Film Review:Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

If grandiose explosions, extensive battles, and gigantic robots are intriguing to you, then Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, should be placed in the top of your must see motion picture list. This anticipated sequel to 2007’s blockbuster Transformers is already off to a phenomenal start at the box office, raking in approximately $16 million at its midnight premiere on June 24th. With more battle scenes, additional characters, and the return of young rising stars Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, the professed biggest movie of the summer did not disappoint many of the devoted fans.

                The film, which is yet again based on the Hasbro action figures, continues where the first movie left off, featuring another classic battle between the noble Autobots and malicious Decepticons. This time around however, the Autobots are trying to protect the Earth from the Fallen, a tough Decepticon who has an evil plot to destroy the sun. Beloved Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots return once more, with Sam entering college and a whole new mix of problems that make the movie very worthwhile.

                However, while the movie has received rave reviews and many have flocked to view it, Transformers 2 is a bit different from the first film. While it still has intrigue, the 197 minute movie seems to be trying a little too hard to be better than the first film. For one, there are many more battle scenes, each with more explosions than the last.  While these action packed occurrences are entertaining at first, they tend to drag the movie down after a short time as the audience longs for something with more substance. At times, it felt as if the movie was prolonged just to fit in a few more explosions. Also, the sequel contains countless characters, which are barely introduced, therefore making it difficult to see what side they are on, especially when in battle.  While many of these fresh characters prove to be insignificant, Sam’s college roommate Leo and twin Autobots appear to be in the movie to provide comic relief in between battles. Leo, the perpetual coward, and the twins who have a seemingly gangster attitude, are amusing at first, but just like the never ending battles, they got old quick. Finally, Transformers 2 was a lot more sexual than the first film, with many badly placed jokes that left many shaking their heads instead of laughing. Overall, the film seemed to repeat what made the initial movie popular: action, robots, and sexual humor, until they were all so overused that the film lost a tad of its charisma. 

                Nonetheless, overall the movie was fairly entertaining. Shia LeBeouf yet again portrays an extremely convincible self-conscious young adult that has a large heart for his robot friends and girlfriend. Megan Fox, while a little feisty on the battlefront at first, unfortunately is mostly just eye candy, spending most of her time acting as a damsel in distress. The movie does contain some action scenes that have very interesting special effects that are original and eye catching as well, including a battle on a pyramid in Eygpt. Finally, the movie does contain some genuinely funny parts, including Sam’s mother’s melodramatic sobs as Sam ventures to college and she finds his baby booties while packing.  Although the movie does have its flaws, in general it is a very entertaining way to spend a few hours, especially for young adult action fans.