I expected more...

Rating: 7/10 (25 June 2009)

I really liked the first movie, but Transformers 2 was not what I expected at all. I couldn't explain it at first, but the movie lacked "tension". There is a lot of action, but no build up, and no sense of "ominous danger".
My most memorable part of the first movie was when the helicopter transformed and then destroyed the base in Qatar. Absolutely stunning! Lots of suspense, suspicion, and our first glimpse of a transformer and their capacity for destruction with cool CGI and wicked sound effects.
There are no memorable parts in this movie. All of the fights were the same - shot way too fast and no idea which robot was which. I hated the "black" "gangsta" lesser robots and they added absolutely nothing to the film. Not funny... Not in the original TV cartoon series...And not what I paid money to see.
On another note, Ramon Rodriguez who played the annoying roommate Leo was an absolute loser. A coward pansy and not remotely funny.
The artists should have drawn the transformers to look more "simple". I know they're a fictional race of advanced alien robots, but for all of the complex details, it is almost impossible to make out what the robots look like when standing still, let alone when they are twirling around in circles during a fight sequence.
Remember the cartoon? Exactly. All of us who grew up watching the TV series (and animated motion picture) as children can close our eyes and visualize what every transformer looks like. Try to close your eyes after this movie and see if you can picture ANY of them except Optimus Prime and BumbleBee...They all look the same! Megan Fox was gorgeous as usual, but I hoped to see more of her.
And what's with all of the "never-before-heard-of" transformers? The nameless Deceptacons that all looked the same and even the crappy motorcycle Autobots? Has anyone ever heard of them except the writers? Come on. I grew up watching the cartoon, and there are so many more well-known transformers that they could have used. Robots that people could say "I remember that one", or "He was my favorite transformer", or "I owned that toy when I was a kid". Who the hell were all of those "geezer" transformers? It was way too hard to follow the story because no one has ever frigging heard of those robots.
There were so many transformers thrown into this movie that it was impossible to gain any appreciation for them. If there were fewer robots with more screen time, people could pick their favorite (mine is ALWAYS Optimus Prime), or least favorite and feel some sort of compassion or aggression towards it. As it is, I felt no compelling reason to want my own guardian transformer parked in my garage.
I look forward to Transformers 3 but only if it reverts back to the same "formula" that made the first movie a big success. Bring back Jon Voight. Lose the unlikable sissy characters and "gangsta" robots. Drop some of the cheesy comedy. Simplfy the artistry. Reduce the number of robots. Don't link the president in a fictional movie to his actual name. If transformers have been here for so long, don't disguise them as a new Corvette concept vehicle or an Audi– pick a few older vehicles that resonate with a North American audience.
I like Michael Bay (The man knows how to make an action movie) but the reason I didn't enjoy this movie is because of the writers and the artists. The writers should rethink their writing and the artists should stop trying so hard and watch a few of the original TV shows...Just because this is fiction doesn't mean that they have to make it even more unbelievable. Destroy the sun? Crap...