A sequel that is as action-packed as the first installment but… the lame story, the usual Bay-esque shots, the over-the-top acting and the long runtime keep it from becoming the ultimate awesome summer movie. The giant robot fights and their transformations are still pretty damn cool, thanks to ILM and I don’t think I’ll get tired of watching Optimus Prime turn from a semi into its normal look with camera going around it in the process but this movie could do without its excess baggage.
Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle. The Autobots believing that peace was possible finds out that Megatron’s dead body has been stolen from the US Military by Skorpinox and revives him using his own spark. The Autobots with reinforcements of their own, may have more to deal with then meets the eye. But what awaits is a bigger, more ancient nemesis with long overdue vengeance in its heart.
I shouldn’t be surprised, it’s a Michael Bay movie anyway, so what’d ya expect, right?! Once again, he makes sure that the camera is always on the hotties Megan Fox and Isabel Lucas like a perv who can’t stop staring. Bay knows his target audience and tries to please them by presenting images that remind you of MTV music video clips. Flashes of Fox’s thighs, lips and Isabel’s hair and eyes, a 13 year old boy who just hit puberty would think he died and went to heaven. If you like that kind of stuff, then this is your movie. I on the other hand, am wondering what other tricks Bay has up his sleeves because if this is all he’s got, then it’s getting very old. If I can sum up the movie in 3 words, it’s this.. explosions, explosions, explosions.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the first movie and TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN has additional cool robots in different shapes and sizes with various abilities. Yes, the depiction of The Twins robots is a bit racist, I can see it now with the gold tooth and the big ears and the talk and the fact that they can’t read, plus they’re the comic relief robots. You can’t get more racist than that and frankly I don’t understand why Bay had to stoop so low.
But other than that, I am definitely in awe of The Devastator which combines many automation and vehicles into one super massive robot that’s absolutely colossal. The opening scene is fast-paced and exciting, seeing Ironhide do his thing is a visual treat. The villains are more unrelenting this time around, they’re really keeping the good guys busy and on their toes.
I can’t say enough that the ILM VFX guys have done an amazing job, they always pull through and this sequel is another evidence of that. The carrier that got blown to pieces was a sight to behold. A beefed up Optimus Prime battling more than one enemy is a must-see. You can’t tell anymore that the actors actually just used their imagination most of the time to interact with the robots. Impressive work indeed. When I watched Devastator climbing the pyramid while John Turturro was doing the same thing on the other side, it looked so real, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. The mix between the two shots is near perfect.
I am however, very disappointed in the story, which baffles me even more because screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci wrote J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek which I thought was a better, more enjoyable summer movie.
I suspect Bay’s direction and the involvement of co-screenwriter Ehren Kruger might have something to do with how unbearable the story is.
It’s got a decent concept that could’ve been condensed into 2 hours tops or even less than that but instead.. they just have to drag on and on and on with unnecessary LOTR type journey from one location to another trying to solve an ancient riddle, at the same time the movie’s injecting themes of Shia’s character, Sam wanting to be a normal college kid plus him being scared of saying ‘I love You’ to Megan’s character Mikelah. I understand that it’s about an ordinary kid put in an extraordinary situation but it doesn’t mean that it has to be extra long.
The problem is the story just isn’t engaging enough, halfway through it’ll lose your attention, you’ll be looking at your watch frequently, wondering when the hell are they going to show the next action scene already.
Not to mention it has countless stupid, childish, sex-crazed jokes along the way, the next punch line is even lamer than the last. From innuendos to giant balls, what a cheap unfunny sense of humor that only works for those easily amused.
Overall, I wouldn’t wanna watch this movie twice and if I did, I’d fast forward it straight to the action sequences, everything in between is nothing but excess baggage.
* Place the cursor on the image below to check my grade for this film
Rama! What on earth are you going on about! I loved it, it was spectacular fantasy viewing, with plenty of entertainment value. I don't care if the story is try-hard or unrealistic – I pay my money to escape reality! I see movies like Transformers to recapture the 'that's SO COOL!' feeling of childhood, when the amazing transformations and cute juvenile relationships are enough, and the jokes are low-brow and easily understood. Australian viewers won't notice the stereotyping you hint at with the twins, I honestly didn't pick it til you brought it up – maybe more of an issue in the USA.
Anyway, if we all liked the same movies there'd be a lot less off them, so in this GEC, lets cellebrate an industry that can employ so many nerds to create so many explosions for our entertainment! I give it an 8.5, with the possibility of transforming into a 9 if I had eased up on the liquids in the first half! ;P
Rama! What on earth are you going on about! I loved it, it was spectacular fantasy viewing, with plenty of entertainment value. I don't care if the story is try-hard or unrealistic – I pay my money to escape reality! I see movies like Transformers to recapture the 'that's SO COOL!' feeling of childhood, when the amazing transformations and cute juvenile relationships are enough, and the jokes are low-brow and easily understood. Australian viewers won't notice the stereotyping you hint at with the twins, I honestly didn't pick it til you brought it up – maybe more of an issue in the USA.
Anyway, if we all liked the same movies there'd be a lot less off them, so in this GEC, lets cellebrate an industry that can employ so many nerds to create so many explosions for our entertainment! I give it an 8.5, with the possibility of transforming into a 9 if I had eased up on the liquids in the first half! ;P
hey, don't get me wrong, Kerry
I'm all for the nerds and geeks everywhere, my friend.. I'm one of them, maybe my friends are more nerdy and geeky than I am but I totally celebrate nerds involving themselves in movies through their computer skills and explosive skills and all kinds of stuff that general population won't know how to do in a million years.
But as an audience, TRANSFORMERS 2 just has so many flaws,.. mainly in the story department.
Yes I watch movies to escape reality too and I said in my reviews that some of the robots are pretty cool.. but I think the long runtime just killed it for me.
I didn't mind CRANK 2 which made no sense to me at all, it's got crappier story and ridiculous action and outrageous public sex but it was short.
If TRANSFORMERS 2 was just 120 minutes or less of nothing but a few yet well directed Robot fights.. I'd be happy too.
It wouldn't have fall short if the story was more than just what it is..
The Dark Knight was a long movie too
but we were so caught up in the politics and the mystery of the story and Heath Ledger's acting so much so that time flew by just like that… everything was so engaging..
and afterward we still felt like we weren't satisfied enough, maybe if we watch it the second time we'd be able to catch some clues and hints and coolness we missed the first time around…that's why we went to see it again and again like a junkie needing his drugs
TRANSFORMERS 2 didn't leave room for our curiosity..
it was too basic and too simple and it drags.
If Bay left it at 120 minutes or less, it wouldn't have sucked all the energy out of his audiences.
Because.. You're excited about the first robot fight and then the second and the third.. but by the 8th time, you'd wonder how long of this can you take.
At the end of the movie, nothing about it could make me connect with the characters. I could care less about the symbols or the whole destroying sun deal, or Devastator's unnecessary testicles.
every single minute, we kept getting bombarded with this plot that insulted our intelligence, halfway through the movie I just got tired of it.. and guess what.. the movie was still going.
Maybe it's just me, I went into the theater with my hopes up
Ahh, yeah, I'm not going to talk about the film much here, as you've opened up the other post, so I'll go there. Here I'll just say THANK GOD you weren't impressed either. I find the movie abhorrent. Just a bad, bad, bad experience.
More thoughts in the other post.
wasn't it?!
I thought so too..
which is a shame because I had high hopes for this one..
I hope IRON MAN 2 next summer won't do the same blunder as TRANSFORMER 2
Hooray, a reviewer who thinks similarly to the way I felt about it. I thought–I go to a movie to be entertained. I came out of Transformers entertained, but it still sucked.
The best part of the movie was The Last Airbender teaser trailer.
Ditto!
It may have lacked a bit in development and details…but I was still totally pleased with being entertained by watching stuff blow up and transform. That's what I went for and that's what I got.
Michael Bay would love you
One of the worst movies in 2009