What do you expect?

Rating: 7/10 (26 June 2009)

It appears that most critics have dismissed the latest Transformers movie simply because it's a Transformers movie. They seem to be saying something along the lines of: "this is an awful film and I can't believe everyone is still going to watch it and it will still make lots of money." Well really, what did they expect? This is not full of drama and amazing acting, this is not going to teach you a moral lesson or change your view of the world. This is a popcorn movie intended to show you lots of explosions and exciting action scenes, and on that count Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen succeeds brilliantly. Why should every film be about perfect acting and drama? Why can't we be allowed to enjoy a popcorn movie without being called stupid? Why are the so called 'smart' films so acclaimed, while the popular films that keep the movie business running are ridiculed? I could complain about this forever, but instead I'll describe the film. Firstly, the storyline. You don't need to have seen the first film to understand what's going on, although I suppose it would help. The plot is certainly not simple but as with most films like this you don't need to follow the plot to understand what's basically going on: bad evil robots trying to destroy the world while the good robots and humans try to stop them. It's far more complicated than that, there were a few moments when I lost track of what exactly was happening, but you can still enjoy the film nonetheless.
The acting is alright, there were no moments that felt out of place. The parents were both superb, completely hilarious at all the right moments yet able to switch to serious and terrified when required. The two leads were also good, Shia LaBeouf felt natural while Megan Fox was perhaps used more for her looks than anything else. There were a few moments that were obviously placed just to show off how perfect her body is, but I'm guessing the male half of the population won't see that as a fault. There are also some fun new transformers added to the cast, and the voice acting is excellent. There are a lot of supporting characters, many of them get some great one liners, some however felt a little unnecessary, but they're all played well.
As for the CGI, it's simply astounding. The mind boggles at the thought of how much work went into this film and how much it must have cost. Every detail is perfect, every action scene gloriously orchestrated. This is a film with so many explosions, so many guns and tanks and jets and, of course, transformers, that not a moment goes by when you're not entertained. Is it used in excess? Are the special effects the only reason to see this film? Perhaps. But why should that be a bad thing? I went in to the cinema expecting to be amazed and I was.
It's not all positive. There are some jokes that fall a little flat, some moments that feel contrived and the end is a little predictable. It's probably not as good as the first movie. Yet the critics are wrong, this is not a bad film. It set out to be an action film with great special effects and it is certainly worth seeing if you enjoyed the first or just want to see explosions. Maybe the fact that everyone is going to see it and it's going to make a lot of money should prove that the critics' definition of a 'good' film is sorely lacking. Whatever the case, I for one am looking forward to hearing the inevitable news that there will be a Transformers 3. If the special effects are getting better and better, I can't wait to see what they're going to do next.
My score: 7/10