Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The Best in the Franchise.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a 2011 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. First released on June 23, 2011, it is the third installment of the live-action Transformers film series. Like its predecessors, Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film's story is set three years after the events of the second film, with the Autobots, during their collaboration with the NEST (Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers) military force, discovering a hidden alien technology in possession of humans, which had been found by Apollo 11 on the Moon 42 years prior. However, the Decepticons unveil a plan to use the technology to enslave Humanity in order to save the home planet of the Transformers, Cybertron.

Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro reprised their starring roles, with Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving returning as the voices of Optimus Prime and Megatron, and Kevin Dunn and Julie White reprising their roles as the parents of the main protagonist, Sam Witwicky. English model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaced Megan Fox as the lead female character; the cast also saw the additions of Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, and Frances McDormand. As well with Leonard Nimoy, Keith Szarabajka, Ron Bottitta, John DiMaggio, George Coe, Francesco Quinn, James Remar, and Greg Berg who joined the film's voice cast. The script was written by Ehren Kruger, who also collaborated on the narrative of the second film of the series. Bay stated this would be his last installment in the series. Dark of the Moon was shot with both regular 35mm film cameras and specially developed 3-D cameras, with filming locations including Indiana, Washington, D.C., Moscow, Florida, and Chicago. The film was rendered specifically for 3-D, and the visual effects involved more complex robots which took longer to render.

Plot

In 1961, the Ark, a Cybertronian spacecraft carrying an invention capable of ending the war between the philanthropic Autobots and the malevolent Decepticons, crash lands on the dark side of Earth's Moon. The crash is detected on Earth by NASA, and President John F. Kennedy authorizes a mission to put a man on the Moon as a cover for investigating the craft. In 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 lands on the Moon.

In the present, the Autobots assist the United States military in preventing conflicts around the globe. During a mission to Chernobyl, to investigate suspected alien technology, Optimus Prime finds a fuel cell from the Ark, discovering that it had survived its journey from Cybertron. The Autobots are attacked by Shockwave, who manages to escape. After learning of the top-secret mission to the Moon, the Autobots travel there to explore the Ark. They discover a comatose Sentinel Prime – Optimus' predecessor as leader of the Autobots – and the Pillars he created as a means of establishing a Space Bridge between two points to teleport matter. After returning to Earth, Optimus uses the energy of his Matrix of Leadership to revive Sentinel Prime.

Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky is frustrated that he is unable to work with the Autobots and is failing to find a job. He also becomes envious of the close relationship between his new girlfriend, Carly Spencer, and her boss Dylan Gould. After finding work, Sam is provided information by his eccentric co-worker Jerry Wang about the Ark, before Jerry is assassinated by the Decepticon Laserbeak. Sam contacts the now-independently wealthy Seymour Simmons, and together they realize that the Decepticons and their leader, Megatron, are murdering people connected to the American and Russian space missions to the Ark. They locate two surviving Russian cosmonauts, who reveal satellite photos of hundreds of Pillars being stockpiled on the Moon. Sam realizes that the Decepticons raided the Ark long before the Autobots' mission and intentionally left Sentinel and five Pillars behind to lure the Autobots into a trap – Sentinel being the key to activating the Pillars and the Decepticons lacking the means to revive him. The Autobots rush to return Sentinel to their base for protection but Sentinel betrays them and kills the Autobot Ironhide, revealing he had made a deal with Megatron to ensure the survival of the Cybertronian race.

Sentinel uses the Pillars to transport hundreds of concealed Decepticons from the Moon to Earth, and Carly is captured by Gould, who is revealed to be in the service of the Decepticons. The Autobots are exiled from Earth at the demand of the Decepticons to avoid war, but as their ship leaves Earth it is destroyed by Megatron's second-in-command, Starscream, seemingly killing the Autobots. The Decepticons, led by Megatron and Sentinel, seize Chicago as their agents place Pillars around the world. Gould reveals to Carly that the Decepticons plan to transport their homeworld of Cybertron to the Milky Way, then to enslave humanity and use Earth's resources to rebuild their world. Sam teams with USAF Chief Robert Epps to go into Chicago to save Carly, but they are nearly killed by Decepticon forces before the Autobots intervene, revealing they concealed themselves during the launch of their ship to convince the Decepticons they were destroyed.

Working together, the Autobots and human soldiers manage to rescue Carly and destroy Laserbeak, Soundwave, Barricade, Starscream, and Shockwave, with Optimus using Shockwave's arm-cannon to blast the Control Pillar, disabling the Space Bridge. Sam confronts Gould as he reactivates the Control Pillar, and knocks Gould into the Pillar, fatally electrocuting him. Bumblebee and Ratchet arrive and destroy the Control Pillar, permanently disabling the Bridge and causing the partially transported Cybertron to implode. Optimus and Sentinel fight while Carly convinces Megatron that he will be replaced as leader of the Decepticons by Sentinel. Sentinel severs Optimus' right arm, and is about to execute him when Megatron intervenes, incapacitating Sentinel. Megatron invokes Optimus for a truce, having the desire to become the one-in-charge again. Optimus attacks Megatron, knowing Megatron's true intentions, decapitating and killing him. Sentinel pleads for his life but Optimus executes him too, for betraying his own principles. With the Decepticons defeated, Carly and Sam are reunited and the Autobots accept that with Cybertron gone, Earth is now their home.

Cast

Humans

• Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a recent college graduate who is once again tied to the fate of Earth's survival.
• Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Carly Spencer, Sam's new love interest.
• Tyrese Gibson as USAF Chief Robert Epps, former NEST major who now works at a space shuttle.
• Josh Duhamel as U.S. Army Lt. Colonel William Lennox, the captain of the classified strike team NEST – an international taskforce battling Decepticons with the Autobots.
• John Turturro as Seymour Simmons, a former agent of the terminated Sector 7 unit who is now a professional writer.
• Patrick Dempsey as Dylan Gould, a wealthy car collector and employer of Carly Spencer who is secretly in cahoots with Megatron.
• Kevin Dunn as Ron Witwicky, Sam's father.
• Julie White as Judy Witwicky, Sam's mother.
• John Malkovich as Bruce Brazos, Sam's employer and boss at Accuretta Systems.
• Frances McDormand as Charlotte Mearing, the Director of National Intelligence.
• Lester Speight as "Hardcore" Eddie, a former member of NEST.
• Alan Tudyk as Dutch, Agent Simmons' personal assistant.
• Ken Jeong as Jerry "Deep" Wang, a paranoid software programmer at Sam's work.
• Glenn Morshower as General Morshower, leader of NEST, who communicates with the squad in the Pentagon.
• Buzz Aldrin appears as himself, meeting Optimus Prime at the NEST headquarters.
• Bill O'Reilly appears as himself, interviewing Agent Simmons through his television program The O'Reilly Factor.
• Elya Baskin as Cosmonaut Dimitri, one of the two surviving Russian cosmonauts who gives Sam information on the Moon missions.

Transformers

• Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots and keeper of the Matrix of Leadership.===

• Hugo Weaving as Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, who is still badly wounded from the final battle of Revenge of the Fallen.

• Leonard Nimoy as Sentinel Prime, Optimus Prime's predecessor as the leader of the Autobots who transforms into a red and black Rosenbauer Panther Fire Truck. He was also a mentor to Optimus.

• Jess Harnell as Ironhide, the Autobots' cantankerous weapons specialist.

• Charlie Adler as Starscream, Megatron's second-in-command.

• Robert Foxworth as Ratchet, the Autobots' medical officer.

• James Remar as Sideswipe, the Autobots' combat instructor who transforms into a silver Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept Convertible.

• Francesco Quinn as Dino/Mirage, an Autobot Spy who transforms into a red Ferrari 458 Italia. This was Quinn's final role before his death shortly after the film was released.

• George Coe as Que/Wheeljack, an Autobot scientist who invents gadgets, equipment, and weapons who transforms into a blue Mercedes-Benz E550.

• Tom Kenny as Wheelie, a former Decepticon drone turned Autobot lackey.

• Reno Wilson as Brains, Wheelie's partner and a fellow former Decepticon drone.

• Frank Welker as Shockwave, an emotionless but fierce Decepticon; Soundwave, the Decepticons' communication officer, and Barricade a Decepticon who transforms into a Police Car.

• Ron Bottitta as Amp/Roadbuster, one of the three Wreckers. He transforms into a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #88 AMP Energy/National Guard car.

• John DiMaggio as Target/Leadfoot, the leader of the Wreckers. He transforms into a Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Target car.

• Keith Szarabajka as Laserbeak, a condor-like Decepticon who is fiercely loyal to Soundwave.

• Greg Berg as Igor, a deformed Decepticon who serves as a personal servant to Megatron in his exile.

• Jim Wood as Crowbar, one of the members of the Dreads.