‘Transformers’ topped only by trailer

I went to see “Transformers” yesterday and, despite the fact that it was directed by Michael Bay , I was pleasantly surprised. The film, which includes more self references than a Larry King interview, is a perfect example of a film’s quality emanating from its script.

As one of the secondary characters says, “This is easily a hundred times cooler than ‘Armageddon,’ ” proving that Bay, all evidence provided by “Pearl Harbor” to the contrary, has an actual sense of humor.

Unlike Roland Emmerich , who followed the inventive and entertaining “Independence Day” with the overhyped/underdeveloped “Godzilla” remake, Bay seems to have learned from past mistakes (of which he has made a few). “Transformers” takes a series built around a set of toys and makes it into a multidimensional film, one that boasts not only a wealth of intriguing characters and a comic undertone but also subplots that propel the narrative instead of just filling out the running time.

And besides the decent acting by actors such as Shia LaBeouf and Kevin Dunn, the film offers a fair amount of eye candy, from Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel to kick-ass special effects.

But maybe the best thing about attending the “Transformers” screening was seeing the trailer for an as-yet unnamed J.J. Abrams film. If you click on the YouTube logo below, you’ll see what I mean.