If you haven’t seen this movie yet, there may be spoilers.

I've been putting this this off for a few days now, but it's finally time to review Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The name of this movie is blatantly appropriate, not because of characters within the movie itself, but because of the backlash that "true" Transformers fans have unleashed. There are many toy collectors who feel like "the fallen" because their beloved Transformers have been altered in both a physcial and functional sense. This is an undeniable fact: the Transformers currently driving across movie screens all over the world aren't the same ones that decorated TV screen during the 1980s. There are actually very few similarities between them except for their names and one simple fact, that they convert from an earth based machine into a robot. But you have to ask yourself, does this evolution, change, or even manipulation of their original form make them any less a Transformer than the ones you might know and love of times past?

Most reviews of this movie point out that single question as the main fault of the film, saying "This isn't a Transformers movie." I understand that argument, and I understand the terrible feeling that something cherished in childhood has been altered in an "unforgiveable" way. And then I look at the very name of these toys: "Transformers". It literally means to change one's form, to become something new and different, and to adapt to the context and situation. Transformers and its sequel Revenge of the Fallen try their very best to do this. Whether or not you think it was a successful attempt is another matter, but I want to drop that condition for this review. This is Transformers, it's this generation's Transformers, and we're going to have to deal with it, like it or not.

With that said, this movie is full of plot holes, questionable story elements, some strange departures (literal and metaphorical), awkard acting, potentially offensive characteriations, and conufsing visual design. If you're not familiar with the story of the 2007 movie, here's a quick synopsis. Mechanical transforming aliens have crash landed on earth as a part of two factions, the Autobots (good) and the Decepticons (evil). A war is fought with a simle human protagonist (Sam) and his soon to be girlfriend (Mikaela) dumped in the middle, resulting in an Autobot victory and the death of the Decepticon leader, Megatron. The Autobots stay on Earth as they have no other home, and to fend off any further Decepticon infringements.

This brings us to the beginning of Revenge of the Fallen, in which the Autobots have formed a sort of strike team that hunts down any remaining (or newly discovered) Decepticons that are considered a threat. Fresh Decepticon reinforcements quickly arrive on earth, stealing a shard of the Allspark cube and using it to ressurect their slain leader, Megatron. With the mounting Decepticon forces, now with an effective leader, the threat is once again established, and Sam and his Autobot buddies have to step up to the plate again, this time in search of the Matrix of Leadership, the only key to winning the resulting battle and saving earth from an ancient sun-eating machine. I've certainly left out some details in that summary, but a lot of things don't make enough sense to mention, let alone try to explain in the context of the rest of story. That's enough to get you through the review, while saving some surprises for the movie if you decide you should view it yourself.

There's some undeniable charm in the character Sam (Shia Lebeouf), and using him as a protagonist makes sense to pull moviegoers into the otherwise mechanical world of the Transformers. We can see things with fresh (and actual human) eyes through him, helping this movie carry what little emotional resonance it has, through to the viewer. The other accessory human characters feel like nothing more than accessories at any given time. Some of them are awkward eye-candy (Megan Fox), while others are only necessary to advance the story or bring more life to Sam (i.e., the parents, Leo the roommate, and any military characters).

The robots don't fare much better, and only a couple Autobots are worthwhile characters instead of just beautiful CGI battle fodder. Bumblebee retains his inability to speak, instead using body language (or his limited radio speech) to communicate. This makes him feel much more like the family dog than an actual contribution to the cast, which is unfair to an otherwise well designed and potential cast-powerhouse. His characterization comes across as an exaggerated cartoon animal, with weird "un-robot" bodily functions, blatant body expressions, and an extreme loyalty to his "owner" Sam. Optimus Prime is the only other Autobot that receives an ample amount of screen-time, and he comes across almost perfectly. He's a well-established leader, issuing wisdom-filled monologues left and right. The flaw that comes across as contrary to his otherwise complete personality profile is the way he ruthlessly dispatches of Decepticons. For someone who cherishes all sentient life like he clams to do, he's willing to remove Decepticon heads like they're bottle caps. The other Autobots are either barely in the movie (Ironhide, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Arcee, Jolt?) or excessive characterizations and movie stereotypes (Mudflap, Skids, Wheelie, Jetfire) that don't add to the flick as anything more than attractive and shiny warriors (and they do look pretty nifty when fighting).

This brings me to my next biggest complaint, which is the lack of a clear villain in the film. Megatron is brought back as the pseudo-antagonist, but then a mid-movie reveal of "The Fallen" as the real big-bad brings up a question as to who the target of hate should be. Megatron receives considerably more screen time this time around, but there's still no clear motivation for the Decepticon cause other than being pure evil, which is a hard toy to open these days. The Fallen is always a distant threat, and is so quickly defeated that he feels like a tag-along to an otherwise well-established villain. I'm not sure why bringing Megatron back at all was important with the new villain implementation. All of the other Decepticons (aside from the whiney Starscream) are just CGI punching bags for Autobot fists.

Despite the weak character offerings and the kibble-loaded plot, this is one attractive looking movie (and I don't mean because of Megan Fox). I enjoyed roughly 40% of this movie with all of my being, and that was any time that there were giant robots fighting. There were a few parts where I laughed, and a couple spots that I enjoyed the human interaction, but they were still heavily outweighed by awkward moments and weak storytelling. The only thing that saved the movie was the awe-inspiring battles. Confusing moments between near-identical robots were probably cut in half from last time. There were still moments when I wasn't sure who was punching who, although improved choreography and well timed slow-motion romps eased that difficulty significantly. The battle in the forest was a real and absolute joy, which could have been particularly poignant too, if not for a rapid deceleration of an important note and the quick move to the next scene. Other battles didn't ring quite so true and yet they were still entertaining compared to the rest of the movie. I think saying that "things blow up" is an oversimplication of the action sequences, but it's a somewhat accurate one. The computer generated characters all sat in their environments well, perfectly textured, reflecting light naturally, while also staying in scale across the entire movie. Transformations are a sight to behold, complex and intricate, happening quickly and without a break in the action. Seeing a giant robot jump through a building, land mid-transformation, and then speed away as a sportscar is something I could watch 100 times without an ounce boredom because it was captured so perfectly. The robot designs are not my favorite because of the unneeded complexities, but once the action starts, it's easy to forget that they're ugly, instead rooting for the homely Optimus Prime to defeat the hideous Starscream in a gorgeously animated skrimish.   

There were points throughout the movie where I felt Director Michael Bay got too liberal with the camera, but these were mostly during the "GM commcerical" sequences. At points during the movie, it's quite apparent that you're being subjected to camera sweeps for nothing more than to get a look at the new Camaro and Corvette from multiple angles. They're both nice cars, and seeing Autobots in Vehicle form is definitely welcome, but it came across too obviously, instead pulling me out of the experience. There were other moments when simpler and steadier angles would have better served the moment than rapid shifts and spinning moves. The battle scenes actually embraced these problems and turned them into positives, with fantastic angles on the intricate robots, and a dynamic camera that kept up with the action, pulling you right into every duck and dive that Sam managed. An issue with both of these films that might be a small detail to complain about is that every character, whether human, robot, or vehicle; it doesn't matter, all look sweaty. It's as if there is a "water bottle assistant" on set at all times to spray down the actors. Even in sequences that are calm and action-free, it looks like everyone has just jumped out of the pool, tanned and dripping.

The sound matches the visuals; it's big and powerful. It felt like there was always an explosion happening somewhere to grab your attention, but quiet moments weren't hard to find in more character-heavy situations. Voices came across clearly, even during explosion packed scenarios. Classic fans will be relieved to know that the Transformation sound from the cartoon can be found here (or at least a close variation on it), even though it does feel slightly out of place with the wickedly complex transformations seen on screen. Peter Cullen comes back as Optimus Prime yet again, and even though this choice was probably just made to appease classic fans, he does an amazing job. It's hard to imagine anyone else in this role. Hugo Weaving manages to make yet another effective villain on nothing more than his voice, bringing out the evil in Megatron. I think everyone that has watched the old cartoon will be releived when Soundwave finally speaks, and there really aren't any problematic voices across the entire robot cast, except for the potentially offensive Mudflap and Skids that play upon both vocal and visual stereotypes needlessly.

All things considered, I have to face the facts that this wasn't a good movie, but it was still an enjoyable event. There are problems in just about every category I can consider, some bigger than others, and yet I still managed to enjoy my two and a half hours. If you're expecting to see your Transformers of old, then you're going to be surprised. That doesn't mean you can't find this movie entertaining though, because there are parts to enjoy in the middle of the parts to ignore. Movies have transformed, times have transformed, and frankly, Transformers have transformed too. It's up to you to decide if you're going follow the included instructions. I'm personally taking them one step at a time.

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