Transformers starts off with a big bang–Earth is caught in the middle of a war between two robot races–setting the serious tone for the film. If anyone was curious, there’s plenty more of jaw dropping moments that haven’t been shown in the trailers and TV spots. But the film is more than just a simple Robot vs. Robot spectacle—dare I say, more than meets the eye?

It’s relevant to the current climate in Iraq. Two factions with diametrically opposed viewpoints. One dedicated to wiping out another altogether to become the sole power in a region. At the same time, our soldiers are caught in the middle of this destructive conflict between these two groups.

Let’s be honest, Michael Bay directing and John Rogers who wrote Catwoman and co-wrote Transformers, were not inspiring choices for some, but they will surprise you by juggling various storylines, avoiding an origin-heavy plot, and keeping the story moving at a well-paced two and a half hours.

The gloom and doom eventually cuts a glimmer of hope and humor that Bay interweaves alternately throughout the film until the mid-point when human and robot plots merge fully. The balance of the story between humans and robots, is about 60/40 in favor of humans. That’s just a necessity, considering the budget is set at 150 million, and there’s 13 fully CGI characters, and just to avoid “Star Wars Prequel Syndrome”. Bay wisely opts to film as much non-CGI as possible and it shows in the final product, which is a good thing.

The audience I viewed it with had a heck of a time in our theatre, laughing at all the right spots (more than I was expecting to be honest) and stared slack-jawed at the whole visual experience. I was impressed that Bay pulled it off. I don’t know if that’s because Spielberg had a hand in things (he supposedly also helped some with Revenge of the Sith) or if Bay matured as a director, by holding the focus on some characters, fleshing out some scenes with genuine emotion.

Industrial Light & Magic (the real stars of the film) delivers another lavish CGI experience that genuinely conveys a heightened sense of realism, as if the Transformers truly do exist in our world. There are real world consequences to giant robots fighting in the city, a very real danger posed by invading aliens that was never really there in the original cartoons.

For me, the best looking design was Blackout, the helicopter, more than likely because you can “see” parts of his alt form when transformed (meaning, when he’s a robot, you can clearly make out what parts from the helicopter transformed into the robot, just in case it’s not clear). The toy transforms exactly like the film from what I could tell which was a nice touch, since some of the other figures in the toy line do not.

The only disappointment I have is in a film of this size, there’s just no way to realistically focus on every character. Despite this, none of the Autobots are just pure cipher characters. There are clichés, but you get enough glimpses to indicate some personality behind the surface impressions. For example, Ratchet is somewhat of a geek/nerdy type, fascinated with accidentally electrocuting himself; Ironhide the grizzled, all business warrior type tosses a good-natured jab at him. The Decepticons could use some more screen time, but they did an excellent job of making them threatening and genuinely scary, which was never there in the original cartoon.

Regardless, I look at the film as I do all other comic adaptations. I prefer to see alternate takes on the core concept. I want to see the film explore new ground, while capturing the characterization of the original concept. That’s where this film succeeds for me, in providing an alternate take on the concept while delivering characterization in spades. The film is a spectacle that HAS to be seen in a theater! It’s the closest thing this generation will get to an “sci-fi fantasy experience” that they’ll remember for years to come. There’s a reason so many viewers are literally giddy at seeing something that before hasn’t really been seen in film.

Honestly, for a first film in what’s destined to be a franchise, I have little to no problems with it. Normally, I’ll wait for the DVD for repeated viewings, but I can see myself seeing this one over and over again.