Transformers: American Dreams and Nightmares in Disguise
By: Daniel Libby
The feature presentation begins with the high-quality graphic titles of Dreamworks SKG and Paramount Pictures. Thinking about Transformers brings me to the nostalgia of the toys, cartoons, and my childhood in the 1980’s. Prepare yourself because this particular summer-blockbuster is definitely more than meets the eye. Beneath the kid-friendly surface the Transformers movie is full of commentary about life and fears in the Western World.
Transformers starts with a cube, also know as all spark, this cube is the object of a war between the good-spirited Autobots and the evil-spirited Decepticons. It just so happens that the cube is now on Earth. The present day movie starts on an American military base in Qatar, a striking reference to the current wars in the Middle East. As night falls on the desert landscape a mysterious scorpion shaped weapon attacks the base. Later we learn that this Decepticon was attacking the base for the purposes of a great American threat - Internet terrorism.
The central story follows Sam Witwicky, played by Shia LaBeouf, a nerd type who is selling family heirlooms on eBay under the screen-name Ladiesman217. Sam buys his first car, an old Camaro, which literally helps him score with the girl of his dreams - Mikaela Banes, played by Megan Fox, who coincidentally is a freak for cars. They both freak out one night when the Camaro transforms into an Autobot on a mission to protect Ladiesman217. The references to Camaro and Ebay are prevalent and indicate some powerful corporate sponsorship.
A main secondary story follows Maggie, played by Rachael Taylor, an Australian blonde bombshell. She has been recruited fresh out of high school by the Pentagon to analyze the computer hacking-attack in Qatar. She knows that it was perpetrated by something beyond human capabilities. During a meeting of military officials, one suggests North Korea. In a jeopardized state Maggie says “Let me talk to the Defense Secretary before you go to war with the wrong country!”
There is a notable contrast in the portrayal of authority figures. An aggressive cop interrogates Sam in one scene, and later he is fiercely arrested by Agent Simmons, played by John Tuturro. An intense metaphor for homeland security is a rugged Decepticon police car with a side-door marked ‘To Punish & Enslave’.
In contrast, the portrayal of U.S. military characters is quite positive. The two U.S. Army soldiers, played by Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson are heroes throughout the film and definitely portrayed with humanistic qualities.
The Defense Secretary Keller, played by Jon Voight, is a stunned to learn that a secret agency is employed by the United States. At which point Transformers becomes loaded with real-World associations. Apparently the Hoover Dam construction in the 1930s and the disappearance of the Beagle 2 Lander on the planet Mars in 2003, are both related to the study of these “non-biological extra-terrestrials.”
Transformers the movie has elements of sci-fi, comedy, romance, and adventure, with some really intense action. During the screening I attended, a group of unsupervised boys began running around and jumping over the staircase like it was a playground. One battle scene contains an exchange of dialogue that summarizes the philosophical difference between the Decepticons and Autobots. The evil Megatron yells “Humans don’t deserve to live!” and the heroic Optimus Prime responds “They deserve to choose.”
I’m pleased I chose to see Transformers.
(As of August 12th Transformers has grossed over $630,000,000 and ranks 32 on the all-time Worldwide Box office.)