The Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between two races of robots, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, which are able to change into a variety of objects, including cars, trucks, planes and other technological creations.

Michael Bay's Transformers showcases alien robots that masquerade as ordinary vehicles like cars, jets and trucks, and thereby 'hide in plain sight' from us. The movie, however, also transforms from one genre to another and another - apparently to update and revitalise the franchise (which originated from a line of toys by Hasbro) for today's viewers.

The Transformers toy line, for the benefit of the uninitiated, was launched in 1984, and was promoted through both the comic books by Marvel and a cartoon TV series. Although the comics outlived the animated series, it was the TV series that captured the hearts and minds of children worldwide more than any other piece of Transformers media from its 23-year history. Since then, there have been two animated movie versions - in 1984 and 1986. This live-action CGI-enhanced version looks set to take the franchise much further both in terms of sequels, spin-offs and merchandise.

The movie starts like a modern-day desert war drama, with US soldiers in Qatar being attacked by a helicopter that changes into a gun-toting robot. That, ladies and gentlemen, introduces viewers to the robotic Transformers - and we get a taste of Michael's 'Bayhem' of machine-gun splatter and explosions!

Next, Bay takes us into Pentagon war-game territory where we find Secretary of Defence John Keller (Jon Voight, probably impersonating Donald Rumsfeld) seeking help from civilian experts to try and make sense of the data from Qatar. Of course, nothing is supposed to make sense - yet.

Cut again, and we move into American Pie high school comedy, with 11th grader Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) telling his class about his explorer grandpa and buying a beat-up yellow Camaro so that he can impress school mate Mikaela (Megan Fox) into going out with him. Sorry folks, no prizes for guessing that Grandpa Witwicky had stumbled onto an energy-giving cube from outer space, and that the Camaro is actually an Autobot named Bumble Bee.

There is more comic relief before we get to the main action pieces. This comes in the form of a cute little robot that causes havoc on Air Force One in the same way that prehistoric 'squirrel' Scrat cracks us up in the Ice Age films.

When Bay gets down to the real business of unravelling the war between the protective Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen), and the evil Decepticons (led by Megatron), the awe-factor comes in huge and loud doses, and these are spiced with dollops of humour as well. Optimus Prime and his Autobots are not just awesome to behold, they possess human qualities like courage, compassion and wit as well. And yes, their actions will make you cheer, laugh and even shed a tear or two.

Additional humour is provided by John Turturro, who goes way over the top as Agent Simmons from a top secret government agency called Section 7. However, diehard movie fans will probably see references to King Kong, The Love Bug and Black Hawk Down - in addition to the aforementioned Ice Age and War Games. Sure, plot-holes and logic lapses are plenty in this testosterone-fueled fantasy, and the prolonged street battle scenes involving the robots and humans can be rather confusing. Well, that's just Michael Bay for you.

With the computer-generated robot sequences blending so seamlessly with live-action, the human cast seem almost redundant. Nevertheless LaBeouf and Fox hold their own as young leads whom the audience will certainly root for - and as supporting stars to the CGI creations.

If you grew up in the Eighties with Transformer toys, you are going to relive your childhood fantasies with this one. Go on, knock yourself out.

We all know what the plot is like so I'm skipping that part. Incidentally, I was one of those kids who grew up watching "Transformers" so I felt enthusiastic about it even though I didn't know what to expect. Surprisingly, it was by far, and I'm sure it will stay, THE biggest and best blockbuster I've seen in a long time. In fact, it was the same feeling I had when I first watched "Spider-Man". It was kind of like watching your baby grow up into something spectacular.

The movie has a great balance of knicks and knacks. The story revolves around several characters who are brought together when the alien robots (Transformers) land on Earth. Each character has a different background and each has its own story to tell. Of course, there can only be one leading man - and he comes in the form of social under-achiever Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf).

As a young actor, LaBeouf exudes so much potential that he makes me want to cry. His role is simple and justified. Heavy duty theatrics are left to the robots and although no spotlight is taken off them, LaBeouf emerges as a dark horse. It was just two years ago when I watched him in minor roles in "I, Robot" and "Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle" and boy, how the kid has grown. His co-stars give equally good performances and they came out looking like a nice, delicious, refreshing bowl of Penang cendol - a plethora of textures but damn, it's good.

The film's effects are out of this world. Never have I felt so emotionally attached to an army of fictional robots. Or perhaps I'm just a soppy twit. Despite being alien and mechanical, the Transformers are a bunch of lovable characters. Optimus Prime may well be your wise and authoritative father, Jazz is your weed-smoking cousin Joe, Ratchet is your crazy Uncle Bob and Bumblebee is your best friend since kindergarten.

Director Michael Bay has done a great job with "Transformers" and he has this particular habit of placing the cameras in unusual places. In the scene where Sam chases after his 'stolen' Camaro to the junkyard, Bay uses a 3-second shot from a camera strapped to the rear wheel of Sam's bicycle. Every so often, he films from a civilian's viewpoint - even from inside moving vehicles - which is a nice touch.

Sound effects complement the whole package and there's nothing displeasing about this film at all. Bay really tries his best to please everyone and he has succeeded. There's a lot of dispute over why Bumblebee changes into a Camaro instead of a Volkswagen Beetle (as in the cartoon series) and why Megatron doesn't turn into a gun, and so forth. Does it really matter? Would it make the movie any better? If you think yes, you're only spoiling the movie for yourself. Non-Transformers fans (who don't know and don't care what transforms into what) would have enjoyed this movie much more than you would and that would be a shame.

The 'transformations' are done rather speedily but they are no less impressive. The humour is witty and Sam is genuinely amusing when he witnesses a 'transformation' for the first time and says, "It (the robot) must be Japanese. Definitely Japanese."

Must I even mention the nostalgia factor when Optimus Prime orders, "Autobots, roll out!"? Wouldn't that set hearts a-flutter among the legions of Transformers fans in the audience?

It's a great film in every way and as a movie critic who watches plenty of films in my time here at CO, very few have given me that tingling feeling long after leaving the cinema. And this is indeed the first film I've ever watched where the audience applauded when the end credits rolled. That's a testament in itself.

I walked out of the cinema into the parking lot and I stood for full minute staring at my beat-up, second-hand Perodua Kelisa...

Not sure what I was expecting, really.