Megan over Megatron

Special effects can be tough, especially for people who appreciate movies that are relatable, plausible, and not full of cars that talk and imagined creatures. But they also bring stories and plots to life, like they did in Transformers. They offer a whole new world of things that do not always happen here on Earth and display the vast creativity of many people. As a hard critic of Science Fiction and anything made up, it can be difficult to acknowledge vehicles that are very personified. In this film, the fight between two groups, the Autobots and Decepticons, comes to life through cars. With that said, Transformers used elements and features that were the very essence of the film, and it successfully captured viewers by blending special effects with a significant story. The movie attracted a broad audience by using a realistic situation with Shia LeBeouf’s and Megan Fox’s characters (Everything’s an Argument, 56) and their eventual romance. There were other familiar elements like the presence of the United States military. Incorporating such aspects made powerful pathos appeals to viewers who, like myself, do not typically (basically never) prefer Science Fiction. There are many things, which enlist my personal sympathies, sex appeal admittedly being one of them (Understanding Movies, 406). And while it’s true that there is a lot of action – explosions, loud helicopters, and gigantic robots – this movie still feels like it has a spirit to it beyond the effects. Even though the effects are the heart of the movie, it never feels soulless, predictable, or full of fury (Understanding Movies, 35). The only apparent irony was in that the battle was supposedly ancient, although to the audience it probably seemed quite futuristic. In this regard, the story could be confusing since people often associate advanced technology and robots with the future, not the past.

Furthermore, this movie was highly promoted and praised by the media and by the general public. I can confess that one of the main reasons (Everything’s an Argument, 69) I agreed to see the movie was that it gained so much popularity. Oh, and I worked at the movies at the time so I went for free! I have never had the strong pull toward stories that have nothing to do with life on Earth, but I did appreciate the balance of robots and humans in Transformers. Normally, the closest I get to special effects is seeing double of Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap, so to say that Transformers was a movie I would see twice is a bold statement. Appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos were all present via known actors, attractive story, and excellent job of capturing the genre.

In a movie that is titled Transformers, robots and cars and make believe characters are but expected. Any potential viewers probably have an accurate anticipation of what will happen in the movie. However, there is a good balance of special effects and the plot so neither is terribly overwhelming. Ultimately, the special effects in Transformers enhanced the overall quality and appeal of the film. The special effects, the cars that transformed, the robots that fought against each other – the movie would not have been without any effects or computer-generated images. It was an impressive spectacle of vision and imagination. I would give this movie two/three because I enjoyed this movie, but still don’t care for robots.