By Dan Hudak 

      Wow, what a blast.

      What an absolutely great time at the movies “Transformers” is, filled with phenomenal visual effects, great action and a well thought-out story that keeps things moving. At 144 scintillating minutes a lot could’ve gone wrong in bringing the legendary toys and cartoon to the big screen, but director Michael Bay and his team have made a live action effects extravaganza that is truly unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

      The script by Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman (“Mission: Impossible III”) is complex but never convoluted, featuring a number of characters in different settings who gradually work their way together. At a military base in Qatar, Captain Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson) are attacked by a helicopter-turned-robot that destroys everything in its path. Back home, the Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) tries to figure out what happened.

      Fortunately, a brief prologue has already filled us in: On the planet Cybertron the Autobots (heroes) and Decepticons (villains) are immersed in a civil war, and the key to controlling the planet, a cube called the Allspark, is somewhere on earth. About 100 years ago the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving), crash-landed in the Arctic and left a clue to the Allspark’s location before he was discovered and cryogenically frozen by secret government agents.

      The clue is in the eyeglasses of the great-grandfather of teenager Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), who soon finds himself in the middle of the war along with the sexy girl on whom he has a crush, Mikaela (Megan Fox). The Autobots — Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide, Jazz (voiced by Darius McCrary, who played Eddie on “Family Matters”) and the leader, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen, who also did the voice on the cartoon) — befriend and protect Sam, are colorful in appearance and transform into automobiles. The more versatile Decepticons — Barricade, Starscream, Frenzy, Bonecrusher, et. Al, — who will do anything to rescue Megatron and possess the glasses, are gray and transform into a fighter plane, armored tank and police car, among other things.

      It’s a credit to Bay that the actors don’t get lost in the CGI. LaBeouf, who’s currently shooting the fourth “Indiana Jones” movie, is innately likable as Sam, though Fox’s Mikaela is little more than eye candy. Duhamel and Gibson keep the machismo high with military might, while Voight brings enough gravitas to keep things (somewhat) serious. John Turturro, Anthony Anderson, Rachael Taylor and Bernie Mac also appear.

      But the movie really belongs to the Autobots and Decepticons, who come alive with great detail using the latest in visual effects technology. There hasn’t been a cooler sight this year than when the Autobots are racing along and quickly transform at full speed to fend off the approaching Decepticons. Bay (“Armageddon”) perfectly blends the effects and live action with sweeping aerial shots and a camera that’s always moving, which keeps the tempo very high and provides premium thrills.

      Fans of the franchise will no doubt be thrilled with the movie, but it’s also accessible to those unfamiliar with the brand. There are in-jokes for knowing fans (the line “more than meets the eye” is used twice), but it may actually be a more enjoyable experience if everything about the movie is new; if you already know what the robots can do it takes away some of the novelty and, to a small extent, the dazzle.

      Either way, though, “Transformers” is just plain awesome.  Dan.