Transforms revenge into confusion, with laughs.

''You know what my father was? A wheel! The first wheel! And do you know what he transformed into? Nothing! But he did it with honor!''

Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

Shia LaBeouf: Sam Witwicky

Micheal Bay in 2007 gave us an incredible CGI drenched offering called Transformers, which was fun and funny if what something of a mindless venture depth wise. So 2009, Bay graces us with the sequel, the so called Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and as soon as it starts you know this is going to be nothing new from it's predecessor.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen throws you into the action immediately after it gives us a brief history lesson on humans and transformers, so many new characters and locations that I couldn't even register what was going on. I mean an ice cream van suddenly appears in a rampant chase, and I'm pondering, asking even, where these new guys popped up from. Thankfully, Bay does explain where these ones came from, but later on this is revealed. So we have the little stabs at military promotion, we have the American way of life blazoned sickly by bay, we have more effects and CGI than a Star Wars prequel, and a new villain who looks like he just stepped off the xbox from Halo.

The cast should be mentioned. There is no John Voigt this time sadly, but we have most of the original cast gracing the screen. Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky returns, this time with a mindful problem at a new college, Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes shows us her mechanic side and also that she looks great but shes not a great actress, Josh Duhamel as Major Lennox replicates his performance from the first, Tyrese Gibson provides some good one liners and John Turturro gives us abit of a laugh too amongst proceedings.
Isabel Lucas pops up for a surprise I should mention, as Alice, who turns out to be a machine. This was surely a stab at Terminator for copying or vice versa, but definitely a nice twist on how a transformer can actually transform, and not merely restricted to vehicles or machines but organic lifeforms too. Opens up a number of possibilities.

''I shall rise, you will fall.''

The action, CGI, and chases are obviously top notch. However they are moving so fast sometimes, or there is so much going on when two robots are fighting it is hard to tell what is actually happening. I was at a loss at numerous intervals thanks to randoms running around aimlessly or transformers fighting each other in a confusing blur. The whole desert scene also made me scoff in a sardonic way. Was Bay saving money by filming in Egypt? It's obvious he was...and all the haters obviously will zoom into this little snag.

Overall, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn't as diabolical as most critics were saying, and it isn't as great as a number of fans have been boasting. Granted it has the dog humour, Sam's mother at college trying some marijuana cake, and some transformer laughs, this really is a clone and repeat performance of the first film with added effects, battles and new transformers, who ironically are not given enough screen time or personality. Again the only Transformers who we connect to would be Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and possibly Megatron and Starscream.
I can see Micheal Bay doing another Transformers film but before he does maybe he should make sure he ''transforms'' said script into an exquisite piece of story rather than just an eye candy rollercoaster toaster ride.

''I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message so that our past will always be remembered. For in those memories, we live on.''



6/10