Not A Let-Down

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2017)

After the rousing, somewhat unpredictable success of the first "Transformers" film, Michael Bay and Co. set out to capture that winning formula once again in "Revenge of the Fallen". Despite much critical panning and even outright derision, I cannot understand why this would be consider a let-down in any way, shape, or form.
For a basic plot summary, "Transformers 2" sees Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) entering college and leaving girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox) behind. When the Decepticons cook up another evil plan to destroy Earth, though, it isn't too long before Sam and Mikaela are once again teaming up with the Auto-Bots (as well as the U.S. military) to once again save the world.
Simply put, this is the classic cinema case of "same concepts, different packaging". The amounts of humor, pulse-pounding action, and plot (or lack thereof) are pretty much the same as the original, but director Michael Bay is able to keep the proceedings remarkably fresh. Never once did I feel as if things were becoming "old hat".
The key to enjoying this franchise (and even more so this film in particular) is this: have the ability to not take it seriously. If you view these movies as strictly "escapism" entertainment, they will entertain you thoroughly. Do they hold up to dissection? Heck no. But that isn't the point.
As usual, LaBeouf pretty much steals every scene he is in as the young Witwicky. He has the type of acting talent that perfectly meshed with the numerous "just passed adolescence" characters he played during this time period, and this makes Sam very relatable to the audience.
Overall, I enjoyed "Revenge of the Fallen" nearly as much as its predecessor. While the "newness" factor may have worn off a bit, this second effort (if viewed in the proper light) repackages the key elements of part one and lets us enjoy them again. Despite all the negative publicity about this one, the Transformers fan who can fully immerse him/her self into the experience (without too much "thinking") CAN still have a blast watching this one.