ok, a bit more in-depth review now that I'm home.
First of all, I absolutely loved the ride--best attraction at Universal by far!
Having never been on the Hollywood version my expectations were only set by Spider-Man. Boy is that a poor ride to compare it to. Transformers is easily like Spider-Man times 10. For one thing, it's technically superior in every way. The 3-D is perfect, and it is hard to tell you are watching a CGI film--everything looks very realistic. Also, you can't tell you are watching it in 3-D, as there is no blurriness, no double-vision, none of that. It is all crystal clear. And the ride vehicles are much improved as well! There's no bumpiness or clunky movements, it's all very fluid, smooth, and fast. There seems to be more degrees of motion on Transformers as well (though that may have just been clever simulation).
Aesthetically, I also prefer Transformers. The screens are right in your face, meaning you are completely absorbed by every scene and totally immersed in what is going on. And unlike Spider-Man, where the riders play mere spectators for the majority of the ride, Transformers puts you right in the action--when you face a screen, you're not watching Spider-Man fight a bad guy, YOU are fighting the bad guy; you speed through streets, crash through buildings, and even get eaten at one point. And the movement is matched to the on-screen motion almost perfectly, making for one hell of a convincing ride.
I was surprised by how much the ride throws you around. The movements can be pretty dramatic and aggressive, and I got to know the guy sitting next to me pretty well as Evac threw us around. This is a much more intense ride than Spider-Man. Another thing I really liked about it was how in-your-face everything was. The effects happen all around you and the screens totally envelop you, making for quite an experience. In this case, bigger is not better, in fact, I don't think this ride would have worked on a bigger scale...the chaos they are trying to convey relies on the feeling of being really up close in the action.
I was also pleasantly surprised that the ride is not ALL screens. There are a few seconds where you are simply riding Evac through the city streets, and there are a few very impressive live sets that compliment the action well. The ending especially is a real looker! Overall, the sets were very well-done, moreso than I expected.
So more fluid, more fast-paced, more in-your-face, and more technologically advanced than Spider-Man. Now onto the bad (and I admit, I am completely nitpicking here but better to here it from me before you all ride yourselves): the story really isn't there. I couldn't have come up with anything better, but it's pretty much the same generic theme park storyline you see in nearly every ride in the park. In fact, in the queue line I was thinking that if you took every attraction on property and played their queue videos simultaneously, you would see quite a strong relationship between each video's structure and inherent premise.
I also did not like the obvious 'homage' to Spider-Man (the last big hoorah, in the penultimate screen)...with Spider-Man right next door, this effect seemed gimmicky and repetitive rather than thrilling, at least to me anyway.
Also, though the pacing of Transformers is totally amazing, I like the structure of the Spider-Man ride a bit better, with the slower build-up and intimate encounter with each villain one by one before the final 'act'. In Transformers there are no acts and no character development so to speak--right from the get go it's crazy. While this makes for one super exciting ride, it sort of lessens the impact of the actual ride 'story'. But you don't ride this ride for a good story, you ride it to kick some Decepticon :censored: and do it cray!
Really, those are the only negatives I can think of and they're stretches. The queue line was very well-done IMO, and something I noticed was how the videos in the queue outlasted the amount of time we spent in each room, meaning you don't see anything in the videos repeated (it's sort of the antithesis to HRRR). Since the story is very simple, it's not like you're missing out on anything by not seeing a full video cycle in each room, but rather you're not getting bored with the same thing being repeated over and over again (this may change, however, when Express is implemented). Other than that, the queue was more or less what you've seen in the pictures, and it's pretty convincing and aesthetically pleasing.
Now to address concerns that have been brought up throughout this thread (yes, I've read every single page since it was started). NO, it is not repetitive to have this ride with Spidey right next door--they are two completely different experiences, similar to how Pirates of the Caribbean and It's A Small World are completely different experiences despite both being boat rides.
Also, the indoor queue holds much more than 17 minutes of queue--I would guess you can fit a good half-hours' worth of people in there, maybe more, and when Express starts getting integrated, there will definitely be quite a bit of indoor time. Is it the bulk of the queue? No, but it's comparable to the amount of indoor queue for Spider-Man.
From the entrance we were led through, you could see Optimus Prime under wraps--he is huge. Bigger than I thought. We are in for quite a treat when it's put up later.
I remember some conversation about the use of liquid nitrogen in place of fire effects, but don't worry, the nitrogen is used very well, and when it's substituting for fire, it's done not only in a very thrilling way, but also in a way that makes you glad it's nitrogen and not fire (in that it's very 'immersive'
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As for the elevators, I personally could tell when they were being used but that's because I knew they were coming and was paying attention--they're still hard to catch, and it's amazing that they pull it off the way they do!
Those are most of the concerns I remember being brought up but if anyone has anymore questions just fire away! I'd love to use my only bit of knowledge I've ever had
All in all, I'm very glad I went tonight and I'm super excited that Transformers is here to stay at USF. It is a great addition, and by far the best ride in the park (we rode The Mummy afterward, and sorry to say, it was not quite as great to me as Transformers). Make sure you guys check it out, and if the past is any indication, there is a very very good chance public softs will be held this week in the late afternoons of each day. Good luck!!!