[5.50/10] Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Transformers:
Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" felt like Michael Bay was high on cocaine because of the hyperactive pace, the obvious continuity errors, and the overuse of crude comedy. Either that or he's intentionally trying to sink this franchise now. With "Revenge" you're given frenetic action, which is okay and expected, but then your given gratuitous scenes of moms eating hash brownies, idiotic stereotypes, and John Tuturros butt. Then, as expected in a Bay film, there are undeveloped characters that you're expected to care for, only it's worse than usual. With a budget of $200 million, "Revenge of the Fallen" should be expected to have the same astounding CG effects the first movie had. It doesn't disappoint in the technical department. The CG for the robots is incredible, and the little scratches on their metallic bodies just add to the realism. The transformations are still clever and realistic, and just amazing to watch. Some of the robots do look quite cartoony and silly, which decreases the realism, but overall the CG is outstanding and some of the most realistic computer effects in a film. It's not like Bay cares about acting, but some of the actors that participate in his movies at least care about their performances. Take Shia LaBeouf, for example, who tries to inject some humanity into his character despite the fact that the screenplay uses him only to run and shout. If Sam is charismatic and worth rooting for - and ultimately works as a compelling leading character - it's because of LaBeouf, not due to the filmmakers' work. I also liked Josh Duhamel, and Kevin Dunn and Julie White as Sam's parents were pretty funny. John Turturro, reprising his role from the previous movie, gave a memorable performance as always, although his character has somehow changed. On the other hand, I didn't get the point of Megan Fox's character. Okay, so she's incredibly hot, but she was also incredibly useless. Pure eye-candy, no substance. Overall, despite the spectacular special effects and insanely monstrous new enemies, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" can't offer enough truly fresh material to warrant this overlong, mind-bogglingly destructive summer blockbuster.

• My Rating: 5.50/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 19% (3.9/10)
• IMDb: 6.1/10