Synopsis:

Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

The Freak's Rating: B+ : I was extremely disappointed with Transformers, giving it an F on this site.  Though I still believe Shia did a decent enough job as the lead, the film fell flat in numerous areas, not the least of which was the excessive use of special effects.  The transforming CGI wore thin and was emphasized far too much.  I felt dizzy after Transformers, not knowing what hit me but angry at who did it.  Coupled with a weak storyline, I was very upset that I couldn't get a refund on my ticket and more importantly get those two hours of my life back.

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen is still not a perfect film for the franchise, but it is leaps and bounds above the first one.  The director, Micheal Bay, is as involved in the Internet as he is in filmmaking.  Bay is known for making statements on his online blog that threaten his own career and are direct jabs at the studios.  Bay no doubt did his homework on what people were angry about with the first film and it shows from the opening frame to the credit roll.

Dialogue, though still cheesy in moments, has improved dramatically.  Though Shia still struggles to deliver "tough guy" lines, he does so with less problems than he has before.  Virtually every line out of Megan Fox's mouth is awful, but lets be honest...who is listening to this girl and not staring?  Bay knows what he has in Megan Fox and utilizes her perfectly, limiting her lines and emphasizing action shots of the girl.  John Turturro returns and is far less annoying.  Sam's parents are utilized more than in the previous film, with his mother causing a few laugh out loud moments from the audience I screened this with. 

Writing has its issues, as it nearly always does.  College is shown as a place where every girl is gorgeous and every stereotype exists.  This is a flaw, but one you have to overlook since an honest portrayal of college has rarely been seen on film.  Transformers 2 is one of the first films I've seen where, after being told the film is set in the present time, Obama is referred to directly as president rather than a President Smith we are used to seeing in this genre.  There is an ongoing "tell me you love me" between Megan and Shia and though incredibly annoying it isn't too terrible given the situations in which it is accented (all things considered).  Verbal humor is nicely done here by the writers, but physical humor is a tad much.  I never thought there would be too many scenes with leg humping...yup, you read that right.

Transformers 2 has no problem poking fun at itself in some moments and is far and away the best they've done to the franchise so far.  A nice, quick whoopass scene between the two robots at the end is a fantastic cherry on top (especially at a running time of 2 1/2 hours +).  Overall, this is what summer blockbusters are meant to be...lots of action, a good looking cast, a mega budget, impressive CGI and a fun time at the movies.

Daniel's Rating: A-

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