Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

(2009)

Cinematic Review




A Dude's Review

Short
Wow, what a spectacle. As far as visual effects and robot action sequences go, This is the best movie ever made (that’s right, put aside that copy of the first “Transformers”). The movie is literally 2 hours of robots fighting on screen with about 30 minutes of dialogue. And it really isn’t until the very end in which the action becomes mundane, so my hat is off to the director in that respect. Unfortunately, this movie suffers from some very bad decisions. The most important being that the flim has a 'potty mouth'. Parents beware, movies are allowed to say the F-word once and still be PG-13. This movie takes advantage of the language leniency and makes curse words the punch line for many of its jokes. Aside from other less gross mistakes, the film suffers from poor dialogue, some bad acting and a stringy plot. Overall I enjoyed the film as a guilty pleasure and recommend it to all who know what to expect, but there is no doubt that the first movie was more well rounded and in my opinion better.

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Full

This movie opens with a fantastic action sequence to suck you in, and ends with an awesome action sequence to leave you satisfied. But we all know that Michael Bay can play a symphony with special effects and slow motion, so there is no need to go on about this aspect of the film any further. Just know that it is amazing. What is worth mentioning is that the integration of comedy into the first "Transformers" was really enjoyable. The style of humor and the charm really added a level of entertainment to the film. However, despite trying to stay in the tone of the first movie, the second one often becomes silly. With moments of awkward jokes and in one instance a really odd story twist, the word ‘stupid’ sometimes comes to mind. But I can honestly say, no matter how many errors this movie makes, the action really makes up for it. I almost can’t get over how impressive it was, albeit very over-the-top.

The plot
Megatron is resurrected and the decepticons mount another attack on earth, and the autobots who protect it. The focus of this attack is to obtain an ancient relic of great power that will not only bring the decepticons supremecy, but will consume Earth in the process. With the U.S. Military and autobots allied, the war to protect Earth is massive and long.

Reasons to see it
The action sequences are just amazing. The computer animation is stunning and is put to great use in the second installment of what will likely be a long lasting franchise (doomed to overstay its welcome). The imagination behind the film is exemplified in the design of the 42 robots that we get to see on screen and in the unique way that each of them behaves in combat. Unlike "Wolverine" where two hours of fighting became boring and silly, this movie manages to keep the entertainment flowing as only Bay knows how. The choice to team up the autobots with the U.S. Military was a great one, it adds a whole new level to the type of action sequences we have. One thing that really impressed me about the fighting is that I never thought there could be gratuitous, animated, robot violence. Then I saw "Transformers 2". With slow motion, the crushing of heads and dismembering of machines can almost be sickening. But really cool none-the-less.

Optimus Prime. What a bad-@#* robot! For those who wanted to see Optimus tear stuff up, it is delivered in full and on steroids.

Though I personally do not have any attraction to her, Megan Fox is definitely a highlight for men. The film has no shame in giving her as many 'money shots' as it can justify. Slow motion running, awkward camera angles, and clothing that was picked up from the children’s section. For those who are hoping to see Fox exploited, your wish is Hollywood’s command. However, do not be fooled that she contributes anything to the film plot wise. The minute she opens her mouth, you are reminded of what a painfully bad actress she is. (I wonder how long Megan’s sex appeal will get her through the industry…probably forever with surgery these days).

The Negatives
Though the second film is rich with comedy, the charm of the humor that was enjoyed in the first film is completely removed from "Revenge of the Fallen". Julie White who plays Judy Witwicky, the mother of Sam (Shia LaBeouf) is the only saving grace here. She truly is adorable and had me smiling whenever she was on screen. But aside from her, the movie uses curse words and sex jokes as its major punch lines. Though I laughed, I feel that this humor has no place or at least should be minimized in a movie where the true target audience is children. I know the real Transformers fans will be people of the older age range, but we can all agree that a movie about giant robots maximizes profits by targeting a younger age group.

Some of the robot characters were either underdeveloped or just pointless. Don’t get me wrong, I want to see as many robots on screen as can be done, but sometimes I want quality over quantity. There are two robots in particular that stand out as terrible choices for eating up lots of screen time, Mudflap and Skids. These two robots are the “token black guy” of the film and are responsible for not only the most absurd statements in the film, but the most absurd visuals as well (seeing as one of them has a gold tooth). Though sterotypes are not always bad and I didn’t have a major problem with these two jokesters, they make me wonder what kind of stuff was left on the cutting floor of this production.

It is no secret that a third movie is already in the works for the franchise, so I feel no harm will come from me telling you that the ending was weak, very weak. Though it wasn’t as bad as the ever annoying “to be continued” (this movie does indeed 'end'), the flim blantantly tells you that another one is on the way. Thus, the audience doesn't get the closure that a movie ending should bring. It’s not that I don’t welcome a sequel, I just don’t like the vibe that the movie was just a long tv show. I could almost hear a random narrator saying, “tune in next week kids as the autobots stop the decepticon's new plan for taking over the world.”

In summary…
...the movie tops all other movies to date in the scope of its action sequences, and for that it is a must see. But do not make the mistake of expecting an Oscar Nominee (maybe except for 'special effects' and 'sound editing').