Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, reviewed
The summer started off with a bang when “Star Trek” and “Terminator Salvation” premiered, then fizzled down the last few weeks. Hollywood is hoping Transformers can break the box office slump, but with how poorly received the first movie was, how much hope does the sequel really have?
More than one would think, actually.
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” took the shaky acting performances of the previous cast and continued on the same route with minor upgrades along the way, and the addition of comedic reliefs in the Autobot Twins as well as Sam’s new roommate at college, Leo. Megan Fox, for what it’s worth, tried her best to make us believe that Sam Witwicky could actually get the girl, and supplied sex appeal by the boatload.
The movie itself starts off strong, showing Autobot vs. Decepticon carnage in Shanghai, and only a few times does the movie slow down for the plot to work its way into the fray. But from the momentary lapses in CGI euphoria, the plot shows its face and even in its broken and inconsistent manner, does a better job at setting the background tone than the first.
To sum it up, Sam has a map imprinted into his mind of where to find a key to turn on a super weapon that another Decepticon, the Fallen, wishes to turn on. Its purpose is to harvest the power of the sun to fuel their machine race, reducing the star to nothing and shrouding Earth in darkness. Sam and the Autobots, along with the NEST team, are on a mission to stop it.
The movie makes up for the weak plot with the comedic relief that may at times be overdone, but will earn smiles in its simplicity. The action is intense and is sure to please our violent hedonistic urges sufficiently.
In the end, the movie had just enough plot to justify calling it a movie rather than a CGI UFC cage match, but it is entertaining and enjoyable.
Thumbs up.
Rob @ June 28, 2009