TRANSFORMERS 3: L'ATTO TERZO DEI 'TRANSFORMERS', ANCHE IN 3D, NON UN 3D QUALUNQUE, BENSI' UN 3D SPECIALE CHE RISPONDE ALLA PARTICOLARE VISIONE DEL REGISTA MICHAEL BAY

If the world needed another epic cinematic clash between Autobots and Decepticons (and that's a Megatron-sized if), it certainly gets one in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." A considerably better modulated, more bearable experience than "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," Michael Bay's latest gift to little boys and aspirin companies everywhere places ever more advanced CGI wizardry in service of an orgiastic pileup of crushed metal and cataclysmic mayhem. Climaxing with an hourlong setpiece that lays waste to most of Chicago, Paramount's 3D tentpole should leave the summer B.O. competish in roughly the same condition.

Having himself expressed dissatisfaction with 2009's hugely successful but widely reviled "Revenge of the Fallen," mass-demolition maestro Bay has made conspicuous improvements with this third entry in the live-action franchise adapted from Hasbro's popular toys and cartoons. Scripted by "Fallen" alum Ehren Kruger, "Dark of the Moon" boasts a more cohesive story, a more varied

rhythm and a fresh target-audience lust object in the form of British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, stepping in for the equally full-lipped Megan Fox.

Most notably, to maximize the benefits of the stereoscopic format, Bay seems to have placed a slightly higher value on visual coherence, holding the frame longer than usual, demonstrating more continuity in the editing, allowing the viewer to savor the cars' 3D-enhanced transformations in tantalizing slow-motion, and including enough wide shots to allow for a more generous, less claustrophobic view of the action. The result may still be a big, bloated spectacle, but it's a big, bloated spectacle you can just about follow.

After a prologue recapping the civil war that destroyed the Transformers' home planet, Cybertron, the film launches into an unexpectedly stirring recap of America's space program during the '60s (assembled from archival footage and brief re-enactments processed to look retro-grainy). In short order, pic

spins an intriguing counter-narrative to the 1969 moon landing, positing a top-secret NASA mission to investigate the remains of Sentinel Prime, once the leader of the Autobots and something of a father figure to Optimus Prime (voiced again by the gravelly Peter Cullen).

Meanwhile, hints of renewed activity among the evil Decepticons are just the thing to lure young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf, more cranked up than ever) back into battle. Currently jobless in Washington, D.C., living with hot g.f. Carly (Huntington-Whiteley), and temporarily abandoned by Bumblebee, who's off on exciting Autobot missions, Sam jumps into the fray and soon butts heads with national intelligence director Charlotte Mearing (Frances McDormand, bringing her usual no-bull attitude to the proceedings). Mearing in turn butts heads with Optimus Prime, who wants to revive Sentinel Prime from his ancient slumber.

Bad idea, as it turns out, paving the way for what looks like a

crushing defeat for the Autobots. Pic pauses for a sobering moment of pre-apocalyptic dread, capped by the image of a single tear streaking down LaBeouf's dirt-smudged cheek, before turning its attention to Chicago, where the Decepticons, no doubt having heard of the city's superior tax credits, have set up their stronghold.

This climactic sequence, which occupies more than a third of the film's 154-minute running time, amounts to some kind of exhausting tour de force; it just keeps going and going, punctuated by extended setpieces that occasionally stimulate the adrenaline. The most arresting of these finds Sam, Carly and various familiar faces in combat fatigues (Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson) trapped in a collapsing skyscraper; d.p. Amir Mokri's camera weaves vertiginously in and out of the teetering building as the serpentine Shockwave, one of the Decepticons' nastier creations, goes in for the kill.

Yet even as it showcases a new degree

of directorial control, "Dark of the Moon" remains a live-action cartoon, more a delivery mechanism for testosterone and axle grease than a satisfying dramatic experience. Even LaBeouf's pluck and Huntington-Whiteley's carefully ogled derriere cannot lend much human interest to a scenario in which men and women are consistently dwarfed by the surrounding mayhem. Now as before, the cars are staggering feats of technical engineering diminished by the story's insistence on saddling them with petulant human motives and clunky voiceover; three movies in, this franchise still can't find anything more interesting for them to do except shout menacing catchphrases before ripping out each other's cyber-guts.

The roles of FBI agent Simmons (John Turturro) and Sam's parents (Kevin Dunn and Julie White) are appreciably reined in here, while John Malkovich and Patrick Dempsey deliver effective if one-note support as Sam's new boss and romantic rival, respectively. Sound mix is topnotch, and Steve

Jablonsky's score supplies the requisite emotional surge even as its pulsing rhythms suggest a more bombastic variation on Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's theme for the recent Batman movies.

Pic makes more sophisticated and consistently noticeable use of 3D than most recent blockbusters, though foreground objects are often distractingly cut off by the edge of the frame. As reported in Variety, Paramount is releasing enhanced digital 3D prints in about 2,000 RealD theaters, hopefully nailing the ideal level of image brightness on display at the screening attended.

Transformers 3, diretto sempre da Michael Bay e prodotto da Steven Spielberg, chiude la trilogia iniziata nel 2007 con Transformers e proseguita nel 2009 con Transformers: la vendetta del Caduto. Per questa nuova ed entusiasmante avventura il regista ha scelto di seguire il consiglio di James Cameron, utilizzando la tecnologia 3D e dare vita a un’esperienza visiva di più alto livello.
Le riprese del film sono durate parecchi mesi e sono state frammentate in diverse città degli Stati Uniti: Chicago, Detroit, Gary (Indiana), Milwaukee, Los Angeles e molte altre. Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, a quelli storici se ne sono aggiunti diversi, tra questi c’è John Malkovich, che veste i panni del datore di lavoro di Sam, che è un personaggio bizzarro e che provoca ilarità. L’attore, pur avendo un ruolo circoscritto, lascia un’impronta profonda nello spettatore, per il suo modo unico di sbizzarrirsi nei ruoli che interpreta.

L’azione è portata a

livelli visivi esaltanti, in continua evoluzione e il ritmo aumenta sempre di più col procedere della storia. Le musiche di accompagnamento, che sono come sempre di Steve Jablonsky, danno un contributo notevole all’epicità dello scontro finale. A queste si aggiungono brani di varie band che, dai Linkin Park ai Goo Goo Dolls, creano una ragnatela musicale che insieme alle immagini cattura.
Michael Bay ha saputo unire, per l’ennesima volta, una splendida azione ricca di effetti visivi e una messa in evidenza del suo protagonista umano. In questo terzo capitolo mostra le difficoltà di Sam nel trovare lavoro, dopo la conclusione dell’università. Quest’argomento accomuna un po’ tutti i giovani che, nonostante una serie infinita di colloqui, vengono rifiutati per i più svariati motivi. Nel film Sam non ha esperienza, non è dalla giusta parte politica, incorrendo in errori che non lo fanno apparire un buon candidato. Alla fine accetta un lavoro che

forse non gli darà stimoli, ma gli farà pagare l’affitto. Inoltre Sam non si sente apprezzato, in fondo ha solo salvato il mondo per ben due volte, eppure il governo e chi gli sta intorno sembra essersene dimenticato.

Una costante, presente in tutti e tre i film, è l’ironia dei personaggi, che lasciano lo spettatore sorridente. Da quando la Hasbro ha creato i primi giocattoli dei Transformers per i bambini, ai quali è seguita la creazione di una serie animata che li vede protagonisti, queste “auto” superintelligenti ne hanno fatta di strada. Oggi i Transformers sono diventati un fenomeno cinematografico che ha allargato il suo bacino anagrafico, che comprende una grossa fetta di adulti appassionati alle loro avventure.