An overbearing nightmare

Rating: 3/10 (25 January 2010)

My mate described this film as 'Longer and worse' than the first Transformers movie. And that's about right. The first film succeeded perhaps because someone reminded Michael Bay you needed the occasional break from screeching tyres, explosions, thumping music and shouting in order to keep it watchable. Here someone must have forgotten to give him the message. This movie is a relentless white noise that goes on about an hour too long.
The really troubling thing about Transformers 2 compared with Transformers is that everything that was either criticised or ridiculed in the first movie is expanded upon massively in the sequel, while the positives are pushed quietly aside. Didn't like the annoying parents much? They have thirty minutes more screen time. Offended by the black stereotype robot? There are two of them now. Found the fawning to the US military irritating? Well guess what, now Uncle Sam's finest even has jurisdiction over Shanghai.
When you factor in the substantial drop in the quality of the comedy, which has come down from silly but clever radio gags level to the imply stupid 'Look that robot has balls' level, and the fact that Optimus Prime appears to have had a personality transplant, going from a conscientious and a pacifistic leader into a violence loving bad ass it all becomes too much. I haven't even mentioned the plot. Of course its rubbish, you expect it to be rubbish and it doesn't really matter too much, but when everything else is rubbish as well it becomes a real issue.
All in all, its just not very good.