Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, a movie review

Transformers offers an escape from reality—that much is guaranteed, and having said that, one shouldn’t expect anything more from the movie. Down to the Megan Fox hottie in love with a twitchy, fast-taking nerd to how her character works in an auto shop in daisy-duke shorts in the midst of flurrying welding embers. It’s a testament to who the writers must feel is their only target audience. I actually groaned aloud when the pan-in shot was of Megan Fox straddling a motorcycle in those teeny shorts “airbrushing” a pin-up on the fuel tank from the WRONG angle. Sooo convincing, guys.

The opening scene dialogue is forced between the Witwicki family and McKayla--almost seeming to be a pick-up scene. Even more forced are the attempts of Sam’s mother’s role as comic relief. Especially when nothing heavy is going on to need relief from. It was at this point a couple of people actually left the theater.

The story really starts when Sam is away at college and is failing to stave off the affections of a femme fatale, who turns out to be a terminator-esque Decepticon in the flesh. Does this raise any red flags to anyone? If she exists, shouldn’t there be an entire legion of these types who are able to take over the world? Anywho, here comes a leather-clad Megan Fox to save her boyfriend’s ass. Again.

I did appreciate Shia’s performance in the lecture hall with his Turrette’s-syndrome seizure as he began to suffer the symptoms of his great-grandfather before he was committed.

In the absence of the Hot Australian Computer Nerd of the first Transformers, Sam’s roommate happens to be a conspiracy theorist hacker, conveniently, and he gets roped into the adventures of going on the lam to hide from the forces behind the Decepticon revolution.

For folks who were never Transformers fans, or remember any of its back story, they won’t understand the Primes or why the Ancients play such a huge role in this movie. Kudos to the writers who wove this into the story and brought it back to what Transformers lore was all about.

Okay, spoilers, so look away if you don’t want any plot twists. No peeking! So, in this fantastical knock out, drag out, explosive fight, Optimus is “killed” saving Sam. It’s like the moment in Lord of the Rings where Gandalf falls to the black depths with the Balor and everyone’s gaping in horror. Sam, earlier in the movie, discovers a shard of the All Spark in his tore-up clothes in his closet from That Day he saved all of humanity. In an attempt to rally troops, and after Optimus’s death, they realize they have to revive another Prime in order to fight the Ancients if there will ever be Any Hope for Survival and this tiny shard of the All Spark will allow it to happen. And during this scene, it becomes apparent Fox can’t deliver a line to save her life. Just let Sam do the talking. So the misfit group goes through yet another adventure to find another Prime. WHY DIDN’T THEY JUST REVIVE OPTIMUS WITH THE SHARD?!

After that it’s a lot of screaming, running, and Sam and McKayla fighting over the Three Little Words, and robot fights—awesome robot fights, mind you, and this movie’s only saving grace—and lots of campy moments. Only see it in theaters if you want to get the full affect of the graphics, otherwise, you won’t be missing anything if you wait for it to come out on Blu Ray or DVD.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen succinctly describes the plot of the story.