TGM

George Bush doesn't care about Autobots.

Patman

Wow, the quote that came to mind was "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" when watching this film. I get the feeling Michael Bay gets a script, and then just picks the pages he wants to film because he thinks it'll look and sound cool on the big screen. But, Michael Bay is a known directorial quantity, you know he doesn't care about plot development, character development, and always goes for cheap laughs and bombastic action sequences, never provides enough cinematic connective tissue to make his films dramatically engaging, all the while providing top-shelf action porn.

So, Transformers 2 is truly bigger and louder than the initial installment, but not better, and simply goes to well of "robot-on-robot" violence too many times, and its sparse dramatic beats lack subtlety or weight. It's like a live-action cartoon, but it's even more over-the-top than the average Saturday morning cartoon, trading quick, swishy camera moves for what could have been awe-inspiring transformations. The tension from "danger" is both cartoonish and unconvincing, leaving us with 1-dimensional characters and caricatures who don't provide any emotional engagement for us to hook into their situation.

There is, what seemed to be, a 30 minute stretch where it was the cinematic equivalent of watching the characters running in place in quicksand, a lot of action was going on, but nothing was happening until they introduced a deux ex machina to get the gang from point A to a far away point B. There was just a ridiculous amount of story-telling deficiencies going on in this film.

I think I seriously overdosed on all the robot carnage and explosions on the screen, after a while you just get numb to it all.

I give it 1.75 stars, or a grade of C-.

Mopower

Can't wait to see this abortion saturday in IMAX. (real IMAX that is) Hope it's as bad as everyone says.

hapgilmore

Anybody?

Michael Corvin

Stu 17

old school.

hapgilmore

^ Thank you. Now i'm excited!

Stu 17

i actually thought, this is the bad boys 2 version of transformers, after seeing it. and that was a good thing.

slop101

Only a few minutes of the film are shot in true IMAX, and those minutes are not complete sequences. Random shots will appear in IMAX, meaning that the aspect-ratio for just one shot will change. Take into account how quick your average Michael Bay shot is and you'll understand how bizarre this decision was. Another sign that nobody making the movie gave a shit.

Mopower

Oh well. Luckily the IMAX prices were the same as a regular theater prices. And still it's a giant ass screen.

GenPion

I can't believe this movie exists.



I mean, I can... but I'm trying to pretend that it doesn't.

Son of Odin

ROTF actually followed the source material of the cartoons quite a bit more than the first. i remember one episode actually featured the decepticons trying to destroy the sun for energon cubes. we finally get the matrix of leadership. soundwave's voice was done by welker. we get more megatron/starscream bantering. for anyone to say this was not close to the source material.....flat out did not watch the G1 series. after seeing what 20th century Fox does to its marvel movies, that's what the term "bastardization" comes from.

Gizmo

So I take it this movie is awesome?

stingermck

iggystar

I agree with your list of cons, but you gave the movie 4 out of 5 stars. Your cons are the very reason why this movie is an epic fail, IMO. Your pros don't seem like a strong enough reason to give it such a high mark.

If the action in the big fight scenes is almost unrecognizable, then isn't that a major issue?

And years ago, all of Bay's sweeping camera movements, quick editing and slow motion was kind of cool. But, I'm really over it now it's all flash and no substance. Like eating candy all day with no real food.

jeffkjoe

The only way anyone could like this "film" is if they're young, they grew up with the toys, and/or watched the cartoon.




Coming into this thing cold is futile. It's a colossal piece of shit.

Michael Bay's camera will make you want to rip your eyes out, I guarantee.

jdslater1

But if you look at the pros I really did enjoy it. And I will be seeing it again. I did enjoy the humor but it was OTT and not all jokes hit their target. I loved the final battle but it could have got there 30 mins earlier. That sort of thing.

There were too many robots, and most of them are the small ones and they seem to use them to get around story problems.
The way I look at it is this. When Revenge of the Sith came out Lucas said that the last saber fight would last for 15 minutes and you think "Cool!". Yet when you are watching it you think "Just finish it! it's taking too long".

Same thing with this. You want more robots then there are too many. You want more action and then you just want to get to the end battle all the while thinking you have seen certain plot points and action scenes before.

Like I said before I'm going to see this again next Tuesday.

Mopower

Why else would anyone watch it?

Daytripper

Gizmo, please PLEASE change your Avatar! Now THAT makes me want to rip my eyes out. Or his.

mdc3000

Oh yeah, two other things I wanted to mention. 1. Could Green Day's 21 Guns have been used any more? I mean they played it like 4 damn times (instrumental and regular)...I love Green Day but that was excessive and 2. Could we put a moratorium on the scene where someone's heart stops and they have to be revived - but since it's a character we know can't possibly die, there is no tension whatsoever... the use of that in big blockbusters is getting tiresome.

Mopower

How many times does that crappy Linkin Park song play?

RobLutter

There's a point where sticking too close to the animated source material does not work though... and becomes ridiculous... especially when Bay claims to be shooting for "realism" through his changes to more realistic bot designs and military involvement.

I actually don't think he went far enough "over the top" And what we've ended up with is a realistic setting with unrealistic actions.

The Smithsonian Aerospace Museum only has like... 4 guards? Right...
You can put a decepticon in your checked baggage? Right...
You can get high off a pot brownie that small? Right...
Where the hell were all the Autobots when Opimus got OWNED by the Decepticons?

What I could not believe all the testicle jokes, the "gangsta" twins (which every 18-25 joe schmo white rapper fan will love), and generally lots of potty humor. That brought the film waaay down for me.

That and I don't find Meagan Fox's brand of hot... hot. I'm not big into chicks with no personality that let their titties bounce around for 3 hours.

mdc3000

^I think it's only twice - once as part of the score, then for 2 minutes during the credits.

I think she had already chowed down on a few brownies by the time we see her show them the bag....

maingon

Well I seen it last night I thought it was pretty awesome. I liked it alot. I loved the first one though. I do feel both movies are too long though. I thought the first half was pretty awesome. Thuough I am not a fan of john turturro in these movies. I seen it with a pretty full audience and they seemed to really enjoy it. They were laughing at all the jokes, and I thought the action was excellent.


I dont get the hate of this movie or Micheal Bay. These are fun movies and most of all of Micheal Bay movies are a ton of fun, and are great popcorn movies. Some of these post are just dumb, its a transformers movies. Stop trying to find things that are unrealsitc and just sit back and enjoy. I mean its a movie with Cars that transform to alien robots.

Some people just start going negative when they just hear Micheal Bay. I think hes one of the best Action directors today and one that still uses alot of practical effects. I think hes movies are always exciting, always great looking and just are alot of fun.

iggystar

Yes, I see that you enjoyed it by your 4/5 rating, I don't doubt that. And I agree with your cons as well. But the cons are major...not being able to really see the bots in the fight scenes is something that would seem to drop your high rating down a little bit more.

But I guess we all find different things important in our movies. I need to be able to clearly follow the action and some more plot. I mean, Shia is a hottie, but not hot enough to make my rating go up.

I can even see someone defending this movie as a guilty pleasure, I have quite a few. I've been known to watch Catwoman everytime it airs on TBS, but I know that I should hang my head in shame because I do...it's bad. This isn't even "so bad it's good" bad, it's really just pitiful.