Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is currently the highest-grossing film of the year, and that's not a surprising fact. An action movie with giant fighting robots and an immediately recognizable license is sure to attract a great deal of fans. But how does the film stack up?

The film revolves around Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and his attempt to live a normal life, free of Bumblebee, an Autobot that has grown attached to him. However, his attempts are futile, as he begins seeing strange symbols whose origins are linked with the Transformers.

However, the plot is certainly not why you will see the movie. In fact, the plot is hardly interesting at all, though the parts of the film that most people will be interested in (namely, giant robot battles and Megan Fox) work for the most part. Nearly every part with the human characters is enormously uninteresting, with the exception of the parts with both humans and Transformers.

Leo Spitz, introduced as Sam's college roommate, is wholly unimportant and bland, though is featured a great deal in the movie. Megan Fox's character was so uninteresting (likely because of her inability to act) that I cannot

even remember her name - and didn't know it when watching the movie either. Mudflap and Skids, two Autobots, are also introduced in the movie, and are possible the most offensive characters in history - they are nothing more than racial stereotypes (one even has a golden tooth).

Overall, the movie is very poor by most standards; however, if you enjoy the license, you will certainly enjoy this movie. As much as I love Transformers, I have to give it a less-than-impressive 4/10.

Image credit: Mania (here), seventeen (here).

Bay As "Had Enough" Of 'Transformers'

In a big shock to fans, Michael Bay is leaving the Transformers series. "After the three-and-a-half years I've spent making these movies, I feel like I've had enough of the Transformers world," he stated. He went on to explain, "I need to do something totally divergent, something without any explosions."

Seeing that explosions are a common element in Bay's film, this is an enormous surprise. But does this mark the end of the Transformers series? Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox are already signed on for a third movie, due sometime in 2012, but how will the series differ from the original two movies?

A new director is sure to be attached to the "threequel" soon, but what director would want the job? Transformers is a very recognizable series, and fans will be quite upset if Bay's successor cannot live up to his image. And, according to Bay, this won't be easy: "It's easy to go shoot an art movie in a winery in the South of France. But people have no idea how hard it is to create something like Transformers. They [critics] review me before they've even seen the movie." We'll just have to wait and see what happens to the series.

Image credit: MTV (here). Quote Credit: IGN (here).

New Transformers Trailer

A new trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has recently been released, and shows us a better glimpse into what this sequel will be like.

It seems that Michael Bay's promise of seeing more of the Transformers face will come true, but will still be mixed in with some great action. We'll just have to wait and see on June 24.

Movie Watchlist: April - June 2009

So many movies come out each month, and it's often much too hard to decide what to see. That's why I've made this little "Wachlist", to show you which movies to see and which to avoid. I will create these based on three month time periods, and will most likely transfer this list to video games as well.

Earth (April 22): Coming into theaters tomorrow to match Earth Day, this Disney-made movie will show the story of multiple animals, including Polar Bears, African Elephants, and Humpback whales. Although it might not interest some people, it is likely to have the same effect as March of The Penguins. Morgan Freeman might not narrate, but James Earl Jones will.

The Soloist (April 24): Many dramatic movies will come and go, without the effect that they should have. But The Soloist, coming out this Friday, has a great plot, as well as a great cast. It seems like this movie could be the next Slumdog.


X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 1): As I've posted before, this movie just has to be good. The cast is amazing, and the new characters are definitely going to add to the excitement. Go here for more info on the movie.

Star Trek (May 8): This re-telling of the classic science-fiction series has been long-awaited, and many die-hard fans are excited. Even if you weren't a fan of the original series, you still might want to check out this exciting space adventure.


Up (May 29): This animated adventure by Pixar will be the first to be projected in Digital 3-D, and it's plot seems to be interesting enough. Only time will tell if this movie can live up to it's own image.


Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen (June 24): What appears to be the only triple A title releasing in June, this highly anticipated sequel to Transformers is assured to be a smash-hit, and may even hit box office records. More on Transformers here.

Sequel-itis

Movie makers aren't always fans of creativity. That's why, when a movies sells well (or even if it doesn't), you can bet that a sequel is on the way. And while these sequels are often a fulfilling continuation of a great movie, there is also the possibility that a sequel might be a cheap, shallow movie that was thrown together in a pathetic attempt at your dollars. To help you with all these sequels, I'll show you which ones will be blockbuster hits, and which ones will fall in the dust.

Super Sequels: Chances are you've seen at least one superhero blockbuster in the last one or two years. And if you're like me, you're excited for a sequel. Here's a little info on these super sequels.

Here Comes the Spider-Man: A new movie featuring everyone's favorite spider-themed superhero is in the works, and if it's any indication I'm excited. Although Sam Raimi didn't do his best with Spider-Man 3, a fourth movie featuring (hopefully) The Lizard and Carnage could bring the series back with a bang.


The Knight Returns: You may remember my previous post where I spoke of a sequel to the Dark Knight. While not much has changed, we can be sure that this series, still "young", will give us another smash hit that will leave us dazzled once more.

I Am Iron Man 2: While The Avengers is coming up, there are still plans to make a sequel to Iron Man. With two realistic villains already casted (see below), this movie certainly isn't going to fly under the radar, and we will definitely gets some more news on it before it's release next May.

Whiplash (top), played my Michael Rourke, and Black Widow (bottom), played by Scarlett Johansson (who will also play Black Widow in the upcoming Avengers movie)

The (Hopefully) Even More Incredible Hulk: Although this movie hasn't actually been confirmed, there is really no doubt - a sequel is happening. In the movie, Dr. Samuel Sterns is affected by gamma radiation, and his head is seen bulging... upon just a few seconds of investigation on the internet (or known by comic geeks), you can tell that he will become a supervillain known as "The Leader". Once more info is known on this sequel, it will be posted immediately.

The Not-So-Exciting Sequels: Unfortunately, amongst all these potential block-busters, there are a few planned sequels that just aren't going to be able to hit the popularity or sales of others. I'll show you just a few to stay away from.

Shrek Goes Too Far: I loved Shrek. It was a great movie - well done, an original type of humor, it had everything. In fact, it could have gone done as an animated classic. Unfortunately, it was just too good - they had to make a sequel. So, they threw together something they thought could work. Shrek 2 was ridiculous. It lost it's original, fairy-tale parody humor, and opted for cultural humor (as seen in TV shows like The Simpsons). Then came Shrek The Third and that hurt the series even farther. It seems pretty obvious to me that Shrek Goes Fourth will be the final nail in the coffin.


Somewhere in Africa: Is where every copy of this movie series should end up. Okay, so maybe the first one wasn't bad. But there was really no reason to continue it - the animals ended up in Madagascar, and that should have been it. And really - did the "Move it Move it" thing have to be used so heavily in the sequel? It was a little funny thing in the first movie, but they used that too much, and quickly destroyed it's humor. Now that a third movie is planned for 2012, it seems obvious what will cause the end of the world.

Jeepers Creepers! Another Jeepers Creepers!: Ridiculous. I'll admit, the first movie wasn't bad - I'd even go as far as to say it was "enjoyable". However, the second movie just wasn't that scary, and was poorly done, especially compared to the first one. If this trend continues, Jeepers Creepers 3 will end up being the worst of all. We can, however, be thankful that this is a direct-to-DVD movie, so it won't be being projected anywhere (I hear the projection of terrible sequels can cause cancer).


Some Other Sequels To Watch: Although it seems like most movie sequels end up being terrible, there are a few that aren't superhero movies that deserve being watched. You should definitely see these upcoming sequels, as they might be blockbusters in themselves.

Untouchable Blockbuster: Okay, so it's not a sequel, but still; this prequel to 1987 classic The Untouchables is definitely on my watch-list. It will tell the story of Al Capone's arrival in Chicago and his rise to power. It will also tell the story of whether or not you can build on a classic movie made over 20 years ago, and I'm hoping that it can.

It's Raining... Sequels: You may have seen the movie Cats & Dogs (2001). Well, it wasn't a blockbuster, but something about is stuck with me, and I was very excited to hear that a sequel was coming out. And although it was a children's movies, I was 7 when the first one came out. And even though the sequel might not be the best, I'm still happy. You might not know this, but this movie starred (through voice only) Tobey Maguire, best known for playing Spider-Man. However, he will not be returning for the sequel.

I... am... Spider-Man!

Roll Out: Yes, it's almost time. Just a few months away, the sequel to the smash hit Transformers will be released, and it's almost assured that this movie will be adored by all, assuming Michael Bay has fulfilled his promise of fixing the problems with the first one. For more info on my thoughts about this movie, click here.

Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen - Thoughts And Opinions

As I'm sure you all know, the new Transformers movie is coming out this summer, and is sure to be a blockbuster hit. Being a huge fan of Transformers (thanks to my brother, who actually grew up in the 80's, I'm also a fan of TMNT), I was excited to see the first movie. The best part was, it wasn't at all cheesy - it was an exciting action movie, even if Michael Bay focused a little too much on the government part of the plot.

A "new" transformer being introduced: Soundwave.

This leads me into my next point: how will Michael Bay handle this epic sequel (or, in actuality, how did he)? On the commentary of the first film, Michael Bay stated he wanted more close-ups of the robots for a sequel. I'm really hoping this came true, because I don't think we got enough glimpses of the Transformers, which is something that should of been done. However, I am slghtly worried about the plot - did Michael Bay do a good job creating this sequel, or will it turn into the kind of sequel like Shrek?

I'm feeling hopeful that Bay did a good job, and I'm sure that Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox will play their roles well again. The animation team will no doubt impress again - the first movie's graphics were unbelievably life-like.

Stay tuned for more information and updates regarding Transformer: Reveng of The Fallen. It's definietely on my list of movies to see this summer.