Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Better action, worse storyline
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Click above for image gallery
We played with Transformers as kids and have a considerable appetite for anything automotive, making the second installment of the Transformers film franchise a must watch in an otherwise uninspiring summer blockbuster season. While we didn't dare hope for a compelling story line, we were pretty sure Director Michael Bay wouldn't let us down with regards to special effects. We hit the theater to see if Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen lived up to the considerable hype, and basically got exactly what we expected. Hit the jump to check out our brief review.
As you've undoubtedly already seen from teaser promos posted here on Autoblog, the theme of TF2 is 'Sam goes to college and freaks out because he sees symbols." Then a series of battles ensue with a bunch of computer-generated violence. If you go to TF2 expecting great acting and a riveting plot, then you walked into the wrong theater. The script is paper-thin, but there are still plenty of laughs, especially at the expense of Sam's parents, who are more prominent characters this time around, and Sam's quirky college roommate. He whines a lot, but he also tazes himself in the testicles. That's high brow stuff, right there.
Compared to the first Transformers, TF2 has more action, better fighting sequences and an even hotter, more mature-looking version of Megan Fox. Unfortunately, though, there is also considerably less of the Transformers masquerading themselves in car form. The beginning scene featured the intriguing-looking Corvette concept as it took on (and took apart) a sinister yet great looking Audi R8. New cars in the movie include a major role for the Chevy Beat and Trax concepts, along with three new custom-built Acree motorcycles that appeared to be useless in most battle scenes. There was also a purple Chevy Volt, though its screen time was extremely limited. We did get to see plenty more of the Bumblebee Camaro, which continues to look amazing in spite of the fact that the car is already in production and no longer fresh and new.
For most of the movie, though, the Transformer cat was out of the bag, and the monstrous machines didn't have to hide from humans in plain sight. That means a lot of time in robot-form, which was OK with us. The real treat is the amazing amount of action and excitement packed into this 2.5-hour movie. While the visual appeal of the computer-generated effects was only slightly elevated versus the first Transformers, the robot-on-robot combat has been vastly improved.
Optimus Prime is flat-out brutal in his fighting scenes, taking out scores of Decepticons each time he gets into a scuffle. Bumblebee also has a great fight scene later on in the flick, but nothing compared to the two action sequences featuring the big Semi. The other Autobots, however, had little game, and their weapons appeared to have little effect on the bad guys.
Chances are, if you played with Transformers as a kid and you've got a healthy appetite for action flicks, you're going to love Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. If you like to mix in a little story line with your high budget special effects, then you should probably wait until it comes out on DVD. If you're giddy over the prospect of two and a half hours of intense action and special effects, though there is no place like the big screen to watch TF2.
Reasons to watch:
• Even better action than TF1
• Optimus Prime is a far bigger badass this time around
• Surprise appearance of an SR-71 Blackbird Transformer
• Lots of "hump" humor featuring dog on dog and robot on Megan Fox's leg (childish humor, but funny)
• Megan Fox running in slow motion
Reasons to skip out:
• Very little car screen time
• The story line is just about zero
• Two and a half hours is way too long for this type of movie
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
xcrunk 1:01PM (6/26/2009)
No surprise there. I'll wait for the Bluray, or PSN rental. Rather see Up! right now.
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Toy Yoda 2:39PM (6/26/2009)
I saw Up! in 3d.The best told Pixar movie to date. Funny and sad. Beautiful story, beautifully animated and told. Go see it in 3d or not, before it leaves the theaters, you need to vote with your dollars. That is, audience demand better stories.
Make sure to go early. The short film before the feature is also a delightful story.
Fernando 3:30PM (6/26/2009)
I think I'll wait for Netflix (and even then, the only reason to watch it is Megan Fox).
Jei 7:15PM (6/26/2009)
The Language
I just saw the movie in the theater (IMAX -- which wasn't real IMAX). I didn't expect a great storyline, just a comic book-like story that added new characters and showed more interaction w/n the Autobot & Decepticon camps. I loved the crotchety, old Decepticon though --- he was a good surprise character.
The action was great, though a bit too fast to really process at times, but good.
The foul language was disappointing though. There was a lot of cursing and wasn't really necessary as the TF was a well-loved cartoon for kids. Words like "damn" or "pissed" are OK, but the major offensive words didn't fit the movie, even during the action scenes.
No, it won't win an Oscar, but I could watch it over-and-over on HBO or DVD. It has some moments that really pulled some emotional strings --- reminded me of how I felt when watching TF the animated movie.
Darrell 1:06PM (6/26/2009)
I came to see robots, not an Academy worthy performance
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chad.dawkins 1:14PM (6/26/2009)
I agree with this. I still don't see why so many people are bitching about the movie. It's not supposed to be Slumdog Millionaire with robots. It was funny and had good action scenes. There were some cheesy parts, but overall it was entertaining.
dwightB 1:15PM (6/26/2009)
AMEN to that!
jv2k 1:35PM (6/26/2009)
So did I. That's why I was disappointed.
Most of the bots only say maybe a couple lines except the annoying tag alongs that don't do anything but talk sh!t the whole movie. Of course we get plenty of Shia and the other humans. Uhg.
Also not enough robot on robot action(I don't want to see humans fighting decepticons damnit!).
wako 1:55PM (6/26/2009)
Umm... Hello? Megan Fox? That was enough of a reason to watch
Matt 7:41PM (6/26/2009)
Bad acting is one thing. Bad acting of a bad script is almost unbearable (to me). Transformers 1 made me cry; the dialog was so bad and the Autobots acted like a bunch of nincompoops, Prime excepted.
I mean, come on, there are plenty of decent writers in Hollywood. Add a decent script to the stellar action and effects and you have a good movie that can even stand up to some bad acting. Would that have been so hard?
Now I hear that Transformers 2 has an even worse plot and writing. I'm sorry, I'm not going to pay money to have my heart broken again. Maybe I'll watch it on Netflix. MAYBE.
Chet 2:13PM (6/26/2009)
@Matt: "Is that so hard?"
Yes, it is.
Judy Zik 2:30PM (6/26/2009)
I have to agree with Matt. Micheal Bay is one of the worst filmakers of our time. Take away the effects shots and his movies are horrible. There is no excuse. Movies are supposed to be about stories. The effects shots are supposed to be the icing on the cake. I wont pay to see this movie. Sadly even the effects shots aren't really that great in his movies he just covers it up with quick camera cuts that make you seasick.
Tomac 2:33PM (6/26/2009)
I have to agree with Matt on this one. I loved the TF genre as a kid and my own children now play with the newer Animated toys. But the movie-version TF is a disappointment. The drool-inducing Megan Fox and excellent CG action can make for a decent movie, but a solid script on top of that could make it an instant classic. I saw the first TF movie in theatres and won't waste my money on that again. It was immediately forgettable.
I should be the type of person that loves this movie. But if it has less substance than the first, there's no reason for me to get excited about it. It'll be a rental... maybe.
jv2k 2:44PM (6/26/2009)
"Umm... Hello? Megan Fox? That was enough of a reason to watch"
I didn't go to transformers to drool at Megan Fox. If I want to look at hot chicks, I have the internet.
trax4wax 9:04PM (6/26/2009)
Watchmen and Sin City...the real way to make an action movie based on a comic. Michael Bay = GARBAGE! Everything he does has the same formula...no story, bad acting, eye candy, and lots of explosions.
nastinupe 1:09PM (6/26/2009)
I saw it yesterday and it was entertaining. A lot of ripping heads off and tearing each other apart. Very brutal scenes, even for me. I would have like to see more of both the Autobots and Decepticons. It just seems like there are not enough of either. They could have put a bunch of no name Autobots in the background just for deph. Also, Optimus had to do EVERYTHING. He was 85% of the the firepower for the Autobots.
Also, why in the hell wouldn't you disassemble Megatron? Why just leave a perfectly good body to be restored. Same for prime. Why didn't they just rip him to shreads after they killed him.
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Protzenegger 6:50PM (6/26/2009)
Obviously so that TF 3 could be made.
zamafir 1:12PM (6/26/2009)
Reasons to skip out:
• Very little car screen time
It's about robots who sometimes drive around as cars, people go to the film to see the robots
• The story line is just about zero
It's bay, this is the norm. Though give credit where credit is due, the “plot” as we call it in the film world may not be very substantial, but his directing is very much improved so the average viewer won’t care (see below).
• Two and a half hours is way too long for this type of movie
Nope, i've never been as entertained for that amount of time, you will loose track of how long the film is, even during the ridiculously long trip spend trying to get to prime.
I could write something more cogent, use the film degree, but it's Michael Bay, it's not worth it. Go to the film if you like scifi, transformers, robots, or the first one, you'll love it. Don't go to the film if you didn't grow up with transformers, you won't be as immersed. It's like Harry Potter or the Davinci Code. Horrible movies, though their fans love them because it's their beloved book on screen.
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Yaroukh 1:25PM (6/26/2009)
• and she does net get naked
Twelve Sines 2:53PM (6/26/2009)
I like scifi, and I like robots, which are two reasons why I won't see this movie.