Disappointment for Transformer Fans

Rating: 3/10 (28 June 2009)

This review was written from the heart.
Hi all...Transformers....saw it 2wice! First of the regular silver screen...and the second was in 2D IMAX (as in normal movie but with IMAX Screen!).
Anyways...here's my take on the movie:
The Good:
> Fight scenes were very very well done > Car chases were very very well done > More robots than the first movie > More dialogue in this movie > I think that the intro in the city was probably the best scene in the movie along with the Forest fight....the intro in Shanghai was just amazing, and the whole "NEST" concept was really a great way to start. Loved the whole Sideswipe fight scene...amazing stuff...and then the amazing Optimus Prime coming down from a B-52 (could be wrong on that one)...and that was the mother of all intros right there! Very well planned. Grin
and now....the bad...and yes...I'm going to go nasty.
The Bad:
> Lame human story (expected to be honest)
> Lots of robots yes (but not enough dialogue for them, so we didn't really see any kind of character development in any robot, but the same lacks for humans too)
> Inconsistency / in story....where are they in Egypt...or Jordan??! I kept thinking...OK, the site of the Petra...and the Pyramids...and then they all seem to be near one another!??!
> Humor in the first film was much better. I did like some of the more comedic scenes with Shia Lebouf ... but the Twins have got to go (they didn't add much to the movie except an excuse for GM to show an add for their new "Beat" concept and Trax vehicles. But the humour was dull, tasteless, and to be quite honest predicable from Michael Bay movies.
> Story writers didn't bring much character building, even Optimus "The wisest of them all" is not given a fair share development, Bumblebee is more a pet than an Autobot.
The one thing I do give them credit for is reviving Megatron, since quite frankly had it not been for the interactions between Megatron and Starscream, this movie wouldn't have had anything resembling the Transformers that I loved growing up to. Yes, it's a "Hollywood" version, but come on man...they can't sell out that bad, this is a brand that is here to stay!
> The last 30 minutes of the movie was more or less a "Copy and Paste" of the previous movie, with some very very minor changes.
> WTF?!?!?!?!? Soundwave limited to 6 words in the movie (if not less?!). Ultimate disappointment..and what a waste of character....is somebody trying to give Frank Welker the cold shoulder?!? Disappointing...very disappointing. Cry
> The cut scenes, and "Armageddon" money shots are great and signature to Michael Bay...but if the movie was shallow like this one...there's really no point in putting everything in slow motion Mike! I felt like I was waking up to a nightmare, and for once I wanted to close my eyes and get back to the damn action sequence!!!
Conclusion:
All in all, it was a disappointment. It didn't live to the hype if you were a Transformers fan. In the words of Roger Ebert: "...a horrible experience of unbearable length."
The movie still took in some money, but it is not going to be sustainable as I'm quite sure that unless they do some major changes in the way the movie is scripted. The 3rd movie is going to flop even with normal fans who only want to see explosions and car chases.
My advice to Paramount (Dreamworks) and Hasbro.
If you're going to make a 3rd movie...than you'll need to do the following:
1) Get new writers! (The story is now totally messed up...Cybertron looks more like a scene from Alien versus Predator!....Why go that route?!?! Take drawings and art from the cartoon / comic books and you'll find Cybertron more of a robotic metropolis. Inspired by Coruscant. Look at the skyline in Coruscant ... place a post apocalyptic setting, and you've got the real Cybertron!
2) Possibly get a new Director (not to say that Bay was bad...it's just that he's become predicable with the Transformers franchise now)...JJ Abrams...anybody who will take it to a new direction.
3) Focus...focus....focus...on character development...AND NO...SAM GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE DOES NOT COUNT! They need to get deeper
Anyways...that's all I can take out of my chest for now...and I'm interested in hearing what you have to say.