Michael Bay follows up his 2007 big-screen adaptation of the Transformers cartoon/toy franchise with the 2009 sequel TRANSFORMERS - REVENGE OF THE FALLEN. The epic battle for supremacy between the Autobots and the Decepticons rages on, and as usual, it's the humans who are caught in the crossfire.
The Decepticons continue to spearhead a destructive campaign against the earthlings and their Autobot protectors. But the main villain of the piece is The Fallen (voiced by Tony Todd), a centuries-old Giger-esque baddie who emerges from the scrap heap hungry for power. Having lain dormant for so long, his batteries are in serious need of recharging, and the only energy source in the galaxy powerful enough to restore him to his former titanic glory is the Earth's sun. The Fallen realises that draining the sun of its energy has the added benefit of wiping out the entire human race; something he has been plotting ever since his last attempt at harvesting the sun's energy was foiled.
Several characters from the first film return, including Sam (Shia LaBeouf), an all-American college freshman who enjoys a vague 'chosen one' status among the Autobots, and Mikaela (Megan Fox), his girlfriend, who's not only beautiful but handy with a wrench. However, the real star of the show is Optimus Prime (voiced by original voice actor Peter Cullen). The legendary head Autobot is given a lot more screen time in this outing, and features prominently in many of the manic action sequences. You don't even have to be an old-school Transformers fan to pick up on the mythos--he speaks in nothing but searing quips and infinite wisdoms, and can turn into a turbo-charged Mack truck at will. So even if Optimus Prime isn't your mental template for the warrior-king archetype, he still steals the show, and makes TRANSFORMERS 2 more than just passable. With its eye-popping visual effects and dramatic set pieces, this instalment manages to be an even bigger spectacle than the first, which is saying a lot for a film about giant robots that turn into cars.
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"Jaw Dropping Brilliance"
I had been excited about seeing Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen since the credits of Transformers (2007) rolled... and I wasn't disappointed! Picture everything that made the first film so great then elevate that ten fold and you won't even come close to the sheer jaw dropping brilliance this film has to offer!
The film starts off with a voice over introduction from Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) as he explains what has happened in the last two years between the Autobots and humans. The action starts immediately - we are thrown into the thick of it as the Autobots and Nest (newly formed strike team lead by Captain Lennox (Josh Duhamel) track decepticons in Shang Hai.
Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen is epic in its scope, having a real sense of peril and there are evenmore robots that pull no punches as they fight. The robots on both sides are beautifully animated and some of the newer ones are truly elegant looking. There's one in the first quarter of the film that builds itself from what can only be described as ball bearings - very slick - very deadly. Frank Welker reprises his role from the original cartoon series as 'Soundwave' (a tapedeck in the 80's). The new incarnation of Soundwave is a satellite which is truly integral to the plot of the film and spectacular to look at. However, Soundwave has no robot mode - which I think was a right direction to go with when bringing him to life in the film.
The action is broken up by comedic moments, either from Ron and Judy Witwicky (Kevin Dunn and Julie White respectively) or by new Autobot members Mudflap and Skids (voiced by Tom Kenny). The interaction between the robots is more imaginative too, the increasing hatred between Starscream (Charles Adler) and the newly resurrected Megatron (Hugo Weaving) is continued on from the first film. At one point Optimus Prime single handedly takes on at least 4 decepticons which is truly bad ass and spectacular to watch!
The film is not all action and comedy - there are some emotional scenes mostly focued around Sam and Mikaela played by Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox who have picture perfect chemistry onscreen. Bumblebee (Mark Ryan) is not only a very formidable fighter when taking on new Decepticon troops, but also very emotional in his interaction with Sam. I would've liked The Fallen (voiced by Tony Todd) to have had more screen time, he also wasn't as malevolent as I had expected him to be and considering he IS the robot that initially corrupted Megatron into forming the Decepticons.
I give Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen a solid 4 out of 5, it surpasses the 2007 original, I cant wait to see where they go with it from here. Well done Bay and the team, bring on the next installment!