Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

If there was one thing apparent from the first instalment of Transformers, there were many long robot battle sequences (in which it was sometimes hard to distinguish who was fighting who) and there was a lot of running. In this sequel, both have increased dramatically especially the running. In fact, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that this film has more running in it than Chariots of Fire, Without Limits and Forrest Gump combined (and he just keeps on running). If the true test of a good actor is how convincingly they can partake in a long sprint away from danger, Shia LeBouef would be at the top of the podium basking in his gold-medal glory. Even Megan Fox managed to stop draping herself provocatively over different vehicles to partake in some running (albeit even more provocatively).

Of course, there was a plot and numerous battle sequences intricately weaved around the athleticism of the actors but I think this is as good a synopsis as any.  The plot-side of things begins where the last film left off. Sam (LeBouef) finds a shard of magical transformer rock in the jacket he wore during the first film which, incidentally, he hasn’t gone through the effort of washing despite the probable stench it emits after that long bout of mechanical warfare. After touching the shard directly, Sam begins to see pieces of code in parts of his everyday life; notably in the middle of parties and lectures at his new college in which he appears to have a seizure whilst writing out the code neatly in front of him with whatever spreadable material he has to hand.

By knowing the code, Sam holds the map to a secret Egyptian tomb which holds a mystical matrix that forms a key for a Decepticon weapon that will destroy the Sun and, therefore, planet Earth. So, the evil Decepticons attempt to seek him out (who now include The Fallen as well as a resurrected Megatron amongst their merry men) and the running commences. Alongside this is a weak romantic subplot based around whether Sam and Mikaela will stay together when they live apart and who will say I love you first. It is utterly heartwarming…

All the big-name Transformers return as well as a few welcome additions popularized by the eighties cartoon series. The bad guys tend to be all the same colour and, as a result of this, they’re more difficult to tell apart especially during the fast-paced battle scenes. Bumblebee still possesses the comedy timing with his well-chosen selection of audio files to convey his meaning and Optimus Prime remains the omnipotent, omniscient Obama-esque saviour of the robot race.  The action and adventure is visually spectacular but this completely overrides any aspect of real-life that they were working towards in the first instalment. As the film progressed and seemed to be heading towards its natural conclusion, it felt as though Michael Bay added another half hour of fight scenes and explosions to make sure they spent all of the available budget. Interestingly there were some late dialogue additions referencing topical events such as the Swine Flu pandemic which makes you wonder how long ago this film finished.

Despite his company-branded boxer shorts becoming briefs, John Turturro, returning as Agent Simpson, is a highlight as he tries to fulfil his quest to serve his country. Although, this time the action branches out to France and Egypt, there is certainly an overt ‘America is the centre of the world’ feel to the film. If the US President asked the Transformers to leave then Optimus would obey, the heroes get through a checkpoint in Egypt purely due to the fact that they mention New York because, of course, across the world America is embraced.  Despite these slight, but expected, situational flaws, as a summer tentpole attraction, Revenge of the Fallen fulfils its criteria.

For the visual spectacle of the CGI and the well-made set pieces alone it’s worth a watch and then, on top of that of course, there’s all that running to get into.