Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Not much I really have to say about this one. It's Michael Bay's sequel to Transformers, and it's looking like it's gonna be one hell of a quality movie. Intelligent dialogue, subtly nuanced special effects, and a rock solid story to work with. How could it go wrong?

Reviewer
Chris
Categories
Movies

Reviewed by Chris Balan

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Let me begin by saying that I am a fan of the first Transformers. It was a perfect summer-action movie that hit all the right notes. The story was a bit weak, and the characters were unrealistic, but the movie was still an enjoyable special effects driven extravaganza. After seeing it about 6 times, I figured the sequel was going to be an improvement over the first, giving fans more of what they want. Boy, was I wrong. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the exact opposite of what I was expecting, and is a bit of a slap in the face for true fans of the previous film.

Michael Bay’s intentions with ROTF was to bring everything back from the first film that everyone loved, except on a much larger and epic scale. Technically, yes, there is a LOT more of what you see in the first film. That’s the main problem with ROTF: there is just way too much going on at once. What worked with Transformers was that the concept of the Transformers bringing their war to our planet was believably portrayed. Every action scene that happened in the first film was a consequence of what was occurring within the context of the situation. With ROTF, Bay put’s us through 2 and a half hours of pure randomness. A majority of the action scenes feel as if they are there just to be there, and don’t feel very important. The action isn’t as personal as the battles we saw in the first film. When it came to the final 45 minutes, the film switches scenery to Egypt, which is where the remainder of the action takes place. This is where I most expected to see the best scenes in the film; denied once again. It remained as repetitive as the entire movie had been and doesn’t do anything to really leave you in awe. It’s loud and action packed, but none of it is very interesting.

There are a few moments in ROTF that are pretty awesome to behold. The first 10 minutes of the movie begin very promisingly, with Optimus Prime chasing down a new Transformer called a Devastator. It’s one of the biggest Transformers that we have seen yet, and the destruction that we see on the screen caused by this machine is truly mind-boggling. This proves to be one of the best scenes in the film. I would have to say that the single best scene in the movie is when Prime takes on some Decepticons in a forest. Everything about this scene is perfect; it’s epic, the music is perfectly scored making all the action more intense, and the battle sequence is beautifully choreographed. This where I found ROTF had peaked, and that was halfway through the movie. Fallen does have some of the best special effects that I have ever seen, and I don’t expect them to be topped until the release of Avatar. Unfortunately the story here is awful. If you really want to know the details about what happens, look elsewhere because I don’t want to talk about it. All I can say is that Bay has a habit of showing all these intense scenes with important military meetings and briefings, and it is done so often that it gives you the vibe that you are watching a high budget military television ad. None of the dialogue is every enticing, and I was never interested in what was happening with any of the characters. How did this happen? I enjoyed everything about the first film when it came to the characters, but this aspect of the film is empty and inept, and it really bothered me here.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is mediocre and may stand as one of the worst sequels in the history of filmmaking. I went into the film with all logic and critical thinking at an all time low and was still extremely bothered by all of the faults in the movie. All of the comedy is used so often, and is so bad, that it makes you question how old Michael Bay thinks he is. You’re a grown man. Stop showing scenes of dogs humping each other, robots humping Megan Fox, stereotyped robots that speak in Ebonics, and bad sex jokes. Even seeing Megan Fox modeling gets old fast, and I began to feel a bit uncomfortable because at a certain point, I felt that Bay might be slightly perveted. You’ll get the vibe that this flick is just advertising the robots to sell more toys in the long run, which is really quite sad. If you’re the kind of person who is looking to “turn off your mind” and enjoy the film, I regret to tell you that it won’t work. There is just too much wrong with this movie and it will most likely bother you even if you refuse to let it do so. Save your money on this one.

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