Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Well they made another Transformers movie, and having nowhere to be during the day I thought I'd just drop in a have a look.
In short: The first movie felt tentative and awkward, and you didn't have to have been a fan back in The Day to feel that unsettled vibe. This movie is far more comfortable with itself. This time, they made a complete, comfortable, proper Transformers movie and brought back some of the details of the original cannon.
I'll drop in fairly early that you woudn't want to take a little kid to this - There are some adult themes and some language we wouldn't want coming up at a random dinner party.
Without giving away too much, I'll say that there are several reasons I liked this movie over the first.
The world is more defined. The first movie couldn't - and shouldn't - have felt that way because it was the arrival of the first transformers. This time, though, the Transformers' place in the world is a bit better defined. They have a history, they have a role, and they communicate with the humans more easily. The humans have strengths and weaknesses as well. The movie's not about them (That's right! I said it!) and the humans can't do much about their situation, but they interact - and fight.
There are more Transformers. Since the first movie was an invitation for the Autobots to rally at Earth, it makes sense. This was a field in which some of the old ideas from the original cannon returned: Some smaller ones, some formed through combinations of individuals, some that had a distincly animal "robot" form. Fans will remember these ideas, but the movie moves with such speed that anyone without that understanding could get confused. Watching the first move for a second time let me catch many things I had missed.
The Transformers have more character. While we see less of the Decepticons than the Autobots, even they have more personality than in the first movie. Facial features, other details like staffs and chains, different ways of fighting and more creative robotic forms differentiate and define individuals in new (perhaps "reinvented") ways. One of my favories is reinvented as an old codger, and you won't believe what awesome form they gave him...but that's telling.
The Transformers do more. Okay, giant fighting robots. We got this in the first movie. They loved artifacts, kicking butt, crazy symbols, pretending to be primitive but innocous Chevy cars (now in tasteless colors!) and having silly humans make out on their hood. Well, there's more of the same, but the Transformers do more now. They hold grudges against humans, take the time to break major world landmarks, they quip, and defect.
Is that...tradition I see? They even toy with maintaining one of the major shockers of the original cannon... but I can't even point in that direction without giving things away.
It gets juicy. A new visual addition in this movie is the use of fluids. Transformers cry, spit, salivate, bleed, and... well, I'm not sure what that "coolant" stuff was that Bumblebee sprayed the college girl with.
We didn't lose our troops after all. While the characters that the Transformers interact with help us see them from a casual human perspective and fill a vital role as non-military witnesses and companions, I never really fell in love with the Wentwickies (see, I didn't even really care to look up the right 'spellign.') or their pets. The troops were excellent, colorful, understandable characters from the first movies and I was worried that there would be less room for them in the new chapter. They're not just shooting and spouting various military cliches like "bring the rain" and "danger close," but they're active and characterized, even to the military team's superior who muses that a "misplaced" government offical can call him but his own troops can't be reached. Oh, and they combine well with the Transformers, such as airfliting and dropping them. Besdies, I really liked the soldiers. And watch where you puff smoke!
If you slept through all that I've just said, I can also mention bigger booms, blaster fire, infiltration, seduction, worldwide destruction, military hardware, token mysteries, more attitude, and bigger, more unusual bots. For a fan, the action's still too fast. Is a vanity shot of a CG character too much to ask?
Did they find a plot? Yes! Did they do better in every category? Yes! Would I say this is a great movie? Yes, unless you're just not a sci-fi action movie kind of person. And if you're not, I'm sure you can go find the latest remake of something sentimental that was originally written by Shakespeare or Charles Dickens.
In short: The first movie felt tentative and awkward, and you didn't have to have been a fan back in The Day to feel that unsettled vibe. This movie is far more comfortable with itself. This time, they made a complete, comfortable, proper Transformers movie and brought back some of the details of the original cannon.
I'll drop in fairly early that you woudn't want to take a little kid to this - There are some adult themes and some language we wouldn't want coming up at a random dinner party.
Without giving away too much, I'll say that there are several reasons I liked this movie over the first.
The world is more defined. The first movie couldn't - and shouldn't - have felt that way because it was the arrival of the first transformers. This time, though, the Transformers' place in the world is a bit better defined. They have a history, they have a role, and they communicate with the humans more easily. The humans have strengths and weaknesses as well. The movie's not about them (That's right! I said it!) and the humans can't do much about their situation, but they interact - and fight.
There are more Transformers. Since the first movie was an invitation for the Autobots to rally at Earth, it makes sense. This was a field in which some of the old ideas from the original cannon returned: Some smaller ones, some formed through combinations of individuals, some that had a distincly animal "robot" form. Fans will remember these ideas, but the movie moves with such speed that anyone without that understanding could get confused. Watching the first move for a second time let me catch many things I had missed.
The Transformers have more character. While we see less of the Decepticons than the Autobots, even they have more personality than in the first movie. Facial features, other details like staffs and chains, different ways of fighting and more creative robotic forms differentiate and define individuals in new (perhaps "reinvented") ways. One of my favories is reinvented as an old codger, and you won't believe what awesome form they gave him...but that's telling.
The Transformers do more. Okay, giant fighting robots. We got this in the first movie. They loved artifacts, kicking butt, crazy symbols, pretending to be primitive but innocous Chevy cars (now in tasteless colors!) and having silly humans make out on their hood. Well, there's more of the same, but the Transformers do more now. They hold grudges against humans, take the time to break major world landmarks, they quip, and defect.
Is that...tradition I see? They even toy with maintaining one of the major shockers of the original cannon... but I can't even point in that direction without giving things away.
It gets juicy. A new visual addition in this movie is the use of fluids. Transformers cry, spit, salivate, bleed, and... well, I'm not sure what that "coolant" stuff was that Bumblebee sprayed the college girl with.
We didn't lose our troops after all. While the characters that the Transformers interact with help us see them from a casual human perspective and fill a vital role as non-military witnesses and companions, I never really fell in love with the Wentwickies (see, I didn't even really care to look up the right 'spellign.') or their pets. The troops were excellent, colorful, understandable characters from the first movies and I was worried that there would be less room for them in the new chapter. They're not just shooting and spouting various military cliches like "bring the rain" and "danger close," but they're active and characterized, even to the military team's superior who muses that a "misplaced" government offical can call him but his own troops can't be reached. Oh, and they combine well with the Transformers, such as airfliting and dropping them. Besdies, I really liked the soldiers. And watch where you puff smoke!
If you slept through all that I've just said, I can also mention bigger booms, blaster fire, infiltration, seduction, worldwide destruction, military hardware, token mysteries, more attitude, and bigger, more unusual bots. For a fan, the action's still too fast. Is a vanity shot of a CG character too much to ask?
Did they find a plot? Yes! Did they do better in every category? Yes! Would I say this is a great movie? Yes, unless you're just not a sci-fi action movie kind of person. And if you're not, I'm sure you can go find the latest remake of something sentimental that was originally written by Shakespeare or Charles Dickens.