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Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (2009)

Director: Michael Bay

Time Out rating

Average user rating

99 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

With this cash-cow sequel to his widely derided, hugely succesful original, Michael Bay comes closer than any director in history to boiling the blockbuster down to its most basic components: PG-violence, safe sex and special effects. And while it would be hard to make a case for ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ as ‘good’ in any normal sense of the word, it possesses such brute force that the viewer is left with two options: surrender, or suffer in silence.

The first hour is essentially ‘Maxim: the Movie’, a parade of sweaty denim, product placement and gadgets, punctuated with eardrum-rupturing action and increasingly tiresome gags. The story is largely absent, as Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky heads to college, only to find himself suffering spasmodic, brain-scrambling visions which seem to have some connection to the ongoing Transformer war.

Somehow, a total absence of narrative logic doesn’t feel like an insult to the viewers’ intelligence: it’s not that the writers believe their audience are too stupid to notice the gaping holes in the plot; it’s just that they know they don’t give a damn. And Bay’s direction offers sparks of genuine invention, including a stunning break-in involving a metallic cougar and a herd of smart ball bearings.

Then somewhere around the mid point, it begins to come together. A smash-and-plunder forest battle ups the action ante, and the return of John Turturro adds a lightness of tone which is totally lacking in LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Perhaps it’s just that the sheer volume and ferocity of the thing becomes impossible to resist, but by the climactic desert conflict, in which the entire Valley of the Kings is razed to the ground, the film has become so utterly lunatic, so breathtakingly, boneheadedly brazen, that it’s easier just to give in.

Author: Tom Huddleston 2009-06-16 12:09:28

Time Out London issue 2026, June 18 - 24, 2008

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User reviews of this film

Malachi said...

Posted on Jun 20 2009 21:12 The best 3 Hours I have ever spent sat down to watch a film! The story line is brilliant, Action throughout and occasional humour. I am seeing this film again on Monday to watch it for a second time at I-MAX. The best film this past 2 years by far!
Respect,
(*$malli$*)

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theo said...

Posted on Jun 20 2009 15:33 /\ LOL! megatron lover rules.

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Si said...

Posted on Jun 20 2009 11:54 The bad reviews that this movie gets just smacks of the reviews missing the point by a long shot. As a life long Transformers fan, this delivers big time. They forget it's a movie about GIANT ROBOTS! Please don't take the movie seriously. and Dave, there was a round of applause errupting at the end of the movie when I seen it. I have never witnessed that. We all loved it. It was fantastic!

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Seb said...

Posted on Jun 20 2009 09:15 A long long film (2.5hrs) with no escape until the script and mush peters out so the heroes sail off into the mandatory sunset on an aircraft carrier. Will Sam tell Mikaela he loves her or bonk Alice instead at Harvard? No sign of Meg's tatoos thankfully, but Alice looks more dirty and fun. Will Sam's parents get killed or just repeat dreadful script lines? Ok lots of robots and cars transforming into eachother, given, tight butts in denim shorts and heaving cleavages, of course. Alpha muscular Mary soldiers act camp with lots of military hardware made this feel a tad gay and camp for me. By the end in the desert sequence, I just didn't care as the violence became random and lacked any style. People die and then come back to life, no-one gets hurt and Hollywood was counting my money. Time to find out more about Isabel Lucas in a tight dress.

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Minh said...

Posted on Jun 20 2009 02:14 Not that I hate it that much but I've kinda had enough of those movies that say "oo I'm so clever! Look how sophisticated and goddam open I am for interpretation!". This simple film refreshes the mind and shows how awesome pure action can be.

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Paul said...

Posted on Jun 20 2009 00:09 I lost the will to live a third of the way through and suffered in silence, whilst this made for home cinemas played out. I wanted to lick Megan's lips and stick her on the wall given she had no role beyond butt, cleavage and lips. Watchinng CGI whack CGI endlessly is tedious unless you are a male juvenile with an EQ and IQ in double digits. The modern version of trainspotting, save your money and time. Stay at home and play with your toys.

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cool coery said...

Posted on Jun 19 2009 21:40 SO COOL X9999999999999999999999999999

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John said...

Posted on Jun 19 2009 12:57 Saw the first one and loved it, so looking foreward to this one. The Guardian guy hates it ,which means it must be good,as he's an unreliable critic,as are most of them (except Andrew Collins.usually)

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Dave said...

Posted on Jun 19 2009 03:28 OMG I have just seen this film and it is absolutely amazing. I was slightly worried that it would not live up to the expectations, following the brilliant first movie, however it delivered an fresh, new and inventive look into the Transformers franchise. The acting is superb, even if the voice of Jetfire (John Michael Turturro) is extremely irritating! Overall the mind blowing special effects set the basis for a well structured plot, leaving the audience buzzing! A round of applause erupted as Michael Bay's name appeared on the opening of the credits.

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