Transformers Age of Extinction: FTW and WTF

One word to describe Transformers: Age of Exrinction: LONG.
Personally, the editing didn't do it for me. I'm not a huge fan of storytelling done in chunks. It makes me forget what happened in the other subplot until we get back to it so many minutes later. That's just me. I need a more exciting back-to-back kind of storytelling.

But that intro was totally unfair of me. There ARE undeniable goodies in this movie as well. So allow me to do this properly and lay it down for you in FTWs and WTFs.

FTW!

THE PREMISE IS GOLD! Human dissing the alien robots who have protected their helpless organic asses for 3 movies now. That premise is so realistic, so selfish, so human.

GOOD INVENTOR VS. BAD INVENTOR. Goody-two-shoes Yeager had the biceps, but evil-man-who-grows-a-conscience Joshua had the humour. We like him.

THE ACTION WAS SOLID! I've always liked how these gargantuan robots battle it out in the city. I love how they crush buildings and cars. BAM! BOOM! POW!

BUMBLEBEE'S A TEENAGER. I like the attitude they've given Bumblebee this time around. He was hotheaded, rebellious, cool. He wasn't Witwicky's pet puppy.

GALVATRON! He's Megatron ver. 2. I thought that was awesome. Specially that part where he spewed a one-liner during battle when the humans never programmed him to. In your face, scientists!


WTF!

MEDIEVAL MAKEOVER. Optimus Prime had one. So he'd look better when he lifts the sword. Yeah. But we do like his emotional makeover! He was vengeful when betrayed. Which is again, a very real reaction. Dude, he shot and killed a man! Woot!

ROBOT FACE. The new robots Lockdown, Crosshairs, and Drift have faces. Like real, human, almost expressive faces… in metal. It's creepy. Hound even had a beard, and smoked a cigar. Creepy.

THAT EDITING THING. (please see above)

DINO-DUPED. Okay, this is my biggest beef. The poster, the trailer, the banners gave us the promise of Dinobots. Being as old as the original Transformers animation itself, this is huge for me. So when Grimlock and the gang came in 2 hours into the movie and had only 15 minutes of screen time, I was seriously, SERIOUSLY heartbroken.
And, geez, Prime! You do not ride Grimlock! Metal against metal… UGH! THE CHAFING!

Oh, and there's also the new LONG-LEGGED LEADING LADY who can 'grab my stick' because 'she has the best hands in the business'. Ay caramba! Your choice if she's a FTW or a WTF. Our house is divided.

That said, this is still an entertaining ride and I do recommend you hit it on 3D. It's insane how Transformers: Age of Extinction roadblocked all the cinemas in the metro! So if you miss it, that will be… just weird.

How Do I Love How To Train Your Dragon 2

This movie in one word: Brilliant.
But I may be a bit biased here. I love dragons. Please read my Maleficent entry for proof.

Dreamworks' How To Train Your Dragon 2 takes on a more mature, more emotional note in this sequel. The story was super tight, with the underlying theme of 'Rising against the odds' perfectly played out in David vs Goliath fashion 'til the very end of the film.

There was Hiccup vs. The War.
That's the plot trigger. Hiccup embarks on a peacekeeping talk with a guy named Drago who wears dragon skin as a fashion statement and screams bloody murder to control dragons. Come on! Who would want to chat with a guy like that?! But Hiccup was never one to listen to reason, and so the story goes on.

There was Valka vs. Berk vs. Herself vs. Her Past vs. Bad Dude.
Hiccup's mom has issues. What keeps her going is her life-long mission to protect dragons, which makes her abandon her family in the process. Okay, so now we know what her priorities are. It's like the modern day working mom choosing her career over her loved ones. But, heck, she's the Dragon Master! If I had a job as cool as hers, I'd rock the family tree.

There was Toothless vs. The Alpha.
Have I told you I loved dragons? Toothless just pushed that adoration a hundred knots higher! That part where the minute Night Fury challenged the Alpha Dragon whose like as huge as a couple of Mount Everests was just… just… intense! *swoon… slow clap… sniff*
(Yes, animated films make me more emotional than live action films. Sue me.)

Poignant to death, the film shattered my heart when Toothless accidentally kills Stoick with his laser blast brought on by mind control. Seriously mangled my heart there. Hiccup finally has his family together and then this happens. Aaaah… my poor, poor heart...

But the high point for me was the mutiny of dragons in the end. Nothing rocks my joes quite like a scaly, fiery uprising. And when Toothless was hailed the new Alpha, man, goosebumps! I got more giddy about that sequence than Hiccup being crowned the new Chief of Berk. (I like dragons more than I do humans. Sue me.) 

How To Train Your Dragon 2 is still showing in cinemas. If you have an almost unreasonable adoration for dragons like me, better catch this bit on 3D. Flying, fire-breathing dragons looks awesome in 3D! Yeah.

PS. Personal cringe moment for me: Hiccup looks weird as an adult. Puberty wasn't kind to him. :)