In the “it’s-so-ridiculous-that-it-can’t-be-true-but-it-is” department, Paramount Pictures has decided it would be a good idea to spend some advertising dollars on a campaign meant to coerce The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences into considering Transformers: Age of Extinction for placement in the race for Best Picture Oscar next year. Yes, you should probably re-read that sentence to understand the immense and utterly laughable concept that was just presented to you.
Not only does Paramount want Transformers 4 for Best Picture, it also would like Best Director (Michael Bay), Best Cinematographer, as well as a whole host of production and post-production statues. Let’s just take a look at why this is amazing.
We can start, well, before the movie even starts, because no one really cared to see it compared to the other three films in the franchise. In terms of box office revenue (domestically), Transformers 4: Age of Extinction grossed $245 million, well below the $300 million mark that the other films reached. Also, only one other Transformers film (Revenge of the Fallen) was distributed to more theaters than this installment. In other words, people are getting tired of seeing close-ups of digitally created robots smashing into each other.
Then, there are the reviews. Rotten Tomatoes has the film at 18%, and Metacritic rated the film at a 32 out of 100 — not so great for a summer tentpole. The film has had some good reviews, with RogerEbert.com mentioning that it’s “not without its thrills.” But, it doesn’t get much better than that. Here’s proof.
The Bay-man has made the worst and most worthless Transformers movie yet. I know, hard to believe, right? How could any summer blockbuster be as dull, dumb and soul-sucking as the first three Transformers movies? Step right up.
There isn’t enough visual beauty to forgive the screenplay’s ugliness, but Bay does brave a daring new standard in product placement.
If you’re not an 11-year-old boy, or a grown-up in the mood to feel like one, the endless “wow!-that-car-is-now-a-deep-voiced-robot” scenes lack thrill. In fact, the action scenes, as in the previous films, are downright headache-inducing.
You can look up reviews for Transformers 4 and you’ll see that disdain for the film is rampant. So, why is Paramount pushing to have this film recognized for Best Picture? Probably, because Paramount doesn’t have many dogs in this fight. The only films on their docket that might have a chance at winning Oscar gold are Selma and Interstellar. Hey, who knows? Crazier things have happened. James Franco once hosted the Oscars.