Embargoes have long since crashed, but the mauling is still to come. And though I don’t feel compelled to write a review of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” I do feel it a strange duty to get off at least one or two positive remarks before tomorrow’s inevitable critical massacre.
The film is better than the first. The film makes great comedic use of actors Kevin Dunn and Julie White, almost begging for a sitcom spin-off. The film’s action is creative and exciting, more fun than it had any right to be. The kitsch is embraced with less apology than the first film, which takes the movie to this weird artistic level that I can’t even begin to place.
There is a shot that will most definitely make it through to my annual “shots of the year” piece. On that score, there are, in fact, more interesting cinematic ideas in the film than you’d expect. Shia LaBeouf actually gives a damn good performance (seriously). Megan Fox is filmed with delirious invasion to the point that it almost becomes commentary. The “twins” that draw claims of racism could be strangely viewed as a separate commentary, on pop culture, given where the Autobots claim to have learned human communication. And the material proves, once again, to be sound mixing and sound editing pornography.
But…the movie sucks. And that it can be all of those things and still manage to be worthless on so many levels is absolutely amazing to me. Michael Bay is another breed. Dare I say that deserves cherishing?