Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Michael Bay and his screenwriters– returning Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (“Star Trek”) and incoming Ehren Kruger (“The Ring”)– have improved on the formula of their 2007 smash in a lot of ways: a tighter storyline that focuses more on the actual alien robots than on the humans; no extraneous characters like Anthony Anderson’s useless “only one hacker in the world” or Jon Voight’s Secretary of Defense (although let’s face it, Sam’s college roomie, Ramon Rodriguez’s Leo, tagging along seems largely pointless after one plot point); and Bay and the wizards at ILM are finally using the transformation effects to their fullest potential during massive action scenes. That doesn’t mean the film is an improvement over film one- a lot of that pointless “Michael Bay” stupid humor still exists (most egregiously, once again, when it comes to Sam’s parents, this time at his college; and what the f was up with the dogs?).
That said, “Revenge of the Fallen” is a noteworthy sequel in ways most sequels try to be, moving the story along and creating a tighter emotional bond between the characters. It’s also a kick-ass action movie, with a lot of Autobot-Decepticon carnage than the first, starting with a sequence in Shanghai that has NEST- a top secret military unit led by soldiers Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Epps (Tyrese Gibson) and the Autobots (led by Optimus Prime)- hunting down Decepticons, whose forces on Earth have only increased in the two years following Megatron’s defeat. They have regrouped and hatched a plan to bring him back, and bring about Earth’s final defeat. Not surprisingly, they need Sam (Shia LaBeouf) to do so- or at least the knowledge in his brain. But can he survive the college experience long enough sans Bumblebee, and his hottie girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox), to stay alive to help the ‘bots before The Fallen, an ancient Decepticon, can return, and finish what he hoped to do back in the time before man evolved?
There are some things that haven’t evolved in Bay’s film– his development of the parents (Kevin Dunn and Julie White) is just as lamebrained and, well, lame as it was in film one (did they really need to be in it this much?), although I will say, he did make it count for them in the climax. And yes, some of the new Autobot characters, the ones already talked about online (Twins Mudflap and Skids, and an ice cream truck that thankfully has little to do after the opening scenes), not only make Jar Jar look PC (yeah, the designs of Mudflap and Skids are as ridiculously misconceived as you’ve heard, and the less said on their voices and dialogue, the better), but also don’t make a good case for alien intelligence (really guys…did we need them?). Jolt (voiced by Anderson) fared better with me, but only because he seemed to be better developed as a fighter in the vein of Optimus, Bumblebee, and the other main Autobots. I’m not trying to gloss over the justifiable complaints about these characters and developments by giving the film a positive notice (one of the few it’s likely to get from what I’ve seen)– I just enjoyed the film in spite of them more than other people have been able to.
Bay is in his best action-packed form here, and he’s employed the artists at ILM to improve upon what they accomplished in the first film. I am looking to see the film on IMAX later in the week, so I’ll be able to experience the IMAX-only version of what Bay has in store (the IMAX-shot sequences are only available for viewing on IMAX), but his clarity in shooting the robot carnage is remarkable given the massive detail that has gone into each one, starting with the Shanghai sequence and continuing through to the scene with Optimus taking on three Decepticons in the forest, and the desert climax that could’ve used a little more clarity of location for my taste, but nonetheless rocked the house, especially because I, for one, was invested in the characters (most of them at least), in awe of the spectacle, and impressed by the musical collaboration accomplished by Steve Jablonsky (whose work was more grounded in the first film, but nonetheless worthwhile here) and Linkin Park, who has a featured role in the soundtrack beyond the end credits song.
Better robot development. A more organic story. Terrific action. What’s not to like? Plenty if you read a lot of reviews from the likes of Harry Knowles, Roger Ebert, and others (look for Peter Travers to continue with his Michael Bay hate with this film). They do have some valid points. Michael Bay’s penchant for goofy humor is in full-force again (although come on, is any of this more ridiculous than anything in “Armageddon”?), the film likely didn’t need to be the butt-numbing 140 minutes it is (how many action movies really need to be?), and read the above criticisms about characters and characterizations.
That said, Bay found a better use for John Turturro’s quirky secret agent this time around. He made me buy the love story between Sam and Mikaela (mainly because the actors buy into it as well). And let’s face it, the robots are characters we’ve come to care for as well, making their actions all the more engaging, and the action all the more entertaining. Bay still hasn’t accomplished the level of escapist greatness his executive producer (some dude named Spielberg) is capable of in his best work, but he’s starting to make the case that his first two films, “Bad Boys” and “The Rock,” weren’t quite the flukes they were appearing to be by the time “Bad Boys II” came along.
