Non stop metal against metal thumping lifts this convoluted child's tale

Rating: 6/10 (30 August 2009)

I saw Transformers 2 after I saw Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince. Despite Potter 6's $1/2 billion dollar international take on opening weekend, Transformers 2 is the better movie! Shia LaBeouf is a much better actor. He receives and delivers better lines than an insipid Daniel Radcliffe. I suspect the next Harry Potter is the end of his serious acting career. Yet Megan is a Fox! Her overt beauty and "never get dirty" tight white jeans dominates the movie. As an adult, I prefer the outright sexuality of Megan Fox to the silly childish crushes of teenagers that never kiss.
Potter 6 squanders a cast rich with talent, while Transformers 2 milks a few nobodies. Although they never have any lines worth repeating, Transformers uses the compassion of Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro and Kevin Dunn to advance the tale of humans caught between a battle of advanced alien robots. Potter 6 however, kills off Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) and practically ignores the talents of Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Helena Bonham Carter and the slithery Alan Rickman.
Plus, the direction and action of Transformers 2 is better. And its stupid plot twists are just as believable as the magic that infuses Potter. Alien robots that never die is just as believable as evil wizards that never die. In both movies the special computer effects make the entire movie. In Potter, computer generated images create the Hogwarts castle with its rich architecture. In Transformers, CGI creates a mess of metal clashes as robot battles robot. In both, the repetitious computer generated pattern wears the eye down, making the CGI seem like it goes on forever. To its credit, Transformers seems to have a lot more on site scenery with locations in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, Egypt, Paris and Jordan.
Potter was like a magic potion; I wanted to sleep through its poetically slow tale. Transformers 2 was a classic "bang bang shoot em up," with high tech weapons. Much easier for me to enjoy. I can't say Transformers 2 is good enough to spend your lunch money on to see it in the theater, but I think only Harry Potter fans should rent this franchise's sixth release.
Suspend belief. Ignore the faults. This is no Spiderman. This is Terminator meets Gremlins. Sit back, enjoy.