Transformers 2, A Extremely Fun Ride

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2009)

Was lucky enough to see the midnight launch for this one last night and was extremely hyped up about it - have to admit that the very successful first film had me really wondering whether the second could hit it off anywhere close to the first (admittedly, I had my doubts). However, I couldn't have been more wrong.
NEGATIVES FIRST 1 - as many people are pointing out, the movie seemed to be very long! Whether that had to do with the fact that it was a midnight launch more than anything else, who knows. However, the "Jetfire to Egypt" bit, and the subsequent climax of the film seemed far to long and drawn out, which ultimately made Fallen's eventual entrance and final battle feel a bit rushed and unnecessary (it failed to live up to the epic feel that the movie was building it up to be). The thickness of the build up to the real plot starting (Optimus' major plot moment, not wanting to serve up spoilers), seemed a little bit irrelevant and unnecessary, including the psycho-college girl/decepticon trying to seduce Sam..
2 - Also, there seemed to be WAY TO MANY robots in this one, if that's even possible. The premise was a good one - that the Decepticons have returned in masses, and that the autobots have never gone away, instead living in harmony and alliance with the humans. However, there were way to many robot characters that just didn't get any introduction/back development at all. The devastator/constructicons unit for example, had absolutely no personality attached to the their character at all. This could be quite acceptable if you consider the sheer volume of individuals whose characters were being developed in this movie (Sam, Makaela, Jetfire, Megatron, Fallen, and surprisingly, Simmons). However, the most disappointing thing is that the autobots in particular that we fell in love with in the first film - Ironhide and Ratchet, to name a few, are hardly involved in this film (I don't think Ratchet has a single line).
POSITIVES! 1 - BATTLES! Incredibly done, once again! The CGI looks absolutely fantastic, and leaves you absolutely gobsmacked. Some of the scenes that involve the destruction of the decepticons at the hands of the autobots, including Bumblebee in Egypt, and Optimus towards the beginning of the film, looks stunning. The large scale battle at the end in the Egyptian dessert, also looked absolutely amazing, but sadly seemed to lack a little bit of the intrigue and drama that the City Streets battle of the first one seemed to offer. Without doubt though, the sound and the battle sequencing, the smashing and clanging of metal, and the explosions of missiles and gunfire, were both visually and acustically superb - the forest scene that leads to Optimus' important plot moment, with Sam running beneath the raging overhead battle, looked incredible!! 2 - THE COMEDY - One of the big strengths of the first film was the comedic value that it had. Whether it was Simmon's and his S7 underwear, Kevin Dunn as Sam's dad, the comedic notes were well placed and served to offer a lighter undertone to the movie. If the comedy in the first one was good, then the comedy in the 2nd one was GREAT. Simmonsn returns and is, if anything, better fitted into this movie and subsequently offers another SUPERB comedic performance - along with another set of S7 BRIEFS (SORRY ABOUT THE SPOILER!!). July White, Sam's mother, as well as Dunn, have some more incredibly lively scenes when Sam goes to college which leaves you gasping for air the laughs or so intense. Yet much of the comedic value comes from the twins - the two autobot "Jrs." Mudflap and Skids, who constantly offer a reminder of how important comedy is in an all-action film like this. At times their humor seemed a bit over the top, but their sheer presence and the way they interact with Sam's roommate is a touch of genius. A particular favorite is when Sam and Makaela have their "relationship" talk in the middle of the library, while hiding from the decepticon that his furiously hunting them! jetfire is also brilliant 3 - THE ACTING - perhaps the strongest point in the film is the acting. In a film where much of the focus goes to the robotic GCI effects and the huge on-screen battles, little credit seems to go to the actors. Every single scene with Sam and Makaela, was an absolutely absorbing piece of film that melted your heart. Shia and Megan deliver so much better in this film than they ever did in the first, their performances absolutely superb and never feeling out of place with the film itself. Their interactions seem genuine and heartfelt, especially when the issue of "love" comes to place - they appear at comfort with each other as actors, and that is transmitted very obviously to the audience. John Turturro as Simmons, and Josh Duhamel as Lennox, also delivers a strong performance, if not as witty and comedic in the first one, but more serious and to the point in the second one.
OVERALL - This is SUCH a fun film. People were applauding and cheering when Bumblebee slammed the leopard-like decepticon into pieces, gasped with hands to head when Optimus' major plot moment was revealed, laughed histerically at ALL THE comedic moments of the film, and when we walked out we thoroughly felt like we'd been on a unique riding experience. There isn't much better film that you will watch this summer, and while other blockbusters seemed to miss the mark a bit in Wolverine, Star Trek, and Terminator, this one delivers faster and more furious than the first one.
8.5 / 10 - a must see, particularly on the big screen.