Transformers was an unexpectedly entertaining summer blockbuster. When I heard last year that Hollywood was coming up with a live-action version of the beloved robots in disguise, I wasn’t quite excited about the concept of the film. However, I made plans to watch the movie anyway since I am a regular patron of the slew of cinematic centerpieces big movie studios dish out during the summer season.

The film came out. I saw it on opening night. And Transformers conquered the box-office, surprisingly. The Cybertronian robots went on a rampage – entertaining moviegoers of all ages along the way – as the Autobots and Decepticons took their intergalactic battle to the streets of the America. But what was it exactly that made this Steven Spielberg-produced, Michael Bay-directed movie live up to its tagline, “more than meets the eye”? What were the elements of this film that drew the audiences into its universe and held them there for 2 hours and 15 minutes? From the very first frame of the film to the very last, I found Transformers to be an interesting movie. Here are some reasons. 

First of all, images of fighting robots that can convert themselves into various types of transportation has never been depicted in a dynamic and eye-catching way as the robots in this film has. This, I believe, made Transformers a big hit to the viewing audience. The animation of the Autobots and the Decepticons was done so well, it invigorated the imagination of moviegoers. I thoroughly enjoyed every time the robots would transform, get into battle mode and used the many arsenal they had tucked away in their mechanical frames.I enjoyed how the film, for me, became an indirect visual aide at how advance robotics works. It was a 135-minute look into the mechanized characters much like the Xlibris book, Robotics in 90 Minutes, was a, uhm… 90-minute look into robotics. Benjamin Cheung wrote it as a concise primer to help people understand the key subsystems, history and concepts behind Robotics engineering – something (sort of) abundant in the Transformers film.

Second, the uncomplicated story and how it was told. The script was not by any means Oscar-material, but it was simple enough for a summer blockbuster audience to take in, and told well enough for lovers of good narrative to appreciate. It was straightforward enough to be summarized as follows: advanced, alien robots – good Autobots and bad Decepticons – from a planet called Cybertron came to Earth in search for a great power source – the Allspark – which had been lost for ages; the quest involved a young man named Sam, who eventually helps the Autobots defeat the Decepticons and their leader, Megatron. You can’t get any plainer than that.Third, the relevant themes and principles in the movie. For me, this is what made the film very meaningful. Many statements and symbolisms resonated with things that I believe in. Here are a few:

“More than meets the eye” – the film’s tagline, which was also quoted by Sam (Shia LaBeouf) and Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), to me says a lot about looking beyond the surface, seeing a person’s character – who they are inside is what really counts.

“No sacrifice, no victory” – the Autobots’ battle motto sounds a lot like “no guts, no glory” but it rings true, nonetheless. In life, each one of us is called to give up something, to sacrifice what we want the most to accomplish a higher objective, a lofty goal. This was depicted vividly first when Optimus Prime offered his life to save many by allowing the use of his body to destroy the Allspark, and then when Sam sacrificed his safety and his life to keep the Allspark from the Decepticons. There can be no real victory without sacrifice.

“You are a soldier now!” – Captain William Lennox’s (Josh Duhamel) call to arms for Sam, who, toward the end of the film, was given the daunting task of keeping the Allspark safe and away from Megatron and his lackeys. Hesitant about taking a key part in the raging battle, Sam was encouraged to step up and join the ranks of the soldiers fighting for the protection and preservation of life on Earth. At some point in our lives, we will be required to heed the call to rise up and take arms to defend what is right.

Overall, Transformers was unexpectedly entertaining, easily digestible and honorably themed. It went beyond robots running around and big explosions galore. This film’s heart made it exciting and endearing to me. Transformers is truly more than meets the eye.

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