Well, it can
safely be said that the "Ante" has well and truly been "Up-ed", because
Transformers
: Revenge Of The Fallen is an explosive piece of action packed popcorn
fodder... in every sense of the word. We kick off with a nice little dab of back story in which we discover that
for centuries, two races of robotic aliens (the Autobots and the
Decepticons) have waged a war, with the fate of the universe at stake.
When the battle comes to Earth, all that stands between the evil
Decepticons and ultimate power is a clue held by our nervous young
hero, Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf).
The same guy who is having some decent sized
"Spaz-Outs" thanks to coming into contact with a shard of the All Spark.
What follows is close to 144 minutes of unrelenting noise...
Buildings crash, robots explode, trees get crushed, the US Armed Forces
get pummeled, a termanatrix uses her sexy robotic tongue to invade
orifices, cars get flipped and ancient architecture crumbles like pie
in a Mr. T endorsed FlavaWave cooker...
In all honesty, there is very
little across the Universe that doesn't incur some kind of major damage.
If the world was in a job shortage before, fear no longer, because you
have to wonder if "tradies" will ever be out of work again once the
Transformers have decided to play nice and stop answering every
question with a reign of bullets.
But let's get down to it - what works and what doesn't with Transformers 2?
The surprising appeal of the original film was that everything was so
new and shiny. The effects were unlike anything we, as cinema goers,
had experienced before.
So, naturally, Bay goes out of his way to
deliver more fights, more action and more robots.
And yes, he delivers it all - and it's pretty damn cool (especially the
"Devastator" and a Stealthy elder).
However, there is barely time for the audience to breathe and take in
the awe inspiring spectacle of it all which, ultimately, works
against Revenge
Of The Fallen.
The pacing of the first was sublime, comedy mixed with quieter moments
-
which made those chase scenes simply mind blowing - and that seems to
be where Transformers 2
falls flat.
Because of this unrelenting action-scene pacing, there just
aren't as many "HO-LEEEE SHEEEEE-AAT" moments here. Not because they
haven't been included, but simply because your brain doesn't have time
to process everything that's happening.
There is so much
cool stuff on offer, your mind takes it all for granted and blocks out
quite a lot of the intended momentum and impact.
The hefty running time also takes it's toll, especially in the first
twenty minutes or so.
The film drags on early in the piece - heavily - with most of
the "comedy" feeling far to forced, with the plot unsure of exactly what story
it wants to tell.
It feels like it's desperate to explore the cool new world of
the Robots... but feels contractually obliged to continue giving
LaBeouf screen time.
But, to Bay's credit, the film does pick up - immensely - with some surprisingly emotional moments thrown in for good
measure (*Spoiler Alert*, but there are at least two deaths of
major characters).
Hell, Michael Bay even manages to get an actual entertaining "performance" out
of the blank wall that is Isabel Lucas' personality. She may be an
Aussie... but for anyone who saw her interview on Rove, you will know
what an achievement this actually is.
Bay also succeeds in making the whole experience bloodier, more
violent and somewhat grittier - while still keeping it light hearted
enough to sell those Hasbro toys... although, there are two amazingly
annoying new robotic inclusions into the fray which are destined to be
remembered as the "Jar Jar Binx of Transformers
2".
There is plenty that could have gone wrong with Transformers : Revenge Of The
Fallen, and while it isn't as savvy and downright fun as
the first, it is without doubt one of the most impressive visual
spectacles yet put to celluloid.
Explosive, exciting, genuinely fresh, surprisingly unpredictable - and downright
entertaining. Transformers
: Revenge Of The Fallen is everything Terminator Salvation
wished it could be.
DVD Special Features
Along with a pretty sweet embossed cover (I'm still
impressed with DVD packaging after all these years!) there is a
plethora of Special Features on the two disc editon.
Sure, a lot
of them are fairly forgettable featurettes covering Special Effects,
Stunts - but Shia LaBeouf is so charismatic, he almost makes it worth
while sticking with it for.
A special mention must also go to
the holographic Optimus Prime you can look at on your computer by
simply using a web cam. It's truly bizarre how far technolgy has come.
Conclusion:
Movie 70% Extras: 75%
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