Another over the top sequel

Rating: 5/10 (26 June 2009)

The sad thing about this movie, is that it could have been so much better with just a few minor modifications, and I would have given it a much better rating.
*spoiler warning... just in case*
First off, the twins were not necessary. A movie such as this stands on its own without the campy humor. Their roles could have been minimized or even removed with little or no impact to the plot. These guys were no R2D2 and C3PO. As for the length of the film, it seemed to drag on a little at times. Two and a half hours is a little much, considering most of it was fight scenes. If I am going to have to sit through this much movie, I expect to see Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen in the credits.
And please Hollywood: more story, fewer cans of whoop-as*! What the heck! This movie seemed like one long series of robots ripping the guts out of other robots. Were this to have been humans fighting humans, this would have gotten an R rating. Even Optimus got into the act. This movie portrayed him as being unusually violent. Optimus is a wise leader, who defends his group at all costs. His ageless wisdom has taught me much through the years of my life, and I am disappointed in seeing him turned into a super-ninja-maniac robot. This time around I think the powers that be went overboard showing him ripping off heads, and punching through chests.
Lastly the humor left something to be desired. Repeatedly, the movie made explicit references to male genitalia. Potty humor is something I expect out of an Eddie Murphy movie, not the Transformers. Some of this type of humor always seems to slip into the movies nowadays. The last Transformers movie showed one of the Autobots "leaking." I thought that was unnecessary as well. Here is the rundown on potty humor: it is always good for an easy laugh. It is amateurish and unbecoming of a franchise with such a long legacy. Too much of this type of humor in a movie is a sign that the writer(s) have no ability to think up anything else.
Less violence, less potty humor, and a slightly shorter film would have saved this movie, which has a fairly good story to it. I have always loved the Transformers for its thought provoking lessons. Their stories have always taught me something when I watched them. This movie also contained a moral at the end. Sometimes we have to do what is right, even when it is inconvenient. This simple lesson got lost in the endless violence, and putrid humor. Perhaps Director Michael Bay should have followed this advice, and taken a slightly higher road.