The epic war between the righteous Autobots and evil Decepticons rages on in this third instalment of director Michael Bay's Hasbro-inspired CGI fest.
Earth is facing one of its biggest challenges yet.
The Decepticons are preparing to wage a destructive final attack to defeat the Autobots and gain control of the planet. If the rumours are true, then the secret to victory lies in a crashed spaceship, which has been buried on the moon for more than 50 years.
It seems that the humans are mere onlookers but, as ever, newly graduated Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) stumbles into the battle. With new girlfriend Carly on his arm (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), the couple are sucked into the fight, discovering that the fate of the earth rests on who can reach the moon first and harness the power of whatever it is that is hidden there.
Returning too are the Autobots' heroic leader Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and Witwicky's cheeky morphing Chevrolet, Bumblebee, both of whom have been ever-present in the current franchise. Original Transformers fans are also treated to the introduction of Sentinel Prime.
The completion of Bay's Transformers triumvirate doesn't offer too many surprises. Where the storyline lacks the CGI excels, and the morphing robots are awe-inspiring in their painstaking detail. Fans have come to expect as much from this set of movies and although some will mourn the exclusion of Megan Fox (who played Mikaela Banes in the first two films), Huntington-Whiteley is a credible replacement. The extra slathering of special effects covers up any cracks in the less-than-convincing acting.
Michael Bay reportedly likes DOTM more than its hugely successful predecessor Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but in truth they are on a par. Both offer up fantastic drama and action, and a sense of nostalgia for those of us who have already fought this battle as ten-year-olds on their living room floor.
It is an epic franchise sign-off for Bay, who says this will be his last Transformers film, and well worth an explosive couple of hours.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a Film programme that first aired in 2011 and has been classified a 12 certificate.
