Transformers: Dark of the Moon



Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the third installment of the Transformers film trilogy and was released on June 29, 2011.

Synopsis
"We were once a peaceful race, of intelligent mechanical beings. But then came the war, between the Autobots that fought for freedom, and the Decepticons who dreamt of tyranny...Out matched and out numbered, our defeat was all but certain...

But in the war's final days, one Autobots ship escaped the battle. It was carrying a secret cargo which would have changed our planet's fate. A desperate mission, our final hope. A hope that vanished..."

- Optimus Prime's intro commentary.



The movie opens, telling the story of the war that the Transformers fought on their home planet of Cybertron, and also how Neil Armstrong finds the legendary Autobot spaceship, the Ark, on the Moon, which has crash-landed there with a secret and very important load: Hundreds of Pillars, which are to be used to open a Space Bridge.

Having been dumped by Mikaela Banes Sam has met another girl, Carly Spencer, on his visit in the White House, where he was awarded a medal for helping to save the world twice. Sam falls in love with Carly, and they move in together. He tries hard to find a new job, so Carly helps him, giving him an opportunity to work under her own boss, Dylan Gould. However, he was having rotten luck trying to get a job, with one person sealing the refusal when he learned that Sam got a medal from President Obama (the job he tried to apply for was primarily Republican in ideals) On the first day of his job, Sam meets his co-worker, Jerry Wang, who tells him about the Decepticons plan. Wang returns to his office, where his computer screen transforms into Laserbeak, who throws him out the window, killing him.

Sam then meets up with former Sector 7 (now 8) agent, Seymour Simmons. They work together, along with Simmons' new assistant, to try and to figure out what the Decepticons' next move will be. They meet up with some ex-cosmonauts who provide them with more info about the moon and reveal that some people are working for the Decepticons, including Dylan who later takes Carly hostage.

Sam has a fight with Carly about responsibility and safety, but he says he needs to help save the world and she drives off.



Realizing that humanity has held a secret about their race for a long time, the Autobots travel to the Moon and find a few of the Pillars and the pilot of the spaceship, none other than Sentinel Prime, the former leader of the Autobots, and prior Prime to Optimus. They bring the Pillars and Sentinel back to Earth, resurrecting him with the Matrix of Leadership, which Optimus now carries in his chest. The Autobots then learn of the Decepticons' plans as they see old images of the surface of the Moon. Something on the images, believed by the humans to be markings made by vehicles, are in fact all the pillars. In over 50 years the Decepticons have planned to use the pillars to bring back their home world.



On the Highway heading back to the NEST base, Bumblebee, Dino, Sideswipe and Sentinel Prime come under attack by the dreads. Crowbar is the first to engage. He transforms and pulls agent Simmons from his car. He then proceeds to knock a highway sign over. the Dreads use it as a ramp and transform while flying through the air. As they catch up to the Autobots, they break sharply, making the dreads fly over them. They then proceed to attack in stealth force mode. Dino catches Hatchet with his hooks and slings him into the on coming line of traffic, decapitating him. Further up the road Crankcase and Crowbar knock over loads of cars to try and block the Autobots route, they manage to get through.



Crankcase tips up a truck carrying gas tanks. Bits fly everywhere causing Bumblebee to quickly jettison Sam and quickly transform and fly over it. He catches Sam and puts him back inside his interior as transforms, leaving Sam in hysterics.

It turns out that Sentinel is a traitor. He had made a deal with Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, being forced to bring him the Pillars. Sentinel blows up the interior of the N.E.S.T. base and starts killing humans, and then Ironhide. He then flees, meeting Megatron and giving him the last remaining pillars, Sentinel then uses them to transport an army of Decepticons and Cybertronian spaceships hidden in the Moon to Earth.

The Autobots are blamed for all of this and are to travel away from Earth with a specially designed space shuttle, but Starscream takes it down from space before it has time to escape Earth's atmosphere.

The Decepticons attack the city of Chicago. They seal off the entire city and prevent any aircraft or UAVs from getting anywhere near the city. N.E.S.T. tries to infiltrate the city but their drones are continuously shot down. Sam, Epps and his N.E.S.T. buddies try to enter the city on foot but they are attacked by a Decepticon piloting a small ship. Just as the fighter is about to deliver the final shot the Autobots appear and intervene, rescuing them from the Decepticon. Optimus explains that they in fact never were aboard the shuttle, but rather in the first booster that detached from the shuttle. Sam asks Bumblebee if he can fly the ship, and he isn't too sure of himself, but after some time, he gets the hang of it.



They fly off to Dylan's apartment and save Carly from him. Meanwhile the Autobots are fighting back the Decepticons and Sentinel Prime, who have placed the pillars all over the world, releasing them, starting the process of Cybertron’s teleportation to Earth. Cybertron then appears in the atmosphere.

The two little Autobots, Wheelie and Brains sabotage the largest of the dropships, sending it crashing down into the water below. On top of a building in Chicago, Sentinel throws off Megatron, telling him that he wanted his home world back, but Megatron won't rule it. Sam manages to the control pillar near the streets, but he is attacked by Dylan who tries to stop him. Sam throws Dylan into the pillar, killing him in a burst of a electricity. Ratchet shot in the Pillar before Bumblebee jump in the pillar and smashing it to pieces in the process, sending Cybertron back through the Space Bridge, collapsing and crumbling into millions of pieces.



Carly finds Megatron sitting up against a wall, and she starts telling him how he'll be under Sentinel's control if he doesn't rise up to where he believes he should be, ready to take over control of Cybertron. Optimus appears, attacking Sentinel, but loses his right arm in the fight. Soon, Megatron saves Optimus by shooting Sentinel in the back, believing Carly's tactful mind game. Megatron has Sentinel on the verge of death when he asks Optimus "What would you be without me, Prime??" To which Optimus replies, "Time to find out" and an axe to the face. Optimus rips off Megatron's head and slams it to the ground, revealing the large axe in the middle of it. He then turns to Sentinel and disregards all of his pleas for mercy with the claim that Sentinel hadn't betrayed him or the Autobots, but rather himself. With that, he fires Sentinel once in the back and Sentinel turns towards the camera, then he fires the kill shot to Sentinel's head.



The movie ends with the Autobots accepting that they might never return to Cybertron, and accepting Earth as their new home.


 * "In any war, there are calms between the storms. There will be days when we lose faith. Days when our allies turn against us... but the day will never come when we forsake this planet and its people"

- Optimus Prime's typical closing scene narration.

Quotes
Carly Spencer: My hero needs to wake up. Sam: What is that? Carly Spencer: This is your new lucky bunny. Sam: It's a beautiful thought Carly, but I don't think this is the whole uhhh, bunny this lucky. You see this section here, this is just a rabbit foot, this is just lucky. -Sam saying that rabbit feet are luckier than the rest.

Judy Witwitcky: I think its darling. It kinda reminds me of Bumblebee if Bumblebee were a sad piece of shit. -Judy on Sam's new car.

Mearing: "Okay, what's wrong with him?" Dino: "He's in a bad mood. He's a not talking to nobody today." Mearing: "What is this, the silent treatment?" Ironhide: "No, I've seen that. This is not that." Que: "Definitely not." Ironhide: "This is worse. Prime, make something of your self! He's pissed. " -N.E.S.T tries to figure out why Optimus Prime is in a foul mood.

Wheelie: "I hope you enjoy your next job with 7-11 dickhead!" -Wheelie to a soldier accosting him and Brains.

Ironhide: Is there a problem? Sideswipe: Whoa, little Mexican stand-off we got here. Ironhide: Weapons down... Sideswipe: ...And we'll let you escape with your dignity. -The Mexican stand-off with the Dreads.

Dutch: "Oh and I had this man, Witwicky, who keeps calling me 5 times today." Simmons: "The kid! What's he want?" Sam: "I called because the Decepticons are back and I wanna know why and I need your help." Simmons: "They're back? Wow, that's good business." Sam: "What if I told you a 50-year old secret that nobody ever told you." Simmons: "Do not tempt my addiction. I've gone for withdrawal kid. Dutch, is this line secure? Dutch: "No." Simmons: "Protect your risk. Risk? Why should I? Do not relapse, I won't! Do not let the demons win." Dutch: "Go." Simmons: "What kind of, secret." Sam: "Apollo, moon, aliens, cover-up, future tech, assassinations, that kind of stuff." Simmons: "Ohhhh, Apollo..." -Sam and Simmon's Chit-chat. Shockwave: Optimus.... Megatron "Here we are. Fight us now." -Megatron, sitting atop the Lincoln Memorial as his invasion begins.

Optimus Prime "You may lose your faith in us, but never in your selves. From here, the fight will be your own." -Optimus to Sam as he prepares to leave Earth in The Xantium.

Sentinel Prime "I have deigned to work with you...I will never work FOR you!" -Sentinel Prime lays down the law to Megatron.

Optimus Prime: Get down here Sentinel! Sentinel Prime: Optimus, you forget your place...I bring you Cybertron, your home! And still you choose humanity. Optimus Prime: You were the one that taught me freedom was everyone's right. Sentinel Prime: I will re-trigger that pillar!. Optimus Prime: Then, you'll have to go through me. -Optimus and Sentinel begin to battle.

Sentinel Prime: "Optimus, all I ever wanted was the survival of our race. You must see why I had to betray you." Optimus Prime: "You didn't betray me. You betrayed yourself!" Sentinel Prime'NO,Optimus!!!' -Shoots Sentinel twice with Megatron's blaster, killing him.''

Errors

 * Neil's Armstrong suit didn't have the red commander stripe he is supposed to have.


 * Optimus didn't say "You made a grave mistake" as seen in the trailer.


 * Sam was put on a "list" by the FBI, and the record stays, even though he got a medal from the president.


 * When Laserbeak is killing a human inside a white limosine, his wing passed through a small tree by a CGI mistake.


 * When Crowbar hits the highway sign, he makes a noise which is the exact same to Bonecrusher's noise when he transformed in the first film.
 * The same as with Sentinel Prime, when he escapes fire of the Autobots in Chicago, he makes a noise same to Megatron's shout after his face got blasted in the second film.
 * Also with Optimus Prime, when he chases and knocks down Sentinel Prime in the Smithsonian Institution, he makes the same noise when he grabbed on to Megatron's alternate mode in the first film.


 * Wouldn't it be much more efficient to have Transformers rebuilding Cybertron instead of humans?
 * Possibly because the Cybertronian Civil War turned the planet into a barren wasteland, it possible the population was decreased or scattered across the universe. It was lack of manpower that they needed billions of humans to rebuild Cybertron.


 * The personal jet inside the space center has the identity number: 4500X, the same number as Blackout's helicopter form. It also has an Autobot logo on.


 * Sentinel Prime claims to use humans to rebuild the planet. However, after arriving Chicago, they start a massacre on the civilian populous. While there are possible answers of various likelihood, the inconsistency is unexplained.
 * The Decepticons needed to assert their authority over Earth, as well as establish a secure base of operations, devoid of any possible internal threats.


 * Decepticons have an interesting idea of strategy, as they seem to devote a large portion of their troops for decades to a strategy which hinges upon a mythical item that only the Fallen from the previous movie seems to know about the Matrix, an item they are not even looking for until 2009, between 50 and thousands of years after they implement the strategy.  Meanwhile their core elite and commanders are being wiped out over the course of these years. It is a good thing real world military don't try this rather chronologically backwards strategy.


 * Laserbeak did not use guns to shoot down Sam Witwicky the same way he did with Alexi Voshkod, even with perfect opportunity.


 * Why didn't NEST go underwater just like Navy SEAL? If the NEST soldiers aren't good at diving, at least they can get an underwater vehicle to ship them into the city. Availability may be an issue but still remains unclear in media.
 * Lack of the existence of such a vehicle is probably the reason they didn't use that route. The SEALs were probably airdropped with a Zodiac far out on Lake Michigan and moved closer until they could swim in. Another consideration is that SEAL teams are small, eight men is standard, compared to Lennox's Osprey-borne force, which considering the number of planes used probably originally numbered somewhere closer to 150 or 200, assuming all of them were loaded with troops instead of some of them being decoys.


 * Sam's fight with Starscream leaves several questions:
 * Why did Sam not just take off his equipment when he is swung by Starscream?
 * Sam's equipment seems to attach itself to his arm, due to the fact that it is a climbing equipment.
 * With the violence of Starscream's motion, how did Sam avoid broken limbs?


 * Why doesn't Optimus Prime just use his blade to cut off the cables when he is tangled?
 * During the Chernobyl op, Prime got his blade and shield from one of the transformations of his trailer, not forming from his arm like the previous two movies. At that time, the trailer was his jetpack, so it is reasonable to see why he couldn't do it himself.
 * But we don't see how his trailer becomes the Jet pack, so this leaves a question until any official material shows up.


 * Carly's clothes are too clean after the final battle.


 * Where did NEST get the bomb sticks from? Que only gave those to Epps' team and he was captured and killed before he could give out any more.
 * NEST soldiers might already have been in possession or Epps may have passed them over but the issue is completely unexplored on screen leaving an inconsistency in question.
 * NEST didn't have any bomb sticks. The soldiers using them are from the 101st Airborne Division, as mentioned earlier by Lennox.  The sticky bomb concept dates back to WWII, and does not need an extraterrestrial origin for a demo team to use.


 * When Megatron sits on the Lincoln Memorial's chair, one of the wheels on Megatron's left foot seems to have sunk into the step.


 * If Cybertron is above the Earth, the gravity should cause various phenomenon such as extreme tides, volcanic activity, and earthquakes as shown in The Transformers episode "The Ultimate Doom, Part 2". Given that this depiction of Cybertron is, uniquely, larger than Earth, these disturbances should be more extreme than those seen in cartoon.
 * Maybe they just didn't want to make another 2012 CGI again.


 * When Sentinel Prime was first found by Optimus and Ratchet he didn't look any different throughout the film. So, how did he get his Fire Truck mode?
 * This sounds very familiar. Or they just didn't want to make Sentinel look like a Protoform like the rest on the ship.

Continuity errors

 * In the first movie, Megatron travels to Earth in search of the All Spark. However, in this film, it is mentioned that Earth is the rendezvous point for him and Sentinel Prime. This is confounded by the fact that no Transformers in the first film seem to have knowledge of Earth up to this point.
 * It is possible that Megatron had intended to meet Sentinel after retrieving the Allspark and then have Cybertron bridged to Earth in order to restore it.
 * The comic adaption says that Sentinel was supposed to find the last Solar Harvester to fuel their empire's expansion before the rendezvous with Megatron.


 * Even if they retrieve the All Spark, they can simply restore it on Cybertron and revive the planet instead of enslaving humans to rebuild the planet.
 * Probably since the planet "happened" to have intelligent life there, it is possible that the Decepticons took the opportunity to enslave them.


 * In 1963, the Decepticons on Moon started to move energon pillars out of the Ark. However, Megatron, who arrived at Earth ten thousand year ago, woke up in 2000s. So who gave the order to take energon pillars out of the Ark? Especially confusing as in Dark of the Moon, this seems to be a long standing plan to which other Decepticon Leadership such as Starscream have been kept in the dark as to the disposition of a large portion of their own troops.
 * Megatron and Sentinel Prime's deal should be secret between them. A possible reason is that Megatron has told all or part of the deal to his lieutenant, who later ordered Decepticons go to the Moon.
 * Or simply the Decepticons found the Ark and decided to steal the pillars.
 * Soundwave seemed to be aware of the plan and Dylan Gould said he and Laserbeak were responsible for the human collaborators shutting down the space programs. He could've easily given the order.
 * In the comic adaption, Megatron states that "While I lay prisoner in that wretched dam, Soundwave was watching over this planet.


 * For a "secret" deal between Sentinel and Megatron, an aaaaaawful lot of troops sure seem to know about it. Decepticons must have some pretty impressive discipline if not a single troop, message, or other hint of this plan is leaked by anyone in 50 years, if not, 10,000+ depending on your theory.


 * Driller was able to capture Optimus Prime's trailer why didn't it destroy the trailer?
 * The Driller serves only as Shockwave's hunting pet, protector and main way of transportation. The Driller might not be smart enough to recognize the trailer as any important material for the Autobots, and Shockwave was too busy trying to hunt down the Autobots.


 * So, apparently Megatron is able to be incapacitated by the cold temperatures of the Arctic, which can get as cold as -50 degrees Celsius in the first movie but Optimus, Ratchet, and a whole hoard of Decepticons can survive on the Moon unaided. The temperature of the Moon can get as cold as -153 degrees Celsius.
 * In the first film, Bannacheck said that his navigational systems, were screwed up when he hit the atmosphere, sending him off course and "unexpectedly" crashing into the ice. In Dark of the Moon, they are intending to go to a cold environment so they probably had some kind of heating system in them or they could stand it for a certain time period, but the Decepticons there were under the surface, as seen when Sentinel activated the space bridge to the moon, which could have kept them "warm" enough to still live consciously or they could have been in stasis until the activation.
 * Also, it is possible that the presence of the ice imprisoning Megatron, not just the cold temperatures, is what incapacitated him.


 * So, a bunch of the Decepticons just stay on the Moon instead of coming to Earth to support their leader in the last two battles when such force would be equally decisive? This is especially confusing since the Decepticons have traveled across whole star systems to arrive at Earth then wait right next door for a space bridge.


 * Bumblebee saves Sam and Lennox, but is somehow captured with the others by Soundwave seconds later.


 * When Cybertron began to appear, why didn't either Optimus or Megatron call in for backup especially Optimus since the Autobots where vastly outnumbered?
 * It is possible that there are no Cybertronians on Cybertron.
 * That doesn't make sense, so why bring Cybertron then instead of just conquering Earth?

Not actually an error

 * Why did the Decepticons try and destroy the Ark in the beginning of the movie if they intended on using it to rebuild Cybertron?
 * Not every Decepticon knows that Sentinel Prime has secretly compromised with Megatron.


 * Sentinel Prime can speak English right after being revived?
 * In the novelization, it is explained that, through Optimus already knowing the language, this knowledge was transferred to Sentinel through the Matrix which is used to revived him.


 * Agent Simmons is thrown by a Dread but only got a broken leg.
 * While that does seem rather impossible, real people have survived worse circumstances.
 * There is a television series called The Indestructibles for crashes and survivals from that kind of circumstance.


 * When Ironhide is killed, he does not receive any mourning from the others like Jazz did in the first film. This is quite surprising, as Ironhide has remained to be one of the main Autobots throughout the series.
 * While it is true that Jazz received mourning, while Ironhide did not, there were less Autobots at the time. And the Autobots are probably trained not to dwell on the past, but to focus on the task at hand.


 * One of the characters had expressed disapproval of sending away "9 Autobots" on a spaceship to leave the Earth. Some may argue there are 11 Autobots, including two former Decepticons: Wheelie and Brains.
 * Perhaps, because Wheelie and Brains have never done much to physically help their cause, they do not consider them as much use as the others.


 * Bumblebee is nearly killed by Sentinel Prime while all Autobots was fighting against Sentinel by almost stabbing him in the head, but luckily he moved back and transformed, rolling to safety.


 * After seeing Megatron dead in the first movie, Optimus claimed, "You left me no choice, brother" while this time, Megatron insisted peace, but Optimus killed him right away.

Production
Transformers: Dark of the Moon was one of the most difficult movies produced by Industrial Light & Magic, even probably the single most difficult movie made using computer technology. Similar to the first two films, live-action vehicles or objects had to be computer-animated for the Transformers which was challenging similar to the traditional animated cartoons. One example is that 10,000 parts were computer animated to design Optimus Prime and the most complex Transformer design was Driller's which was made of 70,000 parts. Not only was the Computer-Generated Imagery a challenge, but IMAX 3D and real 3D versions had to be made due to the promotion of films using the latest 3D glasses technology. Many accidents using vehicles were damaged as well, such as the Bumblebee Camaro.

Transformers references

 * The whole second part of the plot is a references to the The Transformers first season finale "The Ultimate Doom".
 * This time, the Decepticons have a human helper, too. This was also done before in the first two seasons of The Transformers.


 * The Ark is a reference to the ship with the same name in the Generation One.
 * There is a scene featuring the Ark that referencing the classic view of the Ark in The Transformers.


 * The brand of Sam's car is Datsun, which produced the Datsun Fairlady Z (280 ZX), the vehicle mode for Prowl, Bluestreak, and Smokescreen.


 * This isn't the first time the Autobots were forced by the Decepticons to ride a ship to leave the Earth which the Decepticons secretly planned to destroy with the Autobots inside but the Autobots used an illusion to trick the Decepticons to return for battle.


 * Leonard Nimoy, who voiced Galvatron in The Transformers: The Movie, once more acts as an antagonist.


 * The Cosmic Rust is used as a weapon by Sentinel Prime.


 * This isn't the first time Ironhide gets killed off in a movie.


 * Megatron destroyed Abraham Lincoln's statue out of its chair so he could sit there, much like his Generation One counterpart did in the episode "Atlantis, Arise!".
 * He also does this if you complete the game as the Decepticons in the video game for the first live action movie.


 * The missile that damages the Ark in the opening sequence is very similar, albeit larger, to the missile used by Inferno to attack Cheetor and Dinobot in the episode "Law of the Jungle".


 * Near the end of the final battle, Bumblebee transforms with the classic transforming sound.


 * This wasn't the first nor second time Optimus Prime has one of his arms ripped out.


 * Another Starscream got killed on screen.


 * Wheeljack gets killed in the film, just like his Generation 1 counterpart.

Characters

 * Carly - Shockwave - Sentinel Prime - Wreckers


 * Driller's appearance resemble the Dweller.


 * Like his Generation One counterpart, Sentinel Prime is the predecessor of Optimus Prime.
 * Sentinel Prime got killed off just like his Generation One counterpart.

Real-world references

 * When Brains and Wheelie are watching Star Trek: The Original Series, the screen features Mr. Spock, portrayed by Leonard Nimoy who voices Sentinel Prime. They comment that it is "the one where Spock loses it", possibly a subtle nod to Sentinel's role in the movie.


 * Sentinel Prime says "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." The voice actor said the same line in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as Mr. Spock. However in that movie, Nimoy's character dies a hero.


 * When Bumblebee says his goodbyes to Sam, he uses a clip of Spock, saying "I will always be your friend.", another line from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.


 * Dutch and his girlfriend's name, "India", is a references to Dutch India.


 * The final battle taking place on a bridge, with the protagonist's arm being cut off might be a reference to the final showdown of the 1980 film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.


 * When Mirage throwed Hatchet on the car, it was the same crash scene from The Island. Only there was a decepticon crashing on the car


 * The final battle featuring blade battle with the line "There can be only one" may be a reference to the 1986 film Highlander.


 * Que's name may be a reference to Mr. Q from James Bond novels and films. Que also gives weapons to NEST soldiers while explaining the advantages and abilities for the weapons much like Q does for James Bond.


 * The inside of the Ark resembles the Space Jockey set piece from the 1979 film Alien.


 * The way Optimus kills Megatron by ripping off his head with his spine still attached is very similar to the original Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat.


 * The heated debate between Bill O'Reilly and former Agent Simmons references the anchorman's real life quarrel with real life conspiracy enthusiast Jesse Ventura, completed by calling the agent a "pinhead".

Box office

 * On 10th July 2011, Dark of the Moon remains #1 in Weekend Box Office, and becomes 2011's Top-Grossing Movie.


 * On 27th July 2011, Dark of the Moon has bypassed the $900 Million Barrier and is well on it's way to $1 Billion by the end of next week (3rd August 2011).


 * On 3rd August 2011, Dark of the Moon has reached one billion in the box office.