Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Let’s get one thing straight: I am a huge Michael Bay fan. No, not just an apologist, but a proud fan. I’m the one who famously said that Bay makes more entertaining movies than both Spielberg and Scorcesse. I cry duringArmageddon. I get chills during the shower shootout in The Rock. I’ve seenBad Boys II more time than I’ve seen The Godfather. If you came here hoping to see me bash this movie, you came to the wrong place, because I lovedTransformers and I loved Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

So far this movie has been panned by critics across the board. At the time of my writing this, RotF is sitting at 24% on the Tomatometer. I’m not going to spend time deconstructing what critics have said. If you’ve read my work before, you know I don’t care for critics. They’re old, pompous, out of touch, and like Gran Torino. A few fans have been disappointed, but for the most part, people who loved the first have loved the second as well. Mainstream audiences have thoroughly enjoyed it as well. What right do critics (and some bloggers) have to tell people that they can’t like a movie? I tell people what a movie does well, and what a movie doesn’t do well. At no point have I said or will I ever say that you can’t like a film. I love Judge Dredd, and there are few things that movie does well.

I have no problem with someone saying they don’t like this movie, but when they criticize Bay’s action chops, I get angry. RotF has some of the most amazingly epic action sequences I have ever laid eyes on, and that’s why I showed up. It’s a robot-on-robot-on-soldier all out death match. It’s an assault on the senses, but it’s awesome. These are the action scenes that McG promised with Terminator Salvation. RotF opens with an action scene larger than anything we saw in Salvation, and “the woods fight” is one of the best action scenes I’ve ever seen. No one can create what Bay does with his action. He makes movies that appeal to the most basic instincts of action fans. He loves action and wants to show us things we’ve never seen before. He directs action scenes like a child playing with his action figures, and that’s a great thing. Any self-proclaimed action fan who doesn’t like Bay’s action isn’t an action fan at all.

To all those people saying that the action is incomprehensible, you don’t know what you’re talking about. No one can direct action the way that Bay can, and those who have action chops, certainly can’t do it on the scale that Bay is capable as. Everyone thinks action takes no talent, until we see a movie likeWolverine or G.I. Joe and we see how much Bay can actually do.

The script is taking a pounding from people and I’m really just not understanding the criticism here. Is everyone to dumb to understand it or am I just completely missing something? I’m not saying that the plot is The Matrix or anything, but it’s straightforward and made sense. In all honesty, it’s the same formula as the first film, just with different McGuffins and a ton more robots. People just love to bash Bay’s films for their lack of plot, despite the fact that he never rights them. It’s a fine plot, one that allows for plenty of action set-pieces and references to Transformers lore.

Bay is by no means a character director, but I’ve never seen the performances as wooden and flat as some people do. I think the main reason people don’t like the acting is because they are comparing them to the real world, and that’s not the case. These movies take place in the world the way that Michael Bay sees it. It’s a world where ugly people don’t exist, physics don’t apply, and Megan Fox can end up with Shia LaBeouf. In this world, people behave in this manner. It’s zany and filled with sarcasm, but that’s Bay’s intention. It’s not bad acting in the sense that Scarlett Johansan or the CAGEbot is bad acting. Those are people clearly mailing in performances and reading their lines off cards behind the camera. Bay’s actors are trying and they’re doing exactly what he wants to create this universe where comedy and explosions never stop. I don’t feel the need to comment too much on the actors specifically, since I think that all of the actors did what they were supposed to. Just know that Shia is great and Megan Fox is not bad.

As much as I loved this film, it certainly has problems. The movie could have used some more trimming to help with the pacing. I would have eliminated certain characters all together, mainly Shia’s roommate. I get that that he was designed to fill the comedic void left by Anthony Anderson’s departure, but he was way more annoying than funny. The need for comedic relief brings me to my second problem, which is the films tone. It was a tad bit fun and comedic for me at times. I was hoping for a darker sequel, ala The Dark Knight or The Empire Strikes Back, and the film has some great dark moments. I know though that this is Bay’s style of filmmaking. It’s a blend of action and comedy, often in the same scene. I still loved the movie, so there is no use complaining. There’s some other plot devices I wasn’t crazy about, but it’s not worth going into spoiler territory to talk about them.

Anyone who’s read a review of RotF knows that the hot topic everyone is talking about is “the twins”. I wasn’t a fan of the twins simply because I thought they added much to the movie, not because of the way they portrayed blacks. I’m not going to rant and rave about racial stereotypes in film. I’m not defending it, but it’s not like Bay is the first to use stereotypes. According to sociologists, the only black actor who isn’t stereotyped is Denzel Washington, and I’m pretty sure he’s not in every movie. The one comment I will say on the portrayal of the twins is that I’m not black, so I wasn’t offended. I’m also not going to say that people should be offended by it. If blacks are offended, I’ll understand, but I’m tired of whites going crazy about how offensive it is. They have no right to tell people how to feel about this, the same way they have no right to tell people how to fell about the movie in general.

The best way to describe RotF is to say it takes everything about TF and amplifies it. The entire movie is just bigger and more intense, and that works both ways. All of the first films strengths and weaknesses are larger in these movie. The fight scenes are larger, but so is some of the weak humor. The locales are more grandiose but some of the side characters are more annoying. There’s more Josh Duhamel, but there’s more Tyresse. You get the picture. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is probably the largest movie you’ve seen in quite some time. If you didn’t like the first film or were on the fence about it, stay away from this one. If you loved the first one, I would wager you’ll love this one as well. With a movie this polarizing, the only thing to do is see it and decide for yourself.