Title:
Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Starring:
Shia LeBouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Julie White, Kevin Dunn, Ramon Rodriguez, Isabel Lucas, John Benjamin Hickey and John Turturro
Genre:
Sci-Fi
Review:
So here we are, two years later and revenge is finally here. ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is without a doubt the biggest movie of the year. But with ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Terminator: Salvation’, the other two summer blockbusters around, is it the best?
Well, it’s true to its heart. Fan boys will wet themselves (or already have done so, and are looking for seconds, thirds...), and about 91.6 percent of average people are projected to love it. The ‘Transformers’ marquee is lined with big goddamn lights and, being billed under the “sci-fi” genre, it could never be less or more than a flashy, loud and ginormously awesome popcorn flick for you and everyone you know.
Like the first movie, the sequel’s true to the original 1986 cartoon feature-length, with yet more scenes and details thrown in and anally CGI-ed to pay geeky tribute to the cult kid’s classic. More than two hours long, at times too many things seem to be happening with the Star Wars-meets-Indiana Jones script (clearly courtesy of some Spielberg action with the plotting, alongside writers Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman). Anyways, you don’t want to know that. So screw it, just enjoy the movie.
Being that cinemas everywhere will be stuffed silly for at least two weeks – here’s a heads up:
Reinforcements & Repeat Performances
The story picks up on Earth (but not before a nice opening sequence set in ancient Sumeria), where Optimus Prime and his Autobots have teamed with the military to form the top secret Decepticon-hunting elite team, NEST.
Sam Witwicky goes to college and gets a new schmuck roommate, Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), who later turns out to be somewhat of a scene-stealer throughout. Sam also finds that a piece of the Allspark has somehow clung on to one his t-shirts after two years, bringing about the whole fuss that makes up ‘Revenge of The Fallen’.
And so Sam and Mikaela (Megan Fox), who are now boyfriend-and-girlfriend, spend the whole movie pretty much accepting that they can never have a moment’s peace as normal teenagers when they once again, are called upon to help settle a super-sized, intergalactic war between alien robots. With the ever-loyal, and sturdier Bumblebee at their side, the young lovebirds find themselves thrown into the deep end again to follow Optimus Prime in his mission to defend Earth against the mysterious Fallen.
Apart from the emotive robot stars and the pretty humans, the special effects and score combust rather awesomely to lend the relentless spectacle on screen some soothing sensory relief, like familiar background music when there’s a war raging around you.
Linkin Park’s “New Divide”, pretty much an echo of the “What I’ve Done”, blares out from the cinema speakers against clanging metal, crazy explosions and classical cadences by Steve Jablonsky. Though keeping with the rock theme, the soundtrack, with snippets of new songs by Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Theory of a Deadman and The Used don’t really do much.
What matters though is that Optimus and Bumblebee are more formidable and kick more a$, unlike in the first one where they seemed a little wimpy for Cybertron’s chosen defenders of the universe. What matters more: there’s also something hotter about Megan Fox.
Beneath all the Hollywood hoopla and talk of it being the ‘biggest movie of all-time’, the story’s allegorical layer of good and evil, of angels and demons, of God and the Adversary strike as true as Optimus Prime’s twin knives.
The Malaysian media screening earned a standing ovation, and there was even some scuttlebutt about tears(!). And we all know that no matter what’s said, everyone will eventually see this at least twice.
Automatons Roll Out!
A whole host of sprighly new Autobots and Decepticons are in for the ride as well. But you can’t help but wish the established Autobot team like Ironhide and Ratchet weren’t just faded into the background, but perhaps there’s only so much screen time for whirring cannons, whizzing rockets and cacophonous metal-to-metal collisions.
There’s Jetfire, an elderly SR-71 Blackbird who ultimately plays the most important part in the film’s conclusion; there’s the expensive-looking Jolt; Sideswipe, a Lamborghini; a new look Arcee, based on the hot pink female race car from the cartoon movie; and finally a few token “black” characters (well, that’s Hollywood) – Wheelie, the miniature, trash-talking transformer and Skid & Mudflap, twin concept cars who bling and jive in the place of the deceased Jazz from the first movie.
Cartoon favorite Soundwave, Megatron’s communications officer, appears hovering in space menacingly looking down on Earth, and sets loose Ravage, the rabid robo-dog who, like Scorponok in the first, picks the fight in this one on behalf of the Decepticons. When it comes to one of the movie’s touted scenes, Devastator rises like a titan but whimpers out leaving the Constructicons as something just a little more than a cameo (sorry fan boys, there’s a spoiler for you).
Without giving much more away, if you thought Megatron looked evil, hold out for The Fallen when he makes an appearance. Starscream however, remains the same old prick he was in the cartoon movie, the first feature, the series...you get the idea. Elsewhere, Transformers fans might also notice the presence of Pretenders and Insecticons, although the much-rumoured Dinobots’ appearance looks like it’ll have to wait till the third movie.
Well, it’s true to its heart. Fan boys will wet themselves (or already have done so, and are looking for seconds, thirds...), and about 91.6 percent of average people are projected to love it. The ‘Transformers’ marquee is lined with big goddamn lights and, being billed under the “sci-fi” genre, it could never be less or more than a flashy, loud and ginormously awesome popcorn flick for you and everyone you know.
Like the first movie, the sequel’s true to the original 1986 cartoon feature-length, with yet more scenes and details thrown in and anally CGI-ed to pay geeky tribute to the cult kid’s classic. More than two hours long, at times too many things seem to be happening with the Star Wars-meets-Indiana Jones script (clearly courtesy of some Spielberg action with the plotting, alongside writers Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman). Anyways, you don’t want to know that. So screw it, just enjoy the movie.
Being that cinemas everywhere will be stuffed silly for at least two weeks – here’s a heads up:
Reinforcements & Repeat Performances
The story picks up on Earth (but not before a nice opening sequence set in ancient Sumeria), where Optimus Prime and his Autobots have teamed with the military to form the top secret Decepticon-hunting elite team, NEST.
Sam Witwicky goes to college and gets a new schmuck roommate, Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), who later turns out to be somewhat of a scene-stealer throughout. Sam also finds that a piece of the Allspark has somehow clung on to one his t-shirts after two years, bringing about the whole fuss that makes up ‘Revenge of The Fallen’.
And so Sam and Mikaela (Megan Fox), who are now boyfriend-and-girlfriend, spend the whole movie pretty much accepting that they can never have a moment’s peace as normal teenagers when they once again, are called upon to help settle a super-sized, intergalactic war between alien robots. With the ever-loyal, and sturdier Bumblebee at their side, the young lovebirds find themselves thrown into the deep end again to follow Optimus Prime in his mission to defend Earth against the mysterious Fallen.
Apart from the emotive robot stars and the pretty humans, the special effects and score combust rather awesomely to lend the relentless spectacle on screen some soothing sensory relief, like familiar background music when there’s a war raging around you.
Linkin Park’s “New Divide”, pretty much an echo of the “What I’ve Done”, blares out from the cinema speakers against clanging metal, crazy explosions and classical cadences by Steve Jablonsky. Though keeping with the rock theme, the soundtrack, with snippets of new songs by Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Theory of a Deadman and The Used don’t really do much.
What matters though is that Optimus and Bumblebee are more formidable and kick more a$, unlike in the first one where they seemed a little wimpy for Cybertron’s chosen defenders of the universe. What matters more: there’s also something hotter about Megan Fox.
Beneath all the Hollywood hoopla and talk of it being the ‘biggest movie of all-time’, the story’s allegorical layer of good and evil, of angels and demons, of God and the Adversary strike as true as Optimus Prime’s twin knives.
The Malaysian media screening earned a standing ovation, and there was even some scuttlebutt about tears(!). And we all know that no matter what’s said, everyone will eventually see this at least twice.
Automatons Roll Out!
A whole host of sprighly new Autobots and Decepticons are in for the ride as well. But you can’t help but wish the established Autobot team like Ironhide and Ratchet weren’t just faded into the background, but perhaps there’s only so much screen time for whirring cannons, whizzing rockets and cacophonous metal-to-metal collisions.
There’s Jetfire, an elderly SR-71 Blackbird who ultimately plays the most important part in the film’s conclusion; there’s the expensive-looking Jolt; Sideswipe, a Lamborghini; a new look Arcee, based on the hot pink female race car from the cartoon movie; and finally a few token “black” characters (well, that’s Hollywood) – Wheelie, the miniature, trash-talking transformer and Skid & Mudflap, twin concept cars who bling and jive in the place of the deceased Jazz from the first movie.
Cartoon favorite Soundwave, Megatron’s communications officer, appears hovering in space menacingly looking down on Earth, and sets loose Ravage, the rabid robo-dog who, like Scorponok in the first, picks the fight in this one on behalf of the Decepticons. When it comes to one of the movie’s touted scenes, Devastator rises like a titan but whimpers out leaving the Constructicons as something just a little more than a cameo (sorry fan boys, there’s a spoiler for you).
Without giving much more away, if you thought Megatron looked evil, hold out for The Fallen when he makes an appearance. Starscream however, remains the same old prick he was in the cartoon movie, the first feature, the series...you get the idea. Elsewhere, Transformers fans might also notice the presence of Pretenders and Insecticons, although the much-rumoured Dinobots’ appearance looks like it’ll have to wait till the third movie.
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