The Very Definition Of Excessive Self Indulgence

Rating: 3/10 (26 June 2009)

While watching Transformers 2, I could almost picture it in my mind. I could see Michael Bay, sitting in the editing room, mesmerized by all the footage that was shot, coupled with the mind-blowing special effects mixed in, overwhelmed by it all. I could almost hear his very thoughts at that moment: "I can't let any of this go." And so he didn't. Which means that what ended up on screen was the result of his inability to let a story be the guiding factor, and allowing his self indulgence to take over. All of that put together equals this: a nuclear explosion of unbelievable eye candy with almost no sign of a coherent storyline. It also equaled a movie that was, at the very least, 30 minutes too long. Very disappointing. I guess, though, that I'm to blame just as much as anyone else. I dropped 10 bucks down the drain faster than you can say Megatron. And by doing that, I guess I provided the justification that Bay needed for this sub-par mess. The idea that, as long as it looks neat, and things blow up real good, then that's all that matters. No doubt this movie will make millions upon millions. It may even reach the billion dollar range. But that doesn't make it o.k., and it doesn't make it a good movie. Heck, it doesn't even make it a decent movie. And I hope Bay will realize that. Because if he doesn't, then we can all expect to see it again in the third installment. And that will be the real shame. But as I have said before, that's just my opinion.