SHAWORDS

Transformers is so belabored that it makes Pirates of the Caribbean: A — James Berardinelli

"Transformers is so belabored that it makes Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End seem like a masterpiece of pacing. It makes that "classic" midsummer alien invasion movie, Independence Day, seem like a template for inventive plotting and solid character development. Even by Michael Bay standards, this movie is vapid. Yes, there are plenty of explosions, but those are a dime-a-dozen these days; even Discovery Channels Mythbusters has them. Transformers isnt clean, big-budget fun; its clean, big-budget tedium. For Transformers fans, I suppose this is a dream motion picture. For everyone else, its a nightmare."
J
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
author62 quotes

James Berardinelli is an American film critic. His reviews are mainly published on his blog ReelViews. Approved as a critic by the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, he has published two collections of reviews of movies on DVD and video. He is also a fantasy novelist, publishing a trilogy from 2015 through 2016 known as The Last Whisper of the Gods.

More by James Berardinelli

View all →
Quote
"I dont often use the words "godawful" and "abomination" to describe a movie, preferring to reserve such terminology for extreme instances when I feel duped and mortally offended. Case in point: Bachelorette. Often with a bad film, I search for something positive or productive to say, cognizant as I am that there are real people with real feelings behind the production. That wont be happening here. When it comes to watchability, the only thing to distinguish this from Freddy Got Fingered (the turd standard for cinematic badness) is the absence of the sexual molestation of animals. And one could make a convincing argument that the sexual molestation of animals might improve Bachelorette. This possibility that this might not be the worst movie of the year is frightening to contemplate - Directed by Lesley Headland."
J
James Berardinelli
Quote
"I have to report that this motion picture is arguably the worst piece of cinematic crap I have ever experienced theatrically. Hyperbole, you wonder? I looked through my list of zero-star movies and couldnt find one entry (except the immortal Zombie vs. Mardi Gras, which was a straight-to-video release) that ranked as more difficult to endure. Words like abomination and travesty dont do this movie justice. Sitting through Freddy Got Fingered was one of the most depressing experiences in my 10 years of reviewing films. Its not even enjoyable on a campy level. Its just bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad - Directed By Tom Green."
J
James Berardinelli
Quote
"Perhaps I never truly understood the term "torture porn" until watching this movie. The various demented killings, maimings, and other assorted indignities performed upon characters (most of them comely women) are designed with one objective in mind: to get people off. Make no mistake about it - this is masturbation material for those who enjoy this sort of thing. … Watching Captivity is like observing a 45-minute psychological rape. Rarely have I found myself so uncomfortable viewing anything over such an extended period of time. Theres nothing redeemable here. Its not tense or scary; its just demented - Directed by Roland Joffé."
J
James Berardinelli