Transformers 2: Popcorn Action Flick or Movie Sequel Flop?

Critics are being harsh on Transformers 2 and the general consensus on this movie is negative. But can a movie with top of the line CG animation and giant robots smashing each other really be that bad? I had to see for myself why so many people were walking away saying “WTF?”

I’m a Transformers fan through and through so maybe I’m a little biased when I say I don’t think it was that bad of a movie. I think the critics could be overreacting just a bit. There are some things about this flick that really bug me, however.

Here’s my beef:

• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a looong movie… we’re talking wear-your-adult-diapers long here. Long movies are great when there’s a point to it but if one existed here, I’m not sure what it was (other than to cram as much action and overloading of the senses into scene after scene as possible in a single movie).
• The plot/storyline is weak with some real holes that left me feeling confused and even a little lost at times.
• Sometimes is just plain out doesn’t make sense. It lacks continuity- and why is there teleportation yet the characters don’t use it when it would have made so much sense to do so? Why is Bumblebee suddenly all better in this movie?
• The geography/timing/travel isn’t logical. Like in the end where the characters are travelling from Petra, Jordan to Giza, Egypt casually with no apparent time lapse throughout this long drive.
• Human characters had no depth or personality. Sam is the wimpiest of losers and yet he has giant awesome robots and hot girls telling him he’s the most important person ever and he wants to give up and live a “normal” life. This really bugs me.

My final review: so the lines are cheesy and the plot is weak but it has giant robots smashing one another in an epic battle for earth! I mean, come on! How can that not be exciting? While you have to appreciate the amazing CG animation that went into creating this film, it is easy to see why some people claim director Michael Bay was more interested in how much crap he could throw into each scene than in making a movie that actually made sense.

One example of this is the 2-second scene that took 3 MONTHS to create. Seriously. Michael Bay approached Digital Domain with what seemed like a simple request: have a girl’s face transform into a lethal robot.

DD pulled off some of their best handiwork, creating the great shot from above with advanced digital techniques like advanced particle simulation. This type of high-concept graphics takes a lot of software know-how, the kind that only experts like those at DD would be equipped to handle. But when Bay saw the result, it just wasn’t quite good enough for him.

While he liked the shot, he also wanted a close-up of Alice transforming to the robot. The 40-frame close up of the girl’s face as she was transforming would have to be done by hand so two members of the DD team would spend the next 3 months painstakingly piecing together those 40 frames for an end result of only 2 seconds in the actual film.

That’s the kind of obsession with animation Bay had when he created this film. If you want to see some of the best CG animation in Hollywood history and a load of robot-on-robot comic-style action, then Transformers 2: ROTF is where it’s at. If you’re looking for another touching, moving, human-interest flick, you’re probably going to agree with the other critics about this sequel.

When comparing the two movies, Transformers was far superior when it comes to storyline and plot but it really lacked in the robot department. Fans of the comic especially demanded “We want more robots!” and that’s exactly what Transformers 2: ROTF gave them.

Now my real question is: what will happen in Transformers 3?