37
Neutral—My family and I really enjoyed the movie as a whole. You definitely will not be bored! I will leave the positive comments to the other postings. I just wanted to post some comments FYI, the movie contains: flipping the bird, about 4 or 5 curse words, “Sam’s” parents asking him if he was masturbating, sexual innuendo, a reference to porn magazines, and a lot of violence.
My Ratings: Offensive / 3½
Angela, age 35
Neutral—As an 80’s teen who grew up on the Transformers, I was completely psyched about this film. However, as the film progressed I began feeling rather discouraged by the production. Besides the fact that the movie focuses more on the humans than the robots (aren’t the robots who we came to see the movie for?), the actual action involving the robots occurred so fast and scattered that it was hard to keep track of what was going on and who was fighting who. The character depth and involvement of the Transformers themselves was so shallow that when one of them was lost in battle, I felt no emotional sense of loss; the characters themselves did not even take time to mourn his loss after the battle. If excellence of a movie is metered by its ability to attach the audience to the characters, this movie sadly failed miserably, in my opinion.

In addition to the mixed-up plot were several accounts of offensive material. Mikaela (Megan Fox), Sam’s love interest, is scantily clad with numerous camera shots focusing in on sensual locations over her body. Numerous sexual innuendos are peppered throughout the story to add “humor.” Natural to Hollywood, foul language and gestures were used on occasion. Although this was expected, it was mercifully tamed in the tongues of the soldiers (compared to the norm), but annoyingly emphasized in side characters with no purpose but crass humor. The only true positive on the offensive list was that amidst the violent clashes, there was no blood and guts on screen. Obviously, people were dying (how could they not when a giant robot crashes through an occupied office building), but thankfully no one was actually seen dying nor dead nor injured.See all »
My Ratings: Offensive / 3
Deanna Marquart, age 36
Neutral—We went to see this movie with our two boys ages 9 and 10. Normally we view movies beforehand because there is just so much in movies we don’t agree with. We decided to forgo this because the movie seemed harmless and it looked like something the boys would enjoy. I’m really torn because the movie was really good but there’s just so much that I’m disappointed about and disgusted with. My husband and I were both disappointed about the Transformer robots, at least the Autobots, being made the sidekicks while the humans were doing their thing to keep order. We were also disappointed that once again, the teens are the ones that know everything and the adults are stupid. We were disgusted with the numerous sexual comments, camera pans over Mikaela’s body, and Sam’s portrayal of a horny teenager. We found it interesting that Sam’s mom made it such a big deal that she thought he was masturbating, but when she found Mikaela in his room, she seemed to approve of it. We also were disgusted with once again, someone poking fun at the president. When we saw our movie, several inappropriate movie previews were shown as well.

Some positive things about the movie were the Autobots loyalty to one another and how much the military was shown in a positive light. The fight scenes were well done, when you could figure out which scene you were watching. The graphics done for the Transformers was amazing. I completely agree with the poster about no children under 14. There’s just way too much violence and sexual content.
My Ratings: Average / 4
Nichole Miller, age 26
Neutral—I saw this movie the first day it came out, all excited to see it. After watching it, it wasn’t as great as I thought it would be. The special effects are awesome, but the storyline wasn’t. All the movie was just about was clumsy robots trying to find a box and glasses as told in the beginning of the movie. Also the humor in it was to much, after a while it wasn’t funny just annoying. Almost like they didn’t take the movie seriously. After all the movie had more negatives then positives in it. I would take my little cousins to it because there was nothing offensive in it and its more of a little kids movie. After seeing a big portion of kids in the audience.
My Ratings: Average / 3
Mike, age 18
Negative
Negative(Having completed a year’s training in CG animation, I feel like I should share my perspectives on this movie.) “Transformers” was one of my all time favorite cartoon series. The toys were the best (and still are, as long as they don’t go back to making those “futuristic” cars). However, “Transformers” the 2007 movie was one of the worst movies I had ever seen. I walked in enthusiastic about the movie, but by the end of the film, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the terrible mess they had made of something with so much potential. I would not recommend this movie at all, because of the sexual content, the horrible script/ screenplay, and the cluttered action.

This movie was supposed to be PG-13, but compared to movies like Spider-man, it was exponentially worse in terms of sexual content. The main character (Sam) apparently couldn’t stop making sexual innuendos. He showed no modesty, shame, or remorse for his lustful intentions towards the girl he liked (Mikaela). Mikaela didn’t seem to to be bothered by his lustful attitude, but instead, she encouraged him in his lust (for example, she easily agrees to sit in Sam’s lap even though she barely knew him). As for the scene with the discussion about masturbation, all I have to say is, “Gross!”See all »
My Ratings: Very Offensive / 3
Charles, age 30
Negative—I have to echo the comments of others regarding the sexual innuendo and gratuitous mentions of inappropriate subjects in this film. The extended “M-word” scene was totally unnecessary, and actually turned me off from seeing the film again or buying it in the future. With regard to the cinematography, yes, the CGI was excellently done as always, but the battle scenes are often so fast and cluttered with so many things happening that it was virtually impossible to know what was going on. Compare this to the Spider-Man films, which have much smoother camera moves (real and virtual) to help you maintain the geography of a scene. “Transformers” is full of eye candy, but not much else. The first half feels like Herbie (not so bad) but the last half feels like The Hulk (terrible). They leave things open for a sequel, but I don’t feel like my life was improved by watching this. I don’t care if the “Transformers” ever return.
My Ratings: Offensive / 3
Carrie Rostollan, age 38
Negative—“Transformers” was spectacular in action and CGI creation, but lacks in story. It seemed rushed and too many plot holes, like the whole Allspark storyline, Sector 7, and the chain of command—please, Michael Bay—give us some cohesive story and quit playing dumb with your audience. First off, give us the real story of the Transformers. How they were created by the five-headed alien Quintesson (hence the name) for slave works, and eventually, these sentience robot came to rebelled against their masters and lead to great civil wars among themselves. How both the Autobots and Decepticon were unique and exotic in either forms of transformations before crashed landed on pre-historic Earth. Then, in 1984 (or present day, if you prefer), reactivated by a once dormant volcano, they came to adapt to Earth’s environment and hide in plain sight from the humans.

…It never explained how the Transformers needed the Allspark to be able to return to their planet Cybertron. Spoiler: why have a boy running through the city when one of the Autobots could easily lend themselves to advance him to the destination point, then again, the destination point served no purpose eventually? “Transformers” is clearly a loud and explosive film experience, and all technicalities were superbly executed, including the upgrades of the robots, but I just wish, someone who have a better grasp of the fans and the Transformers' histories was behind the wheel of this vehicle.
My Ratings: Average / 4½
Mang Yang, age 35
Negative—Our family was disgusted by the sexual innuendos as well as the blatant sexual intentions of the young teenage boy. We kept hoping it would get better, but it only got worse. Finally, when the parents asked their teenage son if he was “masturbating,” we walked out. Had we read the review first, we never would have gone to see the movie. We were very disappointed, as we love action packed films like “Jurassic Park.” Unfortunately, Hollywood’s need to encourage our teenagers to live a sexually active life made this potentially great family film a definite “thumbs down.” Even our 17 year old daughter called her friends to warn them not to go see the movie. It’s too bad the review by the
CONTRIBUTOR

didn’t give a moral rating that would encourage Christians to stay away from this film. I wish my 9 year old son didn’t have to grow up in a time when even movies about his toys (“Transformers”) are not viewable.
My Ratings: Very Offensive / 3
Trena Moran, age 43
Negative—Must be the most expensive cliche ever made. I guess I’m against the flow with this one. Firstly, “Transformers” is not a kids’ move. At least not in terms of the violence and sexual innuendo. And if it’s not for kids then for who? I thought the script, plot and character portrayal were ridiculous. The directing was fine: Michael Bay has some real cool shots of U.S. military hardware. And then there are the robots themselves taking digital effects to the next level. But personally I need more than some neat eye candy to see a movie. Could the producer not have spent at least a little more effort on the storyline? This is the first big action blockbuster that left me bored and waiting for the end to come. I give it 2½ out of 5 and that solely for the special effects. Personally, I would much rather see a lower budget movie with an intriguing story to tell, or fun animated film that both kids and adults can enjoy. “Transformers” is neither and wasn’t worth my money or time.
My Ratings: Offensive / 2½
Todd Adams, age 39
Negative—Any Christian parent should beware of this movie. This is not a movie about transforming robots battling each other on Earth. It is about a teenager trying to get into some girl’s pants for the first time. The whole movie is about how this guy schemes to lose his virginity while in high school, about how uncool it is to be a virgin (“hey dad, do you want me to be the 40-year old virgin”—said when his dad was picking out a car for him), and how he dreams of getting her pants off. Also, the parents say, in effect, “Hey, it’s okay if you are masturbating”—said when they walk unexpectedly in their son’s room. All of this stuff should send off sirens to any parent who is a Christian. And, if a parent is not concerned, I cannot see how that parent can be a Christian. Do you teens and favor and take them to see another movie.
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 3
Sam, age 43
Negative—…I walked out 30 minutes into the movie because the movie seemed to be about showing off women’s figures in a provocative way. I really couldn’t see past this and the profanity to see if it was in fact a good movie. There were kids in the seats around me and I wished their parents looked up this movie before seeing it. …It just provides too much disgraceful innuendos. DON’T SEE THIS ONE!!!
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 1
Myndi Orr, age 27
Negative—This movie would’ve been great had it not been for all of the foul language and the unnecessary sensual images throughout the whole movie. Anyone who believes what the Word says about “…whosoever lusts at a woman…” should not watch this movie. The sensual scenes in the movie would cause anyone to stumble if they are struggling to keep the marriage bed undefiled. The main character was always scantily dressed as well as the other female characters. And if you were to judge women by this movie you would think that every woman was a D cup size. A topic also covered in this movie was masturbation, again, unnecessary. The main character sat on the boy’s lap and was on top of him on his car at the end of the movie. I would not take any children to watch this film and as for adults, well, you make your choice.
My Ratings: Offensive / 3
Maricela, age 29
Negative—…This movie had only two actresses and both served as little more than eye-candy for the target prepubescent audience. They did not lend any useful or helpful information throughout the movie, and merely served as props for the men. Almost every extra I saw in the movie was a woman with a low cut blouse. It sickens me to think that people are allowing their daughters and sons to see this movie. It teaches children that women are no more than meat and sex objects for men. … Please think twice before you take your children to this movie.
My Ratings: Very Offensive / 2½
Katy, age 21
Negative—Do not see this movie. Like Harry Potter it is meant to appeal to kids and will only lead them astray using clever marketing techniques and product tie-ins. Furthermore, I find it unhealthy for our kids to go on thinking God created other planets and that they are alien robots inhabiting them. Once your kids see this movie they are going to want to play with Transformer toys, Legos, and all other sorts of toys that enable them to build robots like they saw in the movie. They will fantasize about other worlds that are not in the Biblical account of creation and believe that robots are created with life in the same way God made man.

Our youth cannot help but be corrupted by such robot fantasies and it encourages them to grow up worshipping manmade technologies like robots. Obviously this has clear implications for other man-made creations, like stem cell research. We should not mess with Creation or with the story of it. If you want your kids to worship robotic life then take them to this movie. If you want them to know that God made man on the sixth day and stopped there—he didn’t make another planet filled with evil robots—then avoid this movie at all costs. Don’t be “Decepticon”-ed by this movie.
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 1
Jonathan, age 31
Negative—Me, my mom and brother went to see this today. I really wanted to see this, because the trailer made it look cool. I am a Christian/other, and do not reccomend this film to anyone who is easily offended like myself. Plus, the cartoons were loved by many children over the years, but I was very disappointed and disgusted. The fight scenes were cool to watch, but the sexual innuendo and talk, plus that tarted-up-looking girl made me begging for the film to finish. About 90% of the people laughed at that, disgraceful, how can they find that funny? It cleaarly represents the human race being obsessed with sex and any innuendo and anything related to it. …Don’t waste your money on this, I’m sorry I did.
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 5
Kurt, age 19, South Africa
Negative—I completely echo the comments from concerned parents above. I don’t think I’ve ever left a theater this angry at the complete disregard for moral values. The sexual innuendo and misbehavior of the teens in this move is absolutely disgusting. Warning to all Christian parents—do not take your children to see this film!…
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 3
Dwayne, age 41
Comments from young people
Positive—I was never caught up in the Transformers craze, so the first time I saw an ad for Transformers on the television, I thought, “Oh great, a cheesy movie for robot geeks. Yep, nothing to see here, move along.” But after seeing the trailer in the theater while preparing to watch another film, I decided that the plot seemed interesting, science fiction fan that I am, and that I should try to see it if only for the special effects. I got my money’s worth.

First, I’ll address the negative moral issues I had with the film. First of course, is the massive, massive amounts of violence, robots fighting with robots fighting with humans. That being said the violence was NOT graphic, and for that I was grateful. However, some parents may not wish their children to see so much fighting. Next was profanity. There were several instances of the s-word, the Lord’s name was taken in vain several times, and I heard several times the f-word being cut off before it was finished (thank you for that, scriptwriters!). See all »
My Ratings: Average / 5
Rachel Davidson, age 18
Neutral—I went to see “Transformers” without expecting too much, but I still came away dissatisfied. The special effects were state of the art, as I had hoped, but I found the plotline to be very incoherent. I was never completely sure of what was going on, and often was completely at a loss. Some of the main characters, especially the special ops unit, were not well developed and I felt that I hardly knew them. The lines and vocals for the transformers were very corny and made the mechanical heroes feel very unrealistic. There was a lot left unexplained (hopefully it will be addressed in the announced sequel) and I found the entire movie to be simply confusing. Even the action was perplexing as it was often not clear what was going on. Maybe the overwhelming visual and audio stimulation kept me from thinking straight, or maybe I needed to be more familiar with the toys, but I just couldn’t always understand what was happening.

From a moral standpoint, this film was not stellar either. There was a fair bit of language, some of it strong, plus some sexual content and much sensuality. The main female character (Mikaela) is always clothed in tight or revealing attire. There are a lot of sexual references too, but fortunately no nudity. Some of the action scenes are intense and many people are killed, but there isn’t any blood or gore. The movie presents an interesting worldview with some Christian themes (especially the overarching theme of self-sacrifice) but little morality.See all »
My Ratings: Very Offensive / 3
David Witwer, age 16
Negative—As a teenager who is trying to live for Christ I was very displeased by this film. Although it was AWESOME as far as special effects, music, photography, etc., it was NOT the movie I came to see nor a movie that I would have wanted to see.

First, I love transformers and was disappointed by the lack of them in the movie (they are what we go to see, right?). The movie focused very little on the transformers and mostly on the humans. there was little action and it was scattered throughout the film, and because you have no real bond with the Transformers (due to the lack of focus placed on them) there is no emotional pull or excitement between you and them. The “main” transformers (Optimis Prime and Mega Tron) aren’t introduced until later in the film and only have one battle that is not well focused on.See all »
My Ratings: Very Offensive / 4
Liz M., age 15
Positive—I went to see this film just last night at the 8:00 showing with my friend, and all I have to say is this movie is “Excellent.” It brings our favorite robots to life with new technology. The Autobots are here to save us from the evil Decepticons, that’s the whole story of the movie. But the film gives new life to robots that only 21st century can do, all throughout the film I had a feeling the robots were human if not more humane than us(strictly Autobots speaking).

The moral stuff…
  • cussing—not only humans but the robots did say a lot of dirty words
  • scary—might be too scary for kids under 12
  • skanky moments—there is a more than brief moment in the film about masturbation and teenage sex. Other minor moments include dogs peeing on robots and robots peeing on humans
My Ratings: Excellent! / 5
Katherine, age 17
Positive—This was a great movie. there were a couple of problems having to do with sexual themes and drugs, but the story line was great. this movie is great for teens and adults, and most kids would enjoy this!
My Ratings: Average / 4½
Luke, age 14
Positive—This movie was awesome!! The graphics and animation were so unbelievable… I couldn’t believe it! Transformers went from what once was a cheesy kids toy to a, seemingly, blockbuster hit. I loved everything in this movie except for some scenes involving Sam and Mikaela that the reviewer mentioned and some language as well. Aside from that, this movie is absolutely hilarious (way more funny than I thought) and the action is awesome. It was worth my $8.25!
My Ratings: Average / 5
Kurt, age 16
Positive—This wasn’t a movie that was on my list to hurry up and go see. But now that I have, it is one I’m going to buy when it comes out! It was funny and had a lot of action. It will demand your attention and hold it. For kids 10 and under it is not the best choice. There is a little bit of language and talk of a subject that isn’t for kids under 10 or 11 (having to do with 'Sam’s happy time with himself.') It is kind of long, but kept a strong hold on my attention. A really great movie for ages 11-60!!!…
My Ratings: Good / 5
Michelle J., age 12
Positive—This movie was one of the best that I have ever seen. The CG was flawless, and the action sequences were beautiful. Although there is a small amount of objectionable material, at the end of the movie the overall impression you get is that you want to watch it again. Immediately. While I have not watched the TV show very much, I still enjoyed this movie IMMENSELY. The story is simple, but I was still surprised to see no plot holes in it. The acting is flawless, and there is not a single boring part in the whole movie. If there were, I didn’t notice, since there was probably a talking robot on screen at the time.
My Ratings: Average / 5
Luke Kennedy, age 17
Positive—I think this movie was good. There was a big variety of genre to it. When people heard that Steven Spielberg was one of the producers, they know its gonna be good. The movie had comedy, action, science fiction, and adventure. This makes the movie appealing for different audiences. A lot of kids wanna watch this movie, and with every kid there is a parent to go with them, so its movies like these that bring in the money. For me to describe this movie, I think its more meets the eye!
My Ratings: Good / 5
Gavin, age 13
Positive—This movie is a great movie in my book. Of course there was the whole masturbation thing and a few shots of Mikaela that were just plain lustful. On the story side I wish they would’ve done more in-depth character development on the decepticons. But overall it was a great movie and very true to the show. Hugo Weaving as Megatron was also awesome. Peter Cullen returning as Optimus Prime was also good. Last but not least, Ironhide as the GMC truck was downright awesome.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Josh, age 15
Positive—This movie I would definitely recommend to all of you “Transformers” fans. Young and old will definitely enjoy this film. The special effects were superb! There was very little language, no nudity, violence is a little harsh as a lot of people die at the end (though you see no blood or bodies only people running and screaming), robots get into fights and there is some bombing and lots of gun shooting (again none of it is seen and they only shoot at the robots), there is only one scene I found offensive were a mother gave her son son “the finger,” aside from this it was very well written, directed and as I mentioned before special effects were awesome! I would not recommend this to younger viewers who do not understand this is fake, but over 11 I would see no harm as by then they understand this. This is a great film even if you don’t like Transformers (like me) I promise you will not be disappointed and will sit through thoroughly enjoying and at the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next. Enjoy!
My Ratings: Average / 5
Brittany, age 15
Negative—The commercials to this movie were truly misleading. My boyfriend and I went to see it recently. He had watched “Transformers” when he was younger, so he had hoped to see the movie when it came out. I really had no idea what “Transformers” were, but I had a good idea and figured it would be fun to watch together. Everyone we talked to said it was great, not a single complaint did we hear.

What could go wrong in a movie about alien robots that transform into cars—right? The answer—a great deal when made into a movie. First of all, the movie wastes no time in showing off the girl Sam likes, and I do mean showing off. Clothes today can be truly disgusting in their skimpiness, but this movie goes above and beyond. The girls shorts(?) are entirely too short. Her shirts were low cut and skin tight. She didn’t simply stand or walk, she posed and not in an innocent manner, but in a way as to encourage impure thoughts. Even knowing that my boyfriend wasn’t falling for any of her act, it was still so hard to sit there and watch someone who is making her living by putting herself in front of a camera and trying to create such disgusting thoughts in the minds of men, especially those that have women who love and care about them. She was a poor example of how a woman should be looked at. She simply gave off the impression that women are play things, having no feelings or morals-just trying to look pretty for the guys. Such thoughts as she was trying to arise are completely unacceptable. See all »
My Ratings: Very Offensive / 4
Callie, age 17
Positive—This is a great movie. Yes, it has some minor bad stuff in it… There are not many references, but they are something parents should take note of if they want to bring young children. Otherwise, the movie is fantastic. It is funny, there is a ton of action, and is the definition of a summer movie because it is fun to watch and is awesome.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Bill, age 13
Neutral—I love action movies, and I like sci-fi, so I was pleased by this movie on those accounts. The clothes that the main girl wears are things I would *never* wear, and the fact that Sam notices her clothing (or lack of), is made very obvious. The scene were Sam’s parents ask him if he was masturbating really added nothing at all to the movie, and it honestly made me blush. If I was paying attention to any romance in the movie, it was to Captain Lennox and his wife. I spent the whole movie hoping that he would get to go home! There’s cursing, and some crude stuff, but that’s, very sadly, kind of expected now! There are a lot of movies out there I would immediately turn off. This wasn’t one of them, because the action, the suspense, and the storyline are good enough to make the skimpy clothes, and the suggestions not a huge part. All in all, I loved the action in this movie, but feel that they could’ve left out the suggestiveness and the comments about sex, and would’ve lost nothing. However, there are so many much worse movies out there, that this certainly doesn’t rank as the worst!
My Ratings: Average / 5
Becca, age 14
Positive—“Transformers” is an awesome movie! In the beginning it starts out slow but by the end I was amazed at how great the movie was. I thought it would be a kids movie about those little Transfromers toys—so I was suprised when it was over. I’ve watched rated R movies for violence so I wasn’t really concerened about the violence, I was surpised though that one of the robots said poop but the other word. I don’t remmber much of the other bad words, if any, because of all the action going on. All in all, this movie is great, but you shouldnt watch it if you hate to much action. I also think you shouldn’t go if your children are under teenage years.
My Ratings: Average / 4½
Jezzeka, age 12
Negative—Transformers—“awesome” and 'a great storyline'- I found none of this to be true. While special effects may have been impressive in this movie-it is all that can be found enjoyable and that is only if you can ignore all the immorality of this film. I only made it through an hour and a half of this movie, which is more time than it deserved. I had really hoped to enjoy this film, but instead I left humiliated and embarrassed at knowing I had watched such filth. As a Christian, I strongly discourage anyone from seeing this movie.

If you’ll notice, the positive reviews all come with the 'don’t take young children' notes, or the “fairly clean” notices. The only honest positive anyone can give this film is the special effects. Since when did a movie become solely about the special effects, though? We have “okayed” films with mild language and even listened to a little more than mild for the sake of a good storyline. We have used the excuse 'the children didn’t even understand that part' as an okay to listen to suggestive (and in this movie, blatant) comments. We have watched as hundreds of young girls walk by us in the mall or in the store wearing very little and give it the excuse 'that’s the style today'.See all »
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 4
Tiffany, age 17
Negative—My expectations were very high for “Transformers.” Unfortunately, I came away from the movie very disappointed. The amount of swearing and sexual innuendo was shocking. There’s absolutely no heart to this movie. The characters aren’t endearing; instead, Michael Bay spends far too much time focusing on “exciting” explosions and fights in which no one in the audience has any idea what is going on. It could have been so much better.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Thomas, age 14 (USA)
Comments from non-viewers
…The only plus? Nice CGI and special effects. Even that argument fails in itself, though; EVERY new action flick, especially nowadays, will have at a few flashy moments of effects. Sadly, “Transformers” seems to be an example of the growing boldness of Hollywood’s immorality. What saddens me just as much is that this film and its characters are portrayed to be the same toys that they were in the 80’s to today’s audience of kids. I hardly agree.
Allie, age 18
NO movie can be good where God’s name is used in vain! Next time you watch a movie where they use God’s name, you are basically agreeing that the producers can do it again. Even if we do not say it, but watch it, we are just as guilty; that is for all FILMS.
Jacky, age 34