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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better..., 24 Oct 2009
I've been a Transformers fan for well over two decades now, grew up with Generation 1, got caught on the recent tide of nostalgia and thoroughly enjoyed Michael Bay's first live action movie, despite the obvious differences from the franchise's first incarnation. Things change, and the movie was a blast. I looked forward to the sequel, hoping for more of the same but with a bigger scope to reflect the growing threat.
Well, more is certainly what we got with Revenge of the Fallen, there's no doubt about that. More robots, more locations, more fight sequences, improved effects. It's all up there on the screen, no doubt about that. The movie looks incredible.
Unfortunately, Michael Bay doesn't seem to know when to stop. There are simply too many Transformers on screen now to care about, and the few of them that do receive adequate screen time to get to know tend to be the more grating, comedy relief characters, while the potentially more interesting Transformers are relegated to the background.
Oh yes, the 'comedy'. There's way too much of it, and it's faaaaar too juvenile in nature. Jokes about stoned mothers, Transfomers showing their 'affection' for their new human friends, Devastator's swinging wrecking balls... I must admit the odd snigger, but felt quite ashamed with myself for it. This kind of stuff is just out of place, making it seem like giant shape-shifting robots have wandered onto the set of the latest instalment of the interminable American Pie series. And as for those twins...
A shame, because there is good stuff here. The core Transformers from the previous film remain and work well for the time they have on screen (save Bumblebee, who seems to have turned into Sam's stalker). Megatron and Starscream's relationship is expanded and works brilliantly. The human cast work well, particularly Shia LaBeouf , Josh Duhamel and John Turturro, whose comedy relief character DOES work. Soundwave is perfect as a sinister puppetmaster, keeping a close eye on things from space. And Ravage is simply brilliant.
Despite slight disappointment, I'm still looking forward to the third in the series. Just know when to hold back next time, eh Mr. Bay...?
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36 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Optimus in his Prime , 25 Jun 2009
It is two years since the first "robot wars" which the government has somehow managed to cover up (lol !) The autobots are working in tandem with the humans of NEST but not to everyone's delight and a robot battle in Shanghai leaves the NSA advisor furious. He casts aspersions on their motives and loyalties and demands they leave earth. He is unaware of a Decipiticon in space, tapping into their communications to locate Megatron's "body" and the shard from the Allspark. The new invasion is not far away and the Fallen with get his revenge...
The plot gets a bit confusing to be honest but it's essentially another find the "all powerful" artefact before they do caper. Sam's first term at college is rudely interrupted and he is once again dragged into battle along with minxy mechanic Mikaela, new roomie Leo, Agent Simmons (now a shopkeeper) and the rest of the motley crew from T1. Additional bots both good and bad add to the mix though the battles can get a bit wearing after two hours!
The cinematography throughout is excellent and at the finale in Egypt is simply S T U N N I N G !! Megatron on the Great Pyramid, the slo-mo scenes of Sam and Mikaela running away from the explosions and (my favourite) the re-born Optimus with the Sphinx in the background are absolutely breathtaking. The director was obviously a Bond fan who remembered the classic Bond/Jaws fight in the Spy who Loved Me and used the same arena to great effect. The humour is pretty juvenile, hits and misses this time, and doesn't quite beat T1's "Sam's happy time" or the autobots trying to hide in the Witwicky's front garden. Sam's mum and dad for example are flown to Egypt for no reason whatsoever but the odd one-liner.
LaBeouf seems to have filled out and is looking more the part with every movie, ably assisted of course by the Fox who is bearing a strong resemblance to a young Ms Jolie these days but could maybe do with some more dinners. Her part was not really developed but I didn't hear any of my male friends complaining ;o)
Overall, it's a another mad Transformers movie, perhaps a bit too long, somewhat confusing, very noisy but lots of fun and I will definitely look forward to seeing T2:ROTF again on BluRay next year.
Story 6/10
CGI 10/10
Sound 8/10
Cinematography 10/10
Acting/script 7/10
Megan Fox's white jeans 10/10
Overall (7/10)
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17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable but not as good as the first movie, 6 July 2009
Transformers 2 is an action-packed sequel released this summer to mixed reviews. I and my 8 year old son both quite enjoyed it so it was an afternoon well-spent. I thought it wasn't as good as the first film and he thought it was miles better!
The good points:
Lots of new Transformers - both good and evil. Great action and humour - though not all appropriate for an 8 year old.
The bad points:
Weak story and the film was a bit too long at 2 and a half hours.
To expand on the plot, the Autobots (good robots) are teamed up with US marines to take out lone Decepticons (bad robots) hiding around the world, but cause too much damage in the process and so the missions are shut down by the US government. In the meantime the Decepticons steal the remaining shard of the All-Spark (see the first movie) and use it to resurrect their defeated leader Megatron. He teams up with his master, 'The Fallen', an ancient Transformer who seeks to destroy the inhabitants of Earth. Sam Witwicky is hunted down again because the knowledge contained within the All Spark has been transferred to his mind. Much like the first film there is a series of cat and mouse events between Sam and the Decepticons, with the movie ending in a climactic battle in Egypt.
In terms of the cast: Shia Lebeouf delivers another good performance as Sam, the teen struggling to cope with it all, and Megan Fox provides the eye-candy, though it was probably over-done this time. The absence of Jon Voigt (Defence Secretary Keller) was notable and I would have liked to have seen more of John Turturro as his character (Agent Simmonds) was one of my favourites in the first film.
I give it 7 out of 10 and recommend it for a one-off viewing on a big screen.
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