Recommended By: Zach C. in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Viewing Source: Carmike Cinema in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Review: I must admit that Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen was my most anticipated movie of the summer, maybe even the year. I was really impressed with the first one, so it was hard not to have high expectations for Michael Bay's second installment. I heard certain complaints about the plot, but I find it somewhat interesting as it uses different time periods and introduces some new characters. As the title indicates, the story involves the Decepticons gathering up their forces for another epic battle. I don't want to say too much just in case you haven't seen either of the two movies. As would be expected, the first one should be viewed before seeing this one to get the full effect of the story, but the sequel actually stands quite well on its own. There's an equal blend of comedy and action, but the humor was hit-and-miss to me. The first few minutes were downright hilarious thanks to Kevin Dunn and Julie White (the parents), but later on the humor relies on corny, low-brow jokes and visuals which makes me groan more than laugh. I much prefer the slight dramatic touch of the first movie that this one lacks. While I'm nitpicking, I'll point out that the cinematography during the action scenes are a bit blurry and seem to be too close-up, which is a problem I see in most action movies to be honest. Also, it feels like all sense of scale was abandoned. How does a small sports car like a Camaro become four stories tall and appear to weigh 20 tons just because it transformed into robot form? Oh well, like I said, that's nitpicking the little stuff. Even though this film does not quite blow me away like I had hoped, it is a strong, entertaining movie, especially for a sequel. The props are outstanding, with the amazingly cool Chevrolet vehicles, fighter jets, etc. Plus, what's more awesome than a semi truck personified? The sound effects are well done, but this is an action movie afterall. Shia LaBeouf has always made me laugh since his days on "Even Stevens" and there has never been a more aptly named actress than Megan Fox. As far as the soundtrack goes, I've been really impressed with the Linkin Park songs for the ending credits on both films; they just seem to fit. Despite its long length, the movie flows quite well and makes for a good watch. -JNJ

Director: Michael Bay

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Ramon Rodriguez, Kevin Dunn, Julie White

Genre: Action Adventure Science-Fiction

Score:

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1) Acting Performance 7

2) Appeal of Cast 8

3) Quality of Written Dialogue 7

4) Original or Memorable Story 8

5) Soundtrack and Score 8

6) Sound Effects / "In Sync" Dialogue (Sound Editing) 9

7) Cinematography / Visual Effects / Choreography, etc. 7

8) Costumes / Makeup, etc. 8

9) Sets / Props, etc. 10

10) Direction / Editing (Overall Mood) 7

The review was originally published at www.weekly-movie-review.com. Reprinted with permission.