A surprisingly tedious return for Michael Bay

Rating: 4/10 (27 June 2009)

Riding on the slipstream of hype created by the 2007 original,this film is a shockingly poorly imagined story based around a bland, simplistic plot with little scope for character progression or even intelligent dialogue.
The film's special effects will leave you flat. After 2 hours of spinning robotic battles they simply bored me as there was often no point of reference on screen so it was difficult to see what was happening. The fact is, you can have too much of a good thing and though the effects are breathtakingly detailed and superb they are simply used for very similar sequences of action again and again.
The goofs in this film are not just to be spotted by the attentive, the middle east is ridiculously redrawn by Michael bay.You can spot LaBeouf and the gang,driving in a matter of minutes, from Petra in Jordan to the Pyramids in Egypt a journey of hundreds of miles. And again we see a certain arch nemesis of Optimus, when arriving back on the scene is about half the size he was in the last film and far worse at fighting.
There are pointless characters such as the cheesily voiced twins, who add bad jokes and surprisingly bad rendering to the films problems. These two reminded me of a Jar Jar Binks like feel, when appealing to the young they are simply annoying and reduce the tone of the film.
When Mikaela first picks up the phone to Sam 5 minutes into the film she demands : 'I'm breaking up with you' he's not in the least concerned and for good reason because a minute later she turns up at his house with some very serious ideas about 'taking it to the next level'. Her serious attempt is never mentioned or referenced in any basis again showing a very poor attempt at heightening audience interest and anticipation relating to their relationship.
The layout is beyond confusing and quotes that are meant to be the epitome of seriousness are hilarious when enunciated in completely the wrong context. The writing of the first film seems to have been altogether left behind for a new path with different style jokes; character emphasis and dramatisation. This direction leads into a film which is one that takes itself too seriously as an action flick not considering that its comic relief is at best thinly spread.
However I will not completely echo the review I saw in my local paper calling the film 'a hollow mockery of a sequel lacking in intelligence and wit'. It does provide some entertainment, with welcome character returns and excellent use of a stun gun as the high points of the film.
Yet the fact that in an action film, the action itself is almost boring. The battle scenes felt tired and insignificant to the films plot and the climactic battle scene was literally laughable in its pointlessness. It left me no choice but to be increasingly disgusted by the average nature of such a film in the days after I saw it.