Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Version): 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars

A movie review by:


Andrew Vigeant


One ring to rule them all. The first book of the series, after The Hobbit, written by J. R. R. Tolkien. For those who dislike this movie, or this entire series for that matter, you are crap and probably like movies by Kevin Smith. Sauron forged a ring to rule all species, but in a valiant effort by the resistance a man managed to defeat Sauron and take the ring. He can't bring himself to destroy it though, and eventually ends up losting it. The one special ring to rule them all has somehow found its way into the little hands of a hobbit. This leaves the hobbit with a mighty quest to destroy the ring, and a long ways to travel if he hopes to accomplish it. With the helps of a wizard, a dwarf, an elf, two men, and three other hobbits he sets out on his journey. He can not be prepared for what darkness he will meet on his quest, and all he can depend on is the fellowship of the ring. Will the hobbit complete his quest, or will the dark lord Sauron find it and use it for his will once again?

I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow this extended movie editon from my friend Stefan. He always talked about having me borrow it to watch it because he wanted to see if I liked the extended version better or not. Well, I have one thing to say to him and that is: Yes.

Elijah Wood(Frodo Baggins) gives us a show for a lifetime. Not once does his facial expressions falter, or his tone of voice go off cue. He delivers his lines perfectly like you would expect the real Frodo from the books to do. Oscar-winning performance hands down. Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee) delivers an outstanding performance second to Wood's. Astin is a really great actor, but it sadden my heart when he has to do roles in movies that a lesser actor could do. For example 50 First Dates he plays Doug Whitmore, and it's sad because Astin has so much talent, and nobody is putting that to use in their movies. Viggo Mortensen(Aragron) is amazing to say the least. Aragorn is my favorite character from the book and movie, but Mortensen is a major reason why. He has the rugged/I've been through so much look that a "ranger/king" like Aragorn should have. He never fails to impress you with the steady facial expressions of a man who is strong willed and hearted, but still has a saddened heart when others aroud him become emotional. Orlando Bloom(Legolas Greenleaf) does an awesome job like he does in EVERY movie he's in. Whether he is Legolas battling Orcs and trying to kill more than Gimli, or if he's battling pirates and creatures of the deep with Sparrow and Elizabeth he is always the right man to fit just about any role you want him too. John Rhys-Davies(Gimli) does a good job, but nothing really to brag about. His lack of screen time may be what's at fault here though because he does a good job otherwise when he is hacking away on orcs, and making funny quirks about elves. Ian McKellen(Gandalf) not only shows us he can be a nice guy other than the evil Magneto from X-men, but shows us that the more screen time he gets the better he performs. His fight with Saruman(Christopher Lee) falls on deaf ears though because it's short, and nowhere near as good as it was in the book. Sean Bean(Boromir) the only reason I'm even acknowledging his performance is because of the end of this movie. *Spoiler* when he is trying to save Pippin and Merry from the Orcs, he keeps fighting and forces the leader of the Orcs to shoot him with 3 arrows to finally put an end to his resistance. His dramatic display at the end of this movie actually does salvage the mediocre performance he puts on during the previous scenes. Peregrin Took/Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Meriadoc Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) play the roles of Frodo's fellow hobbit friends othen than Samwise. I don't really like these two because they bumble and fumble around the screen the whole time, like the plot to a Bourne movie, while they attempt to look and act funny. Their acting is average at least though, and they dont ruin the movie at all so I guess they're alright.

Everyone who worked on this film, especially director Peter Jackson, earns a well-deserved dozen pat on the backs. The script, editing, camera angles, special effects, you name it are nearly flawless in every way you can imagine. As I've said in a past review acting can carry a movie to a certain point, but what makes it a movie is the things I mentioned just beforehand. All of these put together make a quality film that deserves to be in the all-time list of movies. Not once do you not believe you aren't actually in the Shire or battling Orcs along with Aragorn and the others. Nothing looks fake because it all looks original to you. The overall effectiveness of this movie is amazing. Throughout the entire movie you feel a very wide range of emotions, and you become: angry, sad, afraid, happy, laughable, shocked, amazed, etc. I'd do a standout scene paragraph, but watch the movie and then you'll see that every scene would be in that category.

Their are only two drawbacks in this film, and I honestly wish their wasn't any at all because I wanted to give this movie a perfect 4 out of 4. One is the fact that the movie drags somewhat. It isn't because of the running time, even though it is longer than a lot of movies, but it's because of the fact that some scenes are developed too far when their isn't need to do that. This causes the overall effect to be a little less than what it should be. Overall I definitely recommend this film all the way!

I Know Who Killed Me: 1 1/2 out of 4 Stars

A movie review by:


Andrew Vigeant


As Lindsay Lohan discovers who her "killer" really is she says: I know who killed me. I think I died watching this movie...but was awoken by the annoying ringing and/or irritating noises of peoples cell phones. A small town(I have no idea what the name is) is a victim of a sadistic killer. Sooner rather than later, he sets his eyes on Aubrey Fleming(Lindsay Lohan). She is a young, bright girl with a lot of potential, and when she goes missing it causes quite the stir. After awhile someone eventually finds her, in a ditch, and she is taken to the hospital. After she awakes she insist that she is not Aubrey Fleming, but, in fact, a girl named Dakota Moss. Is she really who she says she is, is she just hiding what really happened to the police, or is something even bigger going on?

The aura that my friend Stefan and I had while going into this movie wasn't pleasant. After it ended, it was slightly better, although, still foul smelling. The car ride their was full of funny times, and lots of talking as always. While in the movie though, other than the movie experience itself, I was getting inreasingly angered at the retarded teenagers because they left their cell phones on. One time in particular I nearly yelled out "turn that shit off" partly because it was a rap song and partly because it kept happening over and over again.

Oh god..the acting part..I mean...yes now for the acting part of this movie yay!! Okay..a little TOO enthused their. Lindsay Lohan(Aubrey Fleming/Dakota Moss) does a great job in this film. No, no, no, I'm NOT joking, or trying to upset you. I'm only telling you the truth. If she could control/change her facial expressions more, though, she would've had an awesome performnace. She delivered a goal-surpassing level in my eyes, and I'm impressed. Neal McDonough also knows as Neal Mcdonalds Doughnuts(Aubrey/Dakota's dad) does an average job, but what did you really expect from the doughnut man? He makes a mean charcoal grilled burger though let me tell you! Julia Ormond(Aubrey/Dakota's mom) not only looks cute on screen, but adds a sense of "mother-ness" and humor to the screen. Her performance is good, but nowhere near Lohan's. Thomas Tofel(Douglas Norquist) plays Aubrey's painist. I don't know what the director(Chris Siverston) was on when he allowed this man to play this part, but I'm disgusted. Not only can he not act, but he looks stupid, awkward, and sluggish on screen. *Major Spoiler* At the end of the movie we find out he is the sadistic master mind behind the limb-cutting murders. This is a surprising and unexpected twist, but he fails to deliver especially at one of the ending scenes where Aubrey kills him, his performance in that scene was the worst I've ever saw in a movie my entire life. That is something to really think about becuase I've seen a lot of movies and I've sat through Hostel AND Hostel 2. The best part would have to be that before you know it's him he looks like one of the guys from the blue man group. It makes this film hilarious whenever he is on screen even when he cuts people up becuase you just laugh and think hahahaha one of the blue man group members. If only he didnt wear blue gloves and hat and such. This man nearly made me cry and vomit at the same time. He nearly makes me envy Eli Roth..I said nearly!! *end of spoiler* Brian Geragty(Jerrod Pointer) looks shy, awkward, confused, and sweaty on screen. He also sort of walked with a hunch-back which was mildly amusing.

The actual good parts about this movie are very rare. This movie had so much potential if only they would've actually read the script instead of using it as a napkin for their drool while they masturbated to Lohan. The fact that the whole movie ties together using the color blue is an amazing idea although they still could've done so much more than they did. The owls were a nice touch, but never really expanded upon. *Spoiler* When Dakota Moss and Mrs. Fleming are watching the video tape of inside Mrs. Fleming's womb when Aubrey was in their is an immensely emotional moment. Dakota ends up crying along with Aubrey's mother when watching this even though she doesn't even know Aubrey's parents. The last highlight would have to be Lohan's great performance, and the fact that she neglected to do any nudity for this film. I actually am beginning to respect her again, and again I'm impressed with her.

Their are many drawbacks about this film, and I've mentioned many already. Basically if you can name/think of it then it was bad. The soundtrack, the editing, the camera angles, the script was all trash. Even if they would've put slighty more effort into this film by trimming the loose ends and edges it would've been so much more succesful. Once again, though, it had so much potential, and even if they would've tied it all together without loose ends it would've made the difference. Overall I can't recommend this film. It's a shame that they wasted all this potential though.

1408: 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars

A movie review by:

Andrew Vigeant


No one lasts more than an hour in room 1408. Trust me, despite it's comfortable and comfy appearace, it's no party. Based off the book from infamous author Stephen King, Mike Enslin (John Cusack) becomes obsessed with the supernatural after his daughter dies. He travels to different areas which claim to have paranormal activity, and writes books about all the places he's been in. He doesn't believe in spirits or ghosts or demons, and when he hears about room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel he is sure it's another hoax. After a valiant persuasive effort by hotel manager Gerald Olin(Samuel L. Jackson), Enslin checks in to room 1408.

Basically I have this movie on dvd, and was let down on it's overall performance. It was the perfect setting though because I watched it last night when it was storming really hard, and the power even went out a few times. That's not to mention my house is haunted(no not lieing) and I kept hearing weird noises and laughing on top of everything.

Fortunately, for me and you, the acting part of this review will be rather short and sweet. John Cusack(Mike Enslin) is about the only person in this movie who actually does his job. He shows that he can force different emotions on his face, and displays that he is incredibly good at acting like he's terrified/confused. Other than that, though, he tells us that he has the acting talent of Seth Green in "Without A Paddle." Mary McCormack(Lisa Enslin) is too over the top in every scene she is in, and it's just sad because she can do much better. Jasmine Jessica Anthony(Katie Enslin) not only gets our attention because she has three first names, but also becuase when the movie calls for her to act the part of a sick/DYING girl she just wasn't into it. Samuel L. Jackson(Gerald Olin) is just funny. Everytime he was on screen I got sudden urges to snicker. Half the time all I hear is him shouting at Cusack with no emotion involved at all. Sadly, the best acting was done by Alexandra Silber(The reporter lady at the book signing) because she was actually believable which nobody else was in this movie.

The only great parts in this movie is the psychology behind it all. The whole storyline, and cinematography is so well put together, and that alone makes this movie enjoyable. If only the acting was as good. The best part of the movie is the theme though. *Spoiler* Room 1408 is all about the demons inside yourself. This movie doesnt come close to the book, but all in all this movie still leaves you with a feeling of awe and concern for the characters in the movie. Overall, I do recommend this film because it is a thriller that is actually WORTH seeing. Unlike many of the recent and no so recent thriller failures.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: 3 out of 4 Stars

A movie review by:

Andrew Vigeant


"You will lose everyting"...Well apparently Voldermort lies!! At least for the time being... Yes, it's the long awaited Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at long last!! After a long, lonely summer on Privet Drive, Harry returns to a Hogwarts. Few students and parents believe him or Dumbledore that Voldemort is really back. The ministry has decided to step in by appointing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that proves to be one hell of a bitch. Harry has insightful yet horrible dreams he can't explain, and a mystery item thatVoldemort is searching for. And to think with all these things going on he still has time to try and get with that ho Cho Chang.

Saturday afternoon. The theater wasn't crowded, so I was a bit worried. I had hoped for a near packed seating. All the hype in the infamous webstite imdb.com was that this movie blew chunks. Obviously it didn't and as usual people on imdb.com don't know quality movies. In short, they probably went to see Hostel 2 instead of Harry Potter.. I don't know why they'd rather see Eli Roth's 90 minutes in hell (thank you Stefan) instead of a great film. Anyways, I was supposed to go with four people to see this movie, but it just ended up to be jsut me and my buddy Stefan. It was probably better that way because well the other two were girls and girls are gay. Just joking. Kind of. Rawr.

Out of all the Harry Potter movies that were made so far this one had, by far, the best acting to date. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), displays his true abilities with his best performance of the series. It was actually quite shocking to my friend and myself that he was able to show as much emotion as he did in this film. I'm looking forward, even more so now, to the 6th movie of the series because of his stellar acting in this one. Emma Watson (Hermione) once again delivers a level performance. She hasn't been getting progressively better as the movies have gone on, but she still always delivers the same quality performance everytime which im glad to see. Maybe she is saving her best for the last of the series? Who knows? Time will tell. And YES YES she IS cute! Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley) continues and continues to give us a good performance. That isn't even to mention he has the perfect look to the part while playing it so well. With the acting, this time around, for the trio I believe it is at it's best. The chemistry between them seems to have grown by many lengths from Goblet of Fire to Order of the Phoenix, and I'm impressed. Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore) and Ralph Fiennes(Lord Voldermort) are both impressive with Gambon's emotion, while Fiennes doesn't over deliver his lines as he has in the past. *Spoiler* Most impressive, though, is the fight scene near the end between the two because it puts the Gandalf and Saruman(from Lord of the Rings Two Towers) fight to shame. Jason Isaacs(Lucius Malfoy) and Tom Felton(Draco Malfoy) are still both irritating (in a good way) to the point where they act, sound, and look how you always pictured them while reading the book. Speaking of irritating Imelda Staunton(Dolores Umbridge) does another GREAT job in this movie, and is award deserving again. What I like the most is that David Yates(director) replaces the hatred you feel for her in the book and puts it back on the screen in the same way if not more so. Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) does another good job as her character. She still gives off the impression of McGonagall in the book on screen. The teacher that whenever you do something wrong she's always their and you're like oh shit....then she still lets you off the hook most times. Gary Oldman(Sirius Black) won't be returning for the remaining movies, but I'm glad we got the preformances we've got out of him. He is a good actor, and deserves to retire from acting after a great career. Helena Bonham Carter( Bellatrix Lestrange) not only gives me that feeling of wow she's a psychopathe like I did everyday in my high school while seeing the girls their, but she shows us she still can act. A lot of people I conversate with(is that even a word?) say that she is on the downfall of her career, but I just dont see it. Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) still gives us that old creepy/eerie/hateful feeling on screen that we also got from him in the book, so we know he's doing his job still. Matthew Lewis(Neville Longbottom) and Evanna Lynch(Luna Lovegood) both perhaps the weirdest/oddest of the group add a certain normalcy to the film because their are always weird yet great people in a group of friends. Bonnie Wright(Ginny Weasley) does a good job although she doesn't have many lines for some reason, but then again Ginny is shy in the book, so maybe that's what Yates was going for. But I'd personally like to see her get more lines in the next film instead of just standing their looking pretty and showing off her power*spoiler* like when she blasts a death eater and then all the rows of prophecy's come tumbling down. Finally, I saved the best for last, Natalia Tena(Nymphadora Tonks) not only brings a certain "fun" to the film while she is on screen along with a good acting performance, but most importantly is incredibly cute. She's my personal favorite in the book and the films by far, and closely resembles what I'd always thought she'd look like save for the purple hair instead of pink as in the book.

This movie's greatest elements would have to be the main message it portrays. Friendship and love are two of the most important things in life NO MATTER what else is happening around you. It is sensed so strong throughout the film, and quite possibly could bring a few wet eyes to the audience especially in the end. Their are many good/great scenes in this movie like: *spoiler* The Voldermort/Dumbledore fight, The death eaters surrounding Harry and his friends in the Department of Mysteries, when Voldermort tries to posses Harry,Snape's flashback, etc... The acting in this movie along with the amazing special effects and editing are really what brings this movie from average to great though.

The drawbacks in this movie really aren't too apparent because their are only two. The main one being that this movie lacks an overall standout emotional/memorable scene. Yates seems to try to do this with many different scenes(some stated above), but doesn't deliver in this aspect which causes this movies rating to drop a near whole star. The second(yet not nearly as important) drawback would have to be the particular scenes that cut off the film from the book. Like I said the first drawback causes the movie to drop from a perfect 4 stars to a 3 1/4 rating then combine it with the second drawback to make it an even 3 stars. This film is definitely recommended. Also I definitely suggest purchasing this movie along with the rest of the series, and the 7th book which comes out really soon!!

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer: 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars

A movie review by:


Andrew Vigeant



What's wrong with not being normal?? It's the Fantastic Four in a Fantastic movie!! Well....no...not exactly...The Craptastic Four..actually the FANTASTIC FOUR are back once again! The story starts off as Susan Storm(Jessica Alba) and Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) are getting married. Meanwhile a disturbance is being caused worldwide. A type of radiation energy is causing craters, power outages, and destruction. It even forces Susan and Richard's wedding to come to a "crashing" hault. The Fantastic Four must discover what or who is causing these things to happen, and as they unravel the mystery they learn some things aren't that simple.

I was able to see this movie for free because I have it on dvd, and didn't expect much going into it. I was surprised though at the leap Tim Story(The director) made from the 1st film to this 2nd one. The first one barely got a half-star rating from myself, but this one showed me that they actually gave some effort into this film instead of letting Kevin Smith come in and take a huge shit on it. Thankfully they didn't let him do that this time around....well..actually...he still did take a shit, but this time around they cleaned up, and tried to make a movie out of it.

The acting this time around wasn't nearly as horrendous as it was in the 1st film. Jessica Alba(Susan Storm) does all that she can with the role and lines she is given. She delivers nicely, and although she looks waaaaaaay to skinny, she still presents a certain zing to every film she is in no matter what. That isn't even to mention she is quite the looker. Ioan Gruffudd(Reed Richards) almost makes me gag everytime he's on screen. His acting isn't all THAT bad, but every second of screen time they give him makes me wonder why oh why couldn't have Tim Story just have had auditions outside his house instead of casting Gruffudd. Chris Evans(Johnny Storm) his acting isn't what kills him it was his lines. The kind of lines they try and make him pull of doesn't fit his look. He can act the part, but he can't pull of the look. All in all behind Alba he does the 2nd best. Michael Chiklis(Ben Grimm) voice is perfect as in the last film. I can't really rate him in this category because he is made of rock and I'd have to have the brain of my 7th grade reading/study skills teacher to actually think that rock could show emotion. Laurence Fishburne{The Silver Surfer (voice)} is the voice of the elite villian Silver Surfer. I don't know if it was where Tim Story's mom went wrong in bringing him up or whether it was the matter of money, but why the fuck(excuse the language) would you pick FISHBURNE of ALL people to be the voice of the Silver Surfer?!?!?!!? I mean I'd rather have Vin Diesel play him and I HATED the Chronicles of RiddleDick!! *Slight Spoiler* Julian McMahon(Victor Von Doom) is back. No I'm not lieing to you. His acting isn't anything great once again, so if you're one of his fans(if he has any) don't get excited. His lines fit him well though because he sounds just as he looks. Annoying. I'd still love to just turn into the Hulk and with a flick of my finger send him flying across the United States...

Although they're very limited standout scenes in this movie they're are a few good qualities that try and make up for that. And to get this out of the way: YES the special effects were just as great this time around as well!! *Spoilers* When the Silver Surfer flies through buildings, cars, and whatever else he flew through lol, the waves and backlash look amazing. The Silver Surfer looks amazing period to be exact. Every scene he's in wakes you up(sometimes literally) and you are like woa! And forces you to ask the person next to you okay what's going on? What did I miss? The emotion in this film will leave many dry eyes in the audience, but at least this time around you can feel (no not RAW emotion) lots of little twinges that tug at your heart, and after the entire film you grab the person next to you and scream: DO YOU FEEL THAT? CAN THIS BE TRUE?!!? I ACTUALLY FELT SOMETHING AFTER A FANTASTIC FOUR MOVIE? Well I can assure you, that you did in fact feel something. Whether it was from the film or from below your pants cause your hand was their during the whole time Alba was on screen is for you to know and keep to yourself. Also I liked the fact that they chose random ass scenery in this film. It actually made it work who woulda thunk it?? Finally, I have to admit, the humor actually got to me quite a few times in this movie. I know, I KNOW, but it did! With a line like "He's going to get an invisible kick in the balls" how can you go wrong??

The drawbacks in this movie were evident in the 1st as well. The main one is the lack of overall effect. You go into this movie feeling almost the same way you came into it. Probably sick. At least this time around you might have a few singes on your heart becuase of the bits and pieces of emotion. Secondly, the lack of acting talent just pulls your interest level in this movie waaaaaaaay down, and you can become easily distracted by the shiny object in the corner...ooooh sooooo shiny!!! But Tim Story seems to counter this with giving Jessica Alba as much screen time as possible which well I'm not exactly complaining about, but I mean....she can really eat 10 pounds of pasta cause she seems to keep losing weight. Thirdly, you don't really get too much out of the movie as a whole. The only thing you get is if you different it's okay, and not to be a conceited prick. The first one seems to be over-used throughout many recent films, and the 2nd one I'd be glad to tell you each and everyday when you wake up. Under a review for everyone these points that this movie lacks causes it to drop to a rating of 2 out of 4 stars, and therefore I can't recommend this film unless you have some sort of knowledge of the Fantastic Four other than this film and the 1st than go and see it you'll enjoy it. Overall, I can't recommend this film to everyone, but only people like myself that have prior experience with the Fantastic Four. My rating for people with prior knowledge: 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars. My rating for people with no previous knowledge: 2 out of 4 Stars.

Transformers Review: 3 out of 4 Stars

A movie review by:

Andrew Vigeant


Does the hype of Transformers and all the publicity it's recieving stay true during the movie? One word answer: Yes. Not to mention Transformers truely is: "More than meets the eye." Yes, it's true, I am a big Transformers fan ever since I was a little kid thinking one day, just one day, I could be like Mark Grace, or Sammy Sosa. In this amazing movie Shia Labeouf(Sam Witwicky) is back as the main character and is looking for his first car. The car salesman(played by Bernice mac) and he tells Sam that you don't pick the car, the car picks you, at first he refuses to sell the car for $4000 sam and his dad offer, but negotiations are made after a series of amusing events. The car Sam picks out is an old, rusted Camaro, who unknown to him is Bumblebea, one of the autobots. The reason the Autobot Bumblebea is here is to find a special item the Allspark, before the Decepticons find it. Eventually all the Autobots and Decepticons arrive at Earth in search of the Allspark and they have their own war on Earth. The government knows all about the Allspark and about Megatron(The Decepticon leader) so the Decepticons hack their network. Sam and his love interest Mikaela Banes(played by the delicious Megan Fox), are taken into military custody for having direct contact with the autobots and are ordered to help the government destroy them because the government already knows why they are here...

I was in arlington heights again spending the night at a friend's house, when we decided to go see Transformers because my friend thought it would be "the truth". I agreed. Probably in part because I was a huge fan, I always watched the cartoon and even have the toys of them. Not that I still play with them.... ANYWAYS!! Their was one problem: he didn't have any money. Their was only one solution: sneak into the movies. It was quite easy except for the fact that LeStouf was their guarding, ( a huge offensive lineman from my friends football team). Eventually i managed to hold open the door without LeStouf seeing and we snuck in like all cool and professional like, luckily we were on the correct side or else we woulda been fucked.

The acting in this movie was quite pleasant for the most part. Although a few didn't preform up to potential it generally didn't take away from the movies overall effectiveness. Nobody in this movie did an oscar deserving preformance but that shouldn't be what makes the movie. Shia LaBeouf's (Sam Witwicky) preformance was great but not as top-notch as it was in Disturbia. In Disturbia it was quite evident that he was preforming at his potential, but here it was still great but he couldn've been much better. He is quite a good actor though and will only get better. I imagine many great things to come out of him and many more roles for him to fill in movies in the future. He seems to have a knack for movies with added comedy in it but I believe he can do many different things. I'm glad I will have more to remember him by other than the classic Disney show: Even Stevens. Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes), although very easy on the eyes didn't preform up to par in this movie. It wasn't her facial expressions that were her drawback but her overall delivery of her lines in this movie that fell flat. She's only 21 though so i can still date her...i mean the age difference is only 3 years...damnit!!!! ! i mean her acting will become more fluent in time. Josh Duhamel's (Captain Lennox), performance was quite believeable which I was surprised by because often times military roles are hard to fill because even if you can deliver you may not get the audience to believe you'd be a soldier. Duhamel does both of these though and as I found myself watching I was a believer. I believe it was one of his more solid efforts he has done in awhile. Rachael Taylor's (Maggie Madsen), preformance was near believable although I kept asking myself she would pull this off better as the movie went on...it never happened. She was mediocre throughout the film although quite pretty. Anthony Anderson's (Glen Whitmann) preformance was how it usually is. Just above average. You usually don't see much more from him but then again he never really gets the oppurtunity to show just how good he can be. Tyrese Gibson's (USAF Tech Sergeant Epps) preformance was one of the lowest of his career. I liked him in Waist Deep and 2 Fast 2 Furious even though I didn't enjoy either of those movies. He just isn't believable... Jon Voight's (Defense Secretary John Keller) preformance was as expected for me. I love this guy he just plays his parts so well and doesn't try and go over the top with it or try to hard. He does what he needs to and goes home. Good man. Solid Actor. John Turturro's (Agent Simmons) preformance was great! Although I've never heard about him before the movie: O Brother Where Art Thou, I've kept a closer eye on him. His preformance in Mr. Deeds was great as well although in this movie he outdoes himself as far as Mr. Deeds though. In this movie he was the best I've ever seen him.

Their was a lot that stood out in this film but certain scenes, the actors/actresses lines, and the themes did it for me. The script writer for this film is a genious. I can't find who exactly it was but i just want to tell him: Thank you. That isn't even to mention Michael Bay! He is one of my favorite directors and everytime he makes a film I get excited. The themes in this movie were very important ones that weren't all that obvious because this film has enough to keep you occupied. The two that I liked the most for me were you can't trust the government and revenge isn't always as sweet as expected. Their are countless scenes I could mention here, but I'd end up talking about nearly every scene in the movie. Some noteables to look out for when you watch are: every scene Shia Labeouf is in he's a riot and does a great job in this film. The humor involved which involves Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, John Turturro, and the Transformers. The classic Transformer fight scenes just watch and be amazed. Then go back and watch again to soak up the raw emotion throughout the film especially the Transformer fight scenes. Everyway you look at how this movie is made it comes out looking like fresh roses. Their is so much more, but I wont discuss any further.

The problem with the drawbacks in this movie weren't the quantity, but the quality. One main thing is the fighting scenes. Although they were amazingly made and put together, some of them are hard to keep up with. This happens a little too often, and I'm sure it was hard enough to just put everything together. The second reason was the small screen time some of the Decepticons had in this film. The last main reason was the film seemed kinda rushed. As with King Kong I wouldn't have minded staying at least 15 minutes later to see a few more scenes. The overall acting was about a B- which only affected the rating a tad though. I encourage people of all ages to see this film because it is solid throughout and even if you're not a fan you will enjoy yourself especially with the added dosage of humor this film brings with it. This film is definitely recommended.