Film is Pwn

When I was a kid way back in this decade we used to call the 80s, my two favorite cartoon shows were GI Joe and Transformers.  So the 2007 blockbuster was not just a fun, action movie with transforming robots, it was a huge nostalgia trip for me.  Just hearing the voice of Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) gave me goosebumps in the theater, and Transformers ranks as one of my Top 10 favorite theatrical experiences.

Since the original made enough money to buy all the energon cubes you’d ever need, now it’s sequel time.  And Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is more than just a sequel, it is basically an extension of the 2007 blockbuster Transformers, for better or worse.  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn’t as good, in my opinion, because it’s not as fresh, fun, and surprising as the original movie.  Still, I liked this movie and had a lot of fun.


All the major characters are back and most the minor ones too (no Jon Voight or Anthony Anderson, the only two significant actors missing).  Director Michael Bay (Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor, The Rock) is at the helm.  The good robots, the Autobots, are still battling the evil robots, the Decepticons over a mystical artifact an ancient war, though this time instead of the machine-life-giving “All Spark” it’s the “Leader Matrix,” which could lead to the destruction of all life on Earth. 

The Autobots have formed a partnership with the US military guys from the original film (Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson) and are hunting down the remaining Decepticons.  Shia LaBeouf is the human protagonist, Sam Witwicky, headed off to college and leaving behind his gorgeous girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox).  A brush with a fragment of the alien All Spark gives Sam ancient knowledge that the Decepticons want to crack his head open for, which is the driving force behind the action — Sam doesn’t want his head cracked open and his brain extracted, you see.  The Decepticons not only revive their leader Megatron (killed off in the first flick) but we are introduced to Megatron’s sensei, the titular “Fallen” robot known as “the Fallen” because he was once one of the Prime Robots before betraying them for a power grab.

I could go into more detail, but the plot is a bit beside the point.  If you’re going to go see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen it’s going to be because it’s a pulse-pounding action movie with cool special effects, plenty of robot fight scenes, hot chicks (plenty of gratuitous shots of Megan Fox), and lots of laughs. 

Some intended laughs are cringe worthy, as when Sam’s neurotic Mom (Julie White) gets a hold of some “pot brownies” at Sam’s College.  Sam’s parents were quite amusing in the original, but they’re pretty much just annoying here.

The best new character is Sam’s roommate, conspiracy theorist web-site running Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), though he’s about # 5 on the comic relief depth chart.  The ever-reliable John Turturro is back as former Man in Black Agent Simmons, now living with his Mom and working in a butcher’s shop; Turturro knocks all his lines out of the park, none of which I can do justice to on the page (“One man alone, betrayed by his government . . . “).

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has been getting savaged by critics, and there’s a lot to pick at, too many comic relief characters both in the human ranks and the robot.  But, heck, it’s a Transformers movie!  For the first time, I’ve given a film three of our four ratings (Skip It, TV, Rent It, and Ticket).  Here’s the breakdown:

Ticket!  If you thought the first Transformers was great, the movie will meet your expectations.  It’s a worthy successor!

Rent It.  If you thought the first Transformers was just “good,” there’s no rush to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen — you can wait until it’s on DVD, video on demand, iTunes, or whatever you crazy kids do to watch movies these days.

TV.  If you didn’t care for the first Transformers, this ain’t exactly going to win you over.  Still, if you happen to catch it on HBO-HD some day, it has a chance of entertaining you — people can call Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen “bad,” but I don’t think anyone can call it “boring.”

–Daniel J. Roos