Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)
I'm surprised that I forgot to write any mention of the movie. I went to see it last Friday with my brother and we loved it. Personally I wasn't as hyped about it as I was at the first movie, but I didn't expect much from a sequel. Revenge of the Fallen did show some improvements, and its attempt to portray the history of the Decepticons and Autobots with Earth and the cause for their war affair. Isaac told me he doesn't think this was part of the original canon, so despite the surprisingly probable concepts surrounding "Prime" and "Fallen" they're likely fantasies stirred up by Michael Bay for his film series.
To the positive side, Bay's cinematography decisions during fight scenes showed more aerial shots and allowed the audience a better perception of exactly what was happening. This was the greatest failure of the first film, as the majority of robot throw downs were shot through Sam's (Shia LeBeouf) eyes. The Cloverfield effect is something I enjoyed, but many other viewers were displeased with the overwhelming nature of this style. I guess the shiny metal on metal was enough to satisfy me, but this film did a great job of backing up and letting you see just where the punches were landing and how the victim robots were beheaded, crushed, or de-spined.
Megan Fox showed a matured role as Mikaela, instead of being simply thrown into the movie as the "girl next-door" she was given the opportunity to support Sam and provide intel through easily capturing a small Decepticon with her mechanic-earned skills. The amount of fan service in this film didn't hit its peak until the desert dash, which probably was the only scene that annoyed me. Shia's performance is more amusing than in the first movie, but constantly poking fun at the character seemed to diminish his ability to convey the source of courage and strength needed to fulfill his role towards the end. Sam's heated relationship with Mikaela is barely scratched in this film, and despite Megan's improvement, the pair doesn't hold the chemistry we'd expect from these characters. Even their acting, though this is entirely the director's fault for being responsible for cutting scenes: is choppy. There's a few scenes where Mikaela is running left, Sam is going right, and the next clip they're holding hands and running somewhere together. These were easy errors that could have been corrected, and ones that you'd usually miss, but their frequency in the human acting of the film makes them visible.
Then there's the twin robots, that I'm only going to tell you were the most annoying and pointless part of the film. They brought down the movie with high production costs and low contributions to the plot. Their sort of, "we're stupid, oh, oops! Did I do that?" performance in the film while playing off a mixed stereotype could have been completely removed from the movie. I honestly do not know why they were created or used in the movie at all. They were nothing but offensive, and never amusing at all. I think the car maker that granted Bay licensing to use their automobiles for these idiots ought to be pissed off at the film. The cars come off as low-performance flashy, and disgusting. Not the kind of image you want to sell to your consumers.
Finally, there was Wheels, aka "Wheelie". Sure, he has one moment where the writers hit a low note and repeated the awful display of "dog on dog" humping a the beginning of the film. However, I enjoyed his presence, and it's too bad the idea of Mikaela having a Decepticon pet in the form of a transforming RC monster truck couldn't be used to a fuller extent. Perhaps the production costs from including the idiot duo removed any possibility for his role in the film–ironic, because I'm sure racing an RC truck around the set was cheaper than the two Chevrolets.
Not much else to mention that wouldn't spoil the film, so you'll have to see it yourself. It is worth the money, if only for the beautiful effects.
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