More than meets the eye {Movie premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction}

I can't say I am a die-hard fan of Transformers.

However, I clearly remember watching the cartoons as a child, the jingle "Transformers, more than meets the eye" rings in my head every now and then, plus I have watched all the first three movies in the Transformers series. Oh, and we also got to meet Optimus Prime in Hollywood, LA during our honeymoon!

Some people must think that I am not a very good mum. After all, who brings kids this young to the cinema and expose them to movies this much? It's not just movies like Frozen, Turbo and Planes. My kids have also watched X-Men, The Amazing Spiderman and now, Transformers. It is not something I am mighty proud of, but it also isn't something I am strongly against.

Exposing them to violence doesn't mean they will become violent, instead, it gives me a chance to teach them about being against violence, about good triumphs over evil, about helping others in need, about kindness begets kindness, about righteousness, benevolence and humanity. Right, maybe I am finding excuses for my own indulgence.

After all, I was a mass comms student and being a blogger still places me as part of the media industry. I like to watch movies with Angel and teach her about cinematography, special effects and computer generated imagery. We would talk about things like how the zombies are all humans with make up, how monsters are created using computers, how cameras pan, tilt, zoom and track to get different angles and how much work it actually takes to film every scene. In layman's terms, of course. As for Ariel, she much prefers to eat, drink and sleep in the cinema than watch, which is fine by all means for now.

So, since the hubby and I are probably not giving up on going to the cinema, it looks like our family is in for more movie dates in future. Of course, I hope we will go for family-friendly shows or epic shows with special effects that will enrapture kids, rather than shows with complicated chain of events, soppy lines or overly adultish plots.

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This week, we were invited by Duracell, as part of their 50th year anniversary celebration, to the movie premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Can you imagine a world without batteries? Well, I can't. That would mean a world where we have to wind clocks by hand, crank engines to start cars and there will be so such things as battery-powered toys, mobile phones, cameras or digital devices. *gasp* The latest Duracell CopperTop batteries with Duralock Power Preserve Technology last six times longer than ordinary batteries. As the world's No. 1 battery brand, Duracell strives to innovate and excel in powering devices to keep us connected, protected and entertained.

Held at The Cathay, the movie premiere was highly anticipated and the place was already bustling with people and activity an hour before the show began. We were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee at the lobby - my two favourite Autobots! Optimus strikes me as the cool, debonair, a little arrogant but always dignified leader. Bumblebee, well, he is just endearing and the movie would not be the same without him.

Speaking of being the same, the one big difference in this fourth film is that Mark Wahlberg now takes over Shia LeBeouf as the human protagonist of the show. The cast is new, fresh and brings about new dynamics to the set. Even though I miss seeing Josh Duhamel as Major Lennox, Mark Wahlberg has been one of my favourite actors ever since I watched Shooter and there is this charismatic, down-to-earth quality about him that makes him Michael Bay's perfect candidate for this new movie.

Image credits: Left, right

The movie takes place years after the Decepticons have destroyed Chicago and the remaining Transformers are being hunted by the government and a Transformer bounty hunter. Mark Wahlberg plays the part of Cade Yeager, an enthusiastic but failed inventor and single, protective dad of 17-year-old Tessa (Nicole Peltz). He buys a truck in the hope of selling its parts and discovers that it is the chief Autobot - Optimus Prime - who is now a fugitive in hiding. As you can imagine, the chase begins and along the way, they stumble upon a shocking conspiracy and Optimus Prime must decide whether he will rally the Autobots to once again defend the humans who have stabbed them in the back.

One of the highlights of the movie is the grand appearance of the Dinobots! Albeit it was only for a short 15 minutes, that segment was truly breathtaking and the combination of Optimus Prime riding on the fearsome and powerful Tyrannosaurus Rex - Grimlock, leader of the Dinobots - was simply magnificent and brilliant. Despite the bulk of negative reviews that come with the Transformers series, we totally loved the stunning visual effects, never ending climaxes, immense thrill and action, giant scale destruction and were blown away by the charm of the metallic superheroes. 

It would have been better for us if the show was not a staggering 165 minutes long - the longest film in the series. Around halfway through it, our little one decided that she grew bored of the robots, and the food, and to her joy, discovered a gem in the cinema - stairs. So for the later half of the show, we had to find ways to distract her or end up missing some of the exciting parts while trying to keep up with her. Well, no one said it would be easy, but nothing's gonna stop us, right?

Just so you know, this film has been rated PG13 in Singapore which means it is suitable for people aged 13 and above. However, the rating is only an advisory and parents who think their under-13 kids are mature enough to handle the themes can still take them to watch the movie.

I'm not saying that the Transformers is an absolutely family-friendly show especially with the 3-D effects (Angel loved it though!), but as always, the responsibility of educating kids about what they watch on any screen lies with the parents and we are the ones who will decide what works or does not work for our family.

For those who do decide to watch it, kids or no kids, I hope you will have a blast during the 2.5 hours! Autobots, Roll Out!

Transformers: Age of Extincition is now open in cinemas islandwide.

Disclosure: We were invited to the movie premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction by Duracell to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Yes, there were complimentary popcorn and drinks too! All opinions are my own.