Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

From less oil on the body of Megan Fox to less “Special” Forces soldiers running about. Fans of Transformers will no doubt feel short changed on all fronts. What’s missing is the cheesy charm and in its place is a more child friendly toy advert, shrink-wrapped in an impenetrable series of events that attempt some semblance of a story.

Revenge of the Fallen deviates from the benefits of a simple plot and embraces a dozen different threads, which never tie up. With this lack of an easy-to-follow story the film starts and stops throughout. The whirlwind pace so necessary for this kind of blockbuster is gone. While critics of the first Transformers claimed the MacGuffin-fuelled plot was ridiculous (Find the cube. Protect the cube. Destroy the cube.) It worked well to move the story along and showcase the special effects. It would have been wise to replicate that formula for the sequel.

The two things I really enjoyed were, firstly, the Transformers. Admittedly they are more important to this film’s progression and they interact with the human characters far more effectively, something the filmmakers should be commended for. The effects are still stunning, certainly the best element in the film.

I also enjoyed seeing Shia LaBeouf’s Sam go to university with his parents. The scene manages to recapture some of the charming stupidity of the original and for a moment, as Mrs. Whitwickey (the superb Julie White) eats a space cake I thought the film itself was about to transform. Sadly it gave way to an “old” teleporting (and thus plot-hole creating) Decepticon defector – Jetfire – who will no doubt be adored by eight to ten year olds.

The factor that would have helped the film (other than a better script) was sound related. Transformers was nominated for two Oscar’s in both Achievement in Sound and Sound Effects Editing. It sounds real – a hard thing to achieve when half the characters are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from Cybertron. The credibility leant to the visual effects by the sound team, coupled with the super-charged atmosphere of the soundscape really had me glued to the screen. Nice to see studios making artistic efforts with commercial cinema. Revenge of the Fallen lacks this scope inherent in the original’s sound mix.

The film could have also ended with a much more punchy climax as Sam attempts to save the world, again. Instead we mess around with un-established talk of destroying the sun and so on. Drivel.

Revenge of the Fallen is a fun ride but doesn’t deliver in the same way Transformers did.

By D.F.I