Nobody sticks to their roots more than Michael Bay. Love him or hate him, you have to respect his craft and Ambulance is one of his best films from start to finish. A wild ride with energetic performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and YayahAbdul-Mateen elevate this movie to exciting heights.
Two robbers steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry.
Sometimes you just need certain directors in your life. Enter Michael Bay and all the stuff that comes with it. I knew going into Ambulance, it was at least going to be entertaining as hell, but what I didn’t expect was just how much I was going to enjoy this movie. I think from the very get-go, if the two leads are played by lesser actors, this movie is actually a complete and utter dumpster fire. That’s not the case and there is serious star power at play here and it truly propels the movie forward at all times. Gyllenhaal is outstanding here giving such a unique, fun and over the top performance that it could only belong in a Michael Bay movie.
In a world where we have come to appreciate the Bayhem, the Bayisms, and everything else that comes with a Michael Bay movie. Well he found a new toy to play with while filming, drones. The amount of drone shots in this is staggering. At first it comes across as a pretty inventive and awesome concept, then you are almost laughing at the amount of drone footage used here. It works for the most part, but it got washed up towards the end of the movie.
A little Heat, a little Fast and Furious. A great heist to kick off the madness of the movie, followed by a 90 min chase scene in an ambulance and that’s where another Michael Bay trope is introduced, the bombshell (Eiza Gonzalez). She plays Cam, one of the best paramedics in the city of LA, but she lacks heart. A stone cold worker, who doesn’t really appreciate the work she actually does. Once she drops her patients off, that’s it and her relationship with co-workers have made her an unappealing co-pilot in the ambulance. So when she’s tasked with trying to save a cop who has been fatally wounded while trying to stay alive, her character gets a chance to grow and develop. For once it felt like the Michael Bay hottie actually had a story arc and something to do. He’s learning!
The film flows really well, you’re hooked in immediately with everything. They don’t mess around, they just throw you into the thick of it and wasted no time to get the action going. From start to finish this is one of the strongest Bay films in recent memory. Almost returning to what made him successful to begin with. When he’s paired with a terrific cast, his films can be good! He’s just such a hit or miss director and has almost become a parody of himself at times. Ambulance could be the launching pad for a Bay run here and I’m here for it. This just felt like an old school movie, a smaller budget heist film is something we don’t get often.
In a world full of comic book movies, sequels, spin-offs, prequels, reboots. It’s just refreshing to get some original IP and a fun ride. Seeing this in IMAX was awesome and it really gripes you from the very get-go. We need more Bayhem in our lives and I can’t stress enough how much fun Gyllenhaal was. Go see it on a big screen, grab some snacks and just enjoy the wild ride. I just love movies like this so much.
Michael Bay is all the way back and our lives just got better.
Are you kidding me with this? Sometimes you forget about a director and then BOOM, they come crashing back into your lives like a freight train from hell. This is peak Michael Bay and I’m all the way in. Two bank robbers who heist goes horribly wrong only to take control of an ambulance with Eiza Gonzalez as a paramedic. Just sign me up already.
Jake Gyllenhaal is going for it in this role. I love it, we really don’t get to see him play a bad gun, and you can tell he is having so much fun. When his buddy needs some money for a loved ones hospital bills (Yahya Abdul-Manteen) turns to the one man who always helps him out. This time around they are robbing banks, and after serving in the military, he finds himself in quite the pickle.
Not going to lie, this trailer is pretty bonkers and all over the place. The movie is called ‘Ambulance’ and that didn’t even come into play until the very end of the trailer. It just has so much going on and there are so many Bay explosions and I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg.
They did showcase a little too much of the film, but it being released on Netflix, that is a little understandable. But this is an adrenaline rush of a movie, my lord, the trailer just doesn’t slow down. It reminds me a little of The Town and John Q and do I really need to say more after that sentence?
This is something I didn’t think I needed in my life, but something I totally need in my life.
People HATE Michael Bay movies. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really love his work, but he’s made some pretty damn entraining movies in his life. Now, I go to his movies because they are a guilty pleasure. The last few Transformers have almost been unbearable to sit through in the theatres. Incoherent, and mass destruction everywhere, Michael Bay loves his explosions.
News broke today that Warner Brothers. is eyeing him to direct a Lobo movie. Well fans everywhere were losing their minds, and not in a good way. They don’t want to see him anywhere near a DC property and I guess there’s some merit to their complaints. He really hasn’t made a good movie in a long time, and the DCEU is already on thin ice as it is. Why bring in a guy to direct that most movie goers already despise and loath? Here’s the thing, Michael Bay is a ridiculous and bonkers director, and guess what? Lobo is a ridiculously crazy and bonkers character that this could actually be a match made in heaven. If there’s one person that could tap into Lobo, it could be Michael Bay. He knows how to make a big blockbuster, and if WB cracks down on him just a little bit, this could turn out okay. Another thing, this needs to be rated R. If this movie happens, Lobo is a rated R kind of guy. He swears, and kills and enjoys his pleasure. So again Michael Bay is perfect for the job.
This thing could also turn out to be one of the worst comic book movies ever made, but again this is just “in talks” so even if it happens we are looking at a 2021 release date, at the earliest. I’m all for it, because like I said, I go to every single Michael Bay movie, I loved Pain and Gain, and I’m not afraid to say it. This will most likely end up being a complete and utter disaster but I stand by my guilty pleasures and so should you. The biggest make or break for the movie, who they cast as the titled character. Maybe Mark Wahlberg? Probably not because Lobo is 6’4, so that wouldn’t exactly work out. Who on Earth could play Lobo?
So it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it might have been written by 8th graders.
(PARAMOUNT)
Everyone’s favorite franchise is back! That was a joke, the more this franchise goes on the angrier people seem to get. I remember way back when the firstTransformerscame out and I dragged a bunch of my friends to the theatre to go see it. They all thought it was going to be horrible, and they really didn’t know too much about it, unlike myself who like now, was a nerd. All I remember was after the initial scene of Blackout going after the military base, they all looked at me and said, “this is going to be awesome,” then Megan Fox came onto the screen and well then they were really sold. I love the first Transformers, it’s honestly in my top 20 favourite movies of all time lists, but ever since the original, they haven’t really been able to make a better movie. The best part about the original, besides it having Shia LaBeouf in it, was they really kept it simple. The plot wasn’t insanely confusing and it was really easy to follow. Ever since, Michael Bay, who is back in the directors chair for the 5th and last time for this franchise, just really likes to make things BIGGER, and way more confusing each time out. All I’ve ever wanted was for them to recreate the magic from the first one, and just go back to the stuff that made it so awesome. But well I think at this point Bay has just become a world-class prick, and honestly does this on purpose. Transformers: The Last Knight, isn’t the worst of the franchise, but it’s just the cherry on top of what can only be describe as a less than stellar summer movie season so far. I wish I could just go back to Megan Fox opening up the hood of Bumblebee, because those were good times, I even had the poster in my university dorm room.
So here’s the thing, I’m not even going to attempt to tell you what this movie is about, because to be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure myself. One thing is certain though; this movie starts off in medieval times, as we see King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table team up with Transformers. I know, and that’s where we get introduced to this magic staff, that only certain people can use. Honestly that’s all you really need to know, for a simple concept, boy do they really make it seem like you’re trying to learn a new language throughout this movie! The magic staff is the key to the whole movie, that’s all you need to know, magic staff and well explosions! Again Mark Wahlberg is back as everyone’s favorite inventor Cade Yeager (that’s his actual name), and he’s trying to save and rescue the remaining Autobots around Earth. He’s also like the most wanted man on the face of the Earth, but manages to stay hidden, in a junk yard, along with like half a dozen giant robots…..Josh Duhamel is back as Lennox, appearing in the first three movies, so now he leads a team called TRF, their job is to hunt down any Transformers and well kill them. We get introduced to two new female characters in this movie, and they were just meh. So we got a little firecracker Izabella, who has no home or family and goes around fixing Transformers, they try to play her out to be this kind of badass kid, but most of the time, she’s just being ridiculous and any 14 year old, would no doubt shit themselves if they were dealing with giant robots. Next we have Laura Haddock (who I love from the Inbetweeners movie) who is the love interest of Cade. But she’s also very vital to the story line, but I won’t really go into it, seeing how it’s in the spoiler territory. All I can say is I’m pretty sure they wanted to bring back either Megan Fox or get Sophie Turner for this role. Because she is these two girls mixed, actually at some points in the movie, I could swear it was Megan Fox on screen. So that kind of took me out of the movie, like why are they casting someone who looks identical to her? Oh I know it’s because Michael Bay is just messing with us at this point right? Sir Anthony Hopkins is in this also, well because sometimes you just need a good payday. He tries I guess, but like, all he’s really doing is filling us in on plot details and giving a few monologues. BE BETTER ANTHONY! That’s all I’m saying about the plot and characters, because the plot doesn’t matter, or the characters.
Don’t get me wrong, Michael Bay, you know how to shoot action scenes. He knows how to do things on the biggest and most grand scale. I’ll give him that, and I think the action and the fighting in this movie, was the best of the series so far. I went to this movie solely based on the fact that I knew there would be incredible action, and he didn’t disappoint. I’m even going to go as far to say that well, the Bumblebee vs. Optimus fight is better than the Batman vs. Superman fight. When the first trailer hit and I saw that these two guys were going to throw down, I knew I would have to be their watching it in IMAX. Like I don’t get why Bay has to make such great looking movies, but care so little about everything else. My god this script was probably written by 8th graders. There are so many talented writers that need a chance, and yet you turn out garbage like this. There is no reason why we can’t have an incredible Transformers movie, but it seems like all Bay cares about is explosions, product placement and introducing the world to new hot girls. Seeing how this is his fifth movie, maybe he could take a little pride in his overall work, because he shoots actions almost better than anyone, and I think he’s really good at getting the most out of his cast. He’s also an asshole for shooting this movie in three different aspect ratios, so throughout the entire movie, the screen keeps getting bigger and smaller, depending on what camera he used to shoot that particular scene. 3D glasses make movies hard enough to watch, imagine the screen changing sizes every 10 seconds.
At the end of the day, yeah this movie isn’t very good, fans and critics alike are destroying it, but I had to find out for myself. The 10-15 good minutes of this movie, and by that, I mean like 10-15 minutes of just pure awesomeness, reasons I go to the movies for. But it’s 2 hours and 28 minutes, they could have cut 30 minutes loose. But Bay is notorious for making extremely long movies. Those great minutes almost make up for everything else, because I’ll remember that Bumblebee vs. Optimus fight for a long time, because it was just so breathtakingly beautiful. I just don’t understand why everything else has to be just so terrible. This is a money making franchise, it will probably still make upwards of 700 million dollars, so maybe Paramount just doesn’t care about fan service anymore. Michael Bay is done as director and I think it’s time for some fresh blood to get in there and overhaul this thing for the better. We need better human characters, if they are going to be in these movies as much as they are. But more focus needs to be on the Transformers themselves and if I had it my way, I would say to hell with the humans and replace them with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Just for one movie, and see how it goes, I think that could be a really fun movie, it beats watching Mark Wahlberg be a superhero and a 14 year old girl some how fight Decepticons, it’s just not worth my time anymore. But I continue to give this franchise money, because of moments like Bee vs. Optimus and the other incredible action sequences, it’s a love/hate thing for sure, because it just doesn’t make sense to me, why these movies can’t be great. They are making like 14 more, so I guess they have plenty of time to correct this course, or simply just take more of my money. I’m a sucker for robots, what can I say….
Check ya later,
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Transformers: The Last Knight = 52/100
All I know is 2017 is the year of family; first Dom Toretto is turning his back on his family and now Optimus, what the hell is going on here people?
(PARAMOUNT)
These movies I tell yeah, just when you think you’re out, they suck you right back in. This franchise is honestly just like that ex girlfriend you keep going back to. You just can’t help yourself; it’s pretty, makes no sense, and every so often takes a little bit of your money. I have not be impressed with any of the trailers so far for The Last Knight, but this last trailer, wasn’t all that bad! I’ve been a fan of the franchise since the beginning, actually I love the first Transformers movie, but they have yet been able to top the first movie. So lets break down this trailer!
First off, is it just me or did they actually create the woman in this in some sort of lab. She is Emily Blunt mixed with Megan Fox and it’s kind of scary, hopefully if she was made in a lab they used Emily Blunt’s acting skills rather than Megan’s, sorry not sorry. Speaking of Megan Fox, these movies just don’t feel the same without Shia, I loved him in these and thought he was always the best part, and I know he’s done with summer blockbusters and franchises, but I just wish he would even make a small little cameo. I’m real curious to see how the whole Knights of The Roundtable thing plays out, that is either going to be pretty cool or fall flat on its face, only time will tell. Last year we got Batman vs. Superman, we are going to be getting a Thor vs. Hulk throw down in November but honestly I think Bumblebee vs. Optimus has potential to beat them all, if they do it properly, again only time will tell. The action looks great, like it always does in these movies; it’s just always the acting that needs a little bit of help. I love Marky Mark and all, but I feel like he does these movies for the paycheck, he can do whatever he wants in Hollywood, so why do these? I feel like the little girl running around will either be annoying come the first 10 minutes or hopefully she kicks a lot of ass in this, and I will be dead wrong.
All in all, this was by far the best trailer we have seen so far, and not being the biggest fan of the last Transformers, I will remain an opportunist when it comes to this franchise and hope for the best. This could be a really great franchise, but maybe it just needs a makeover, this being Michael Bay’s last time directing one, could ultimately be the best thing for this money maker of a movie franchise. Looking forward to this hurting my brain and being super pissed I went to see it opening night.
