Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

 

The film's story structure revolves around a genuine NASA manned mission to the Moon. Three years after the events of the second film and 42 years after the Apollo 11 space race, the Autobots continue to work for the NEST (Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers) military force. Meanwhile, the Decepticons unveil a plan to use the new groundbreaking technology, the Pillars, to enslave Humanity in order to save the home planet of the Transformers, Cybertron. - Wikipedia

Critical reception of the film was mixed to negative, with several critics praising the film's visuals but criticizing its writing, acting, and length. Dark of the Moon has grossed $1.12 billion worldwide, to become the fourth highest-grossing film of all time, the second highest grossing film of 2011 (behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2), the highest grossing film in the Transformers series, and the tenth film to gross over $1 billion. Wikipedia

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 far 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 – the valiant leader of the Autobots – finds a fuel cell from the Ark, discovering 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 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 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. Wikipedia

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. Wikipedia

Dark of the Moon also had numerous Star Trek references, because scriptwriter Ehren Kruger was a "big Star Trek geek".[37] The first Star Trek reference is when Sam meets his girlfriend, Carly Spencer at work, and is being introduced to Carly's employer, Dylan Gould, Sam marvels at their workplace: "It's a beautiful building you guys have. Like the Starship Enterprise in here."[37] The second reference is when refugee robots Brains and Wheelie, who live in Sam and Carly's apartment complex, are watching an episode of Trek, Wheelie comments "I've seen this one. It's the one where Spock goes nuts."[37] The third and final reference is when Sentinel Prime activates the Control Pillar, reversing the quote from Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few", while the altered version of the quote is "The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many".[37] Wikipedia

 

What the PressHas to Say

Nothing new, basically, just what was said in the Entertainment Weekly article below .

Leonard Nimoy will voice a character in the upcoming third installment of the Transformer movie series, as Entertainment Weekly reports,

Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, has joined the film as the voice of Sentinel Prime, the predecessor of Optimus Prime whose wrecked body is seen in the teaser trailer, found crash-landed on the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969. Later, after being brought to earth, he takes the disguise form of a fire engine in the movie’s massive, climactic battle through Chicago.

(...) Transformers filmmaker Michael Bay had toyed with the idea of inviting him to play a voice in the second movie, Revenge of the Fallen, but wasn’t sure he could pay the veteran actor enough. “I was too scared to ask him,” the director says. “Plus, he’s married to Susan Bay, who’s a cousin of mine. So I had to be careful. I’ve met him at family functions. But he told me, ‘I would be honored. I’m glad to be back!’”

 

In a recent interview for MTV director Michael Bay talked a bit about how he got Leonard Nimoy to voice the character of Sentinel Prime and some of the Star Trek references in the movie he attributes to script writer Ehren Kruger. (Found by Grace.)

"He's actually related to me. He married Susan Bay [the director's cousin]," Bay said. "I was scared to ask him to voice. I saw him at Thanksgiving, and my mom was like, 'Ask him! Ask him!' I'm like, 'No, Mom, no!' " (...)

1. When Sam (Shia LaBeouf) meets girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) at work and is introduced to her boss, Dylan Gould (Patrick Dempsey), he marvels at their workplace: "It's a beautiful building you guys have. Like the Starship Enterprise in here."

2. Refugee robots Brains and Wheelie, who are hiding out in Carly and Sam's apartment, watch an episode of "Trek," during which one of them says, "Hey, I like this episode. It's the one where Spock turns evil" — which also provides for a nice bit of tongue-in-cheek foreshadowing.

3. At one point, Sentinel Prime defends certain motivations with a fun little reverse quote of Spock's wise words to Captain Kirk in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." "Dark of the Moon" quote: "The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many." Original: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."