Making up those action scenes is, of course, the Transformers in all their CGI glory. If nothing else, this is, like the first movie, the very best pure technical visual effects have been. That may sound like a bold statement to make, but not when you think about the fact that it's only been about ten years since special effects got to the point that it is today. I can't even imagine the amount of time, effort and skill it took just to make those robots look even quasi-realistic. I guess that's what a $200 million budget buys you these days.
One of the biggest and most annoying problems of the first Transformers movie was the amount of unnecessary humour that was thrown in for no good reason. And sadly that's carried on over to the sequel, but not only that, it has been increased in leaps and bounds. Most of this "humour" appears in the human interaction scenes, where eye-rolling slapstick and fairly racy jokes are abound. With regards to the latter, with a screening that had a considerable amount of kids with their parents, let's just say it wasn't the most comfortable experiences at times.
The humour doesn't just stop at the humans. No, no, they feel the need to run a vein of it all the way through the movie, from the humans to the robots themselves. One little robot sent to retrieve information from Megan Fox's (who's in the movie for no other reason that her looks) garage joins another couple of "twin" robots as this film's Jar-Jar Binks' (for the 17 of you out there who don't know who that is, he basically ruined the first Star Wars prequel). This is a movie about robot on robot violence, and this attempt to appeal to the kids with the humour (which ironically is far from kid-friendly) and token silly robots is just downright infuriating.
Another problem I felt with Revenge of the Fallen was one that was also evident in the previous movie was that you'd need to be a fan and have knowledge of the original cartoon/toy incarnations to really "get" a lot of it. Not that you're lost if you don't, but I suspect a lot of the scenes here will only truly be appreciated (in the sense of cheering and hairs standing up on the back of necks) if you're a fan from a couple of decades ago when the toys and cartoon were first out. The story itself didn't keep my interest for it's horrendously long runtime, with only the action and special effects that kept me going till the end. Oh, and when we get to the climax, it strangely fizzles out, almost as if it's saying, "Wait for the next one."
Article comments
1 - Adam
I saw Transformers ROTF last night. Although; the story was crazy, the humour was in some parts too stupid, the film became confusing at points and the robot to audience connection was far less than in the first movie I thouroughly enjoyed this. I don't want to spoil anything for our American friends but be prepared for the first scene in Shanghai. In my eyes that part blows you away. What a great way to start the movie. It jumps straight in and hits you in the face with action from the off. The forest fight scene is also a mega deathmatch, although I would like to see it in Imax due to there being a longer cut for fighting in that version. Don't listen to the haters, listen here - Transformers 2 is a whirlpool of plot holes but you know what? Just enjoy it for what it is.
4 Stars.
Oh and by the way, Jetfire rules.
2 - Zan
I cant wait for Transformers ROTF, I read reviews but who gives a flying poo. I want to see robots duke it out!
3 - Jay
Great film!
"If it weren't for the unbelievable special effects and the extremely cool robot action, the movie would be a flat-out failure." what the hells this guy on about? without special effects and robot action the film transformers wouldnt exist full stop! too long? never if your a fan you want it to never stop :) 5 ***** here.
4 - Mickey Pearce
So many holes in the plot that it makes a tramps vest look like a Hugo Boss suit..
5 - Shaun Johnson
I thouroghly enjoyed ROTF. I came in and expected more robots, more fighting, more explosions and thats exactly what was delivered. The plot, probably confusing for non-fans, did include a lot of token elements from the G1 franchise (The matrix of leardership, the fallen...). I belive that alot of the criticism directed at this movie is due to the fact that it tries to please everyone, from kids, adults, fans...etc. What more could you want from a summer popcorn flick?
6 - LAMOSITY LARAGER
TRANSFORMERS ROTF IS AWESOME TO THE POWER OF SICK..!!! ALL HAIL MEGATRON AND THE DECEPTICONS..!!!
7 - Dani
I've seen it twice, and I can't get over how much I enjoyed it... The humor was enjoyable, and we all laughed at the good parts. The action was enough to make the crowd gasp at points. I swear, both theaters gasped at the same times, and I saw them not only days apart from one another, I saw them in different cities. It was enjoyable, the effects were amazing, the plot was fantastical, and when we got out and saw it was nearly three hours long, we laughed and knew it was more than worth it.
The lines were huge, and I was tempted to be silly and say "Oh my god, I can't believe %$#%$#%$#", but I didn't. Why? Two reasons.
One, I'm not like that.
Two, it was too good a movie to ruin for others.
Sum;
Go see it. Right now.
Stop reading, stop searching. Go to your nearest movie theater, get a ticket, and sit down and wait for it to start. I don't care if it doesn't start for an hour; I had to wait an hour and a half for my viewing the first night.
GO.