Okay. First of all, anyone who takes this film seriously, and feels compelled to critique, is way too tightly wound. I was a fan of the cartoon, I had the toys at Christmas, and I consider myself a fairly capable film buff. That said, this movie absolutely rocked!!!!!!!
It's not class. Not even close. Michael Bay is a hack. That's undisputable. However, he is a flashy, explosions, beautiful girls, suped-up effects, all-in-your-face, certified genius of a hack.
I saw it in a theatre full of Koreans, and everyone cheered, applauded (not at the Japanese references hahahahahahhaaaaa), and laughed. Even in translation this movie works. You could take out all the dialogue together (although it is a very funny movie), and it would still be a summertime masterpiece. I mean after Spiderman 3 and Pirates 3 (both unbelievably disappointing), this movie saved my summer. I highly recommend it, if for nothing more than two hours of mind-numbing fun and deliciously fatty popcorn.