Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro.

Before...excited is an understatement. The first transformers easily lived up to my expectations, and this one, with more transformers and more action and a personal promise from Michael Bay that the fighting woul be easier to follow meant that I was very much looking forward to the film that I was about to see. It was a blockbuster yes but it still had the potential to be awesome! :)

Autobots and the US military have united to form NEST, an elite unit dedicated to wiping out Decepticons. But when they catch a rogue ‘bot in Shanghai, it warns that something very bad is heading for Earth: a diabolical entity known as ‘The Fallen’. Meanwhile Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and Mikaela Banes (Fox) struggle to come to terms with a long distance relationship as Bumblebee continues to watch over him.

Where to start...action packed absolutely. From the word go Bay takes us on a very exciting ride. Autobots vs Decepticons. A whole load of stunning CGI all in the first ten minutes. It was simply stunning and I loved it. It is this that helps the film to utterly shine. Each CGI moment is fantastically crafted and if this film fails to win the special effects Oscar next year then I cannot wait to see the film that does.

The play between LeBoeuf and Fox is also brilliant. The chemistry between them is great in my view. Quirky enough to feel real and it just works. The other actors in the film are few and far between, purely because most of the focus is on the CGI transformers. Tuturro returns with a comedic turn and does it very well. Duhamel and Gibson are solid in their performances, nothing special, but then again what can you do with such poorly constructed characters.

And this is where we come to the first real problem of the film. The characters in this one are even less formed than they were in the first one. At least you felt as though in the first that these characters had a life beyond the movie. With this film however the sole focus is present situation which leaves us with badly formd characters and a plot that is so fast and so relentless that you are unsure which way is up.

The plot isn't just fast and relentless but it is also utterly confusing, this also ties into the characters, but not the real ones. Instead the real problem with the plot is the lack of introduction to any of the 42 different transformers in this film. You are left with the core of the Autobots that were in the first one with 5 new additions, "the twins" a pair of wise cracking black talking transformers and also three motorbikes, who we don't even get any info about apart from the fact that they are women.

For me it wasn't the Autobots that frustrated me the most, it was the Decepticons. The amount of different decepticons on show thoroughly confused me. There are so many little robots, like Frenzy in the first, that are easily confused. Secondly, and most distressingly for me, is the total and utter mis-use of Devastator. Yes he was used as the big focal point of the finale, but they glossed over the fact that he takes lots of different transformers to be created in my view. They should have built it up more.

I suppose what this movie has done is tried to cram too many awesome transformers into the film, so lessening the impact that each one has. It suffers from X-men: The Last Stand syndrome. It is far better to focus on few and do it well, as Transformers did, than to focus on many and stumble and trip your way through the film.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the blockbuster movie, but ultimately I felt that it was let down by Bay listening too much to the fans who asked for more transformers. In way of X3 and Transformers 2 less is most definitely more. Which is why I am giving this film...

★★★☆☆