Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen July 9, 2009

Genre: SciFi/Action
Australian Release Date: 24th June, 2009
Rating: M

Length: 150 mins
Starring: Shia LaBeouf & Megan Fox
Directed By: Michael Bay
Soundtrack: Steve Jablonsky & Linkin Park

The hype and gossip surrounding this film, from scandulous car accidents involving two of its young stars, to plastic surgery accusations and the questionability of Megan Fox’s ability to think had me worried that not enough emphasis was being placed on the filming of this sequal to Transformers. After tuning in to the premiere of the films trailer on the MTV Movie Awards I still wasn’t convinced, and the emphasis of the stamp “A Michael Bay Film” everywhere I turned, almost had me turned off seeing it all together.

My memories of the first Transformers film however got the better of me, and I found myself at the edge of my seat on opening night anxious to see if it could possibly out do itself this time. Thankfully, I sat through the 150 mins on the edge of my seat, fully immersed in the tacky and somewhat far-fetched story line. Maybe it was the hot actors or use of visual effects that made it so enticing, the action scenes were definitely paramount. I found myself feeling sorry for the “cute” autobots, and was impressed by the amount of comedy the film contained.

I am even more impressed at the way the Transformers brand has managed to break free from the restraints and stereotypes of a comcic book film. It stands rather in a category of its own, though still unlikely to ever occur in reality, it seems somehow more realistic than the notion of a super hero saving the World. Sam Witwicky is the under dog/hero that every guy wishes he could be, and that every girl wants to be with.

The soundtrack to the film was somewhat painful. I don’t understand what Jablonsky’s role actually was. It seemed to me all he did was take the instrumental version of the films title track (Linkin Park’s “New Divide”) and insert it whenever the explosions weren’t enough to satisfy the films requirement for background noise. Don’t get me wrong, i find the concept of keeping a recurring theme throuhout a films soundtrack appealing, this just seemed lazy and somewhat irritating by the theme’s final repeat.

Overall, I enjoyed the film a lot. A cameo appearance by Rainn Wilson was a highlight, and I left the cinema feeling satisfied yet looking forward to the release of Transformer’s 3 in 2012. While this film is being portrayed mainly as a “guys” film, I would recommend it to any girl who appreciates good humour and action packed adventure, this is by no means just a film about cars, and the violence is no where near cringe worthy.

-nome5tar