You worked too hard on the OP for me to not read it and reply.

Anyway, I think he's not an action star. He just plays a guy we're supposed to relate to (but I don't because I'm action star material. If real life were a movie, I'd be Shia's cool black friend that gets him out of shitty situations ala Tyrese Gibson.) because he's in over his head. We're supposed to live through him. I just look at him and think, "What has this asshole gotten himself into, now?"

He is definitely not an action star. He seems more like the comedic sidekick type, though, definitely.

Interestingly, I always considered The Beef to have been used to his best in Constantine. (If you'll be mad at me for spoiling a 7 year old Keanu Reeves movie, then my deepest apologies.) He was the sidekick there. He was knowledgeable and had some general value outside of the action scenes. He attempted to be funny, generally failed and ends up that sort of annoying, but still ended up a reasonably tolerable character alongside the main one (as much as Reeves can be, anyway). Basically, he served his purpose well. This was, of course, followed by him dying in a pretty horrible manner, so I think this was the perfect film for him.

It's how all his movies should be.

Shia, in the fiction world is called an audience surrogate actor.
Basically, his entire existence in any role is to represent the audience's understanding. He thinks superficially, perhaps sometimes showing times of brilliance in one aspect, always responds to situations honestly (like surprise when something pops out, questioning something that's complicated).
Think also about his looks, he can pull of "surprised" very well, which is what companies want the audience to feel. Furthermore, he has the looks of your average American composite. Average features, average voice, average height, etc.
Basically, shia is you. Therefore, you hate yourself :D
But seriously, if you hate shia like I do, it's likely because he is inconsequential to every film, and his existence is a mockery to the people watching it.

To make it clearer, if you were to see a movie without shia, Shia is "that guy" in the audience who provides a running commentary.

Consequently, if you're making a movie where you think the story is too wacky, you tack on an actor like Shia and everything is supposed to be fine. IMO though, Shia has ruined nearly every movie for me that he's been in. Though it's not his fault for Indy.

An example of a good audience surrogate is the lead actor in district 9.

I consider him an annoying, talentless hack, frankly. It's hard to watch anything with him in it.

Not a fan of him and have not seen hardly any of his movies. Walked away from the first Transformers barely a third of the way in.

Anyways, I saw recently that he has quit mainstream movies and only wants to do more independent type films. He made headlines because his newest movie is called ,"Nymphomaniac," where he actually is going to have real sex on camera with the leading lady. Sometimes people shed the kiddy image and do better roles. I doubt I will watch Nymphomania, but it is interesting he is changing his direction after being a millionaire. Kind of makes it easy.

I hate him and he is annoying. Die Hard 4, Indiana Jones 4, Transformers, he always acts like a poor man's Axel Foley.

Action star? Fuck no. Annoying? Hell yes.

It's Shia Said Labeuche to you young Spurgewalker.

For the record, he also spoiled indy 4 for me, I was waiting for that movie my whole life.

Yes, I do. Unfortunately his only action is flaring his freakishly huge nostrils and calling it acting.

douchetonryan,

If you could pick into my brain you would see that we are not that different when it comes to the opinion on Shia Said Labeuche.

I also like him, and didn't mind him so much in transformers. But where are the actors of old? Where are the Bruce Willis', the Sean Conneries, the Anthony Hopkins?

Why are we left with Shia's, with Timberflakes, with Tatum's, and ...

Today, my favorite contemporaries are actors like Ryan Gosling, James McAvoy and a small number of others who actually have something to tell. But so few actually live up to the actors of old... the class is mostly gone. I blame technology's pervasion of society.