Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Stanley Tucci, Isabela Moner.
Director: Michael Bay
Release date: 22nd June 2017
The story begins in England, in the Dark Ages (around 484AD). There is a fierce battle going on and King Arthur is smack bang in the middle of it all. His trusted aid, Merlin (Stanley Tucci) has promised to help to win the battle but there’s no sign of him.. The scene cuts away to Merlin, out on his horse and very drunk. He stumbles across an ancient crashed spaceship, in the side of a mountain. He makes a deal with one of the occupants and he is told that they will help him out. Fast forward 1600 years and the Transformers have been declared ‘illegal’. Optimus Prime is gone and there is a taskforce in place to keep an eye on any Transformer activity. Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) finds a group of kids who have broken into a restricted area and subsequently they get into huge trouble when detected. He helps them to escape but in the process discovers what looks like an ancient Transformer in a crashed plane. The Transformer tells Cade that he has been ‘chosen’ and tries to give him a small metal disc with lots of mysterious writings all over it. He refuses to accept it but it finds its way to him anyways. We are soon introduced to an eccentric British Earl (Anthony Hopkins) who knows more about the origins of the Transformers on Earth than anyone else. There is talk of a mythical staff that wields an unearthly power, given to Merlin by the Ancient Transformers, that if activated could mean the end of life on Earth. The US Government frees a load of imprisoned Decepticons because they think they will lead them to the staff but it all backfires horribly. Why is Cade so important and can the staff be found before it’s too late?
‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ is the fifth movie in the blockbuster Transformers series, which initially began back in 2007. Based on the Hasbro toys that we all know and loved growing up, the movies have gradually become bigger and more explosive with each new release. It is now thought to be the 11th highest grossing film series in history, and has made an unbelievable $3.7Billion in the box office. The director, Michael Bay has since become synonymous with large explosion sequences and rumour has it, this will be the last one to be directed by him.
I am a huge fan of the Transformers Franchise and have been looking forward to the release of ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ ever since it was announced and the first trailers were released. You worry sometimes that the movie won’t live up to the hype or what you imagine it will be like, but I needn’t have worried at all. Coming in at around 150minutes long, it’s a long old movie but it’s all pretty relevant in the grand scheme of things. A great story, great characters and more explosions than you can shake a stick at, the movie will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I’m a huge fan of Anthony Hopkins and was wondering what he might bring to the film, but he is fantastic in it. Eccentric and ever so slightly unhinged, he brings a whole new element to the movie and some great acting chops. Lots of amazing and stunning fight sequences between the Autobots and Decepticons, the CGI is mental. My favourite Autobot, Bumblebee plays a huge role in the story and there are also a lot of other familiar Transformers you will recognise from previous movies.
If you loved the previous four movies, then it’s safe to say that you’ll love this one too. Fights, explosions, great special effects and Transformers. What more could you ask for? If you’re looking for a bit of escapism and a thrilling ride of a movie, then definitely give ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ a watch.
Overall: 8/10
