TRANSFORMERS- Revenge of the Fallen

[Johann]

TRANSFORMERS- Revenge of the Fallen


I had a most uncomfortable viewing experience last night, and it had nothing to do with this film.
I knew I wanted to see the new Transformers. Badly.
I loved the first Michael Bay film. Just loved it.
And I'm not even a Transformers fan. Didn't have the toys as a kid, barely watched the cartoon. Michael Bay was right- there is a good STORY here, with these Autobots and Decepticons and the All-Spark. Great story to hang a movie on...

I was uncomfortable because for starters, the screening I wanted to go to was sold out (IMAX- $18 a ticket) and the only one available was at MIDNIGHT! Because I was so jazzed to see it, I bought a ticket. I'll never do that again for a premiere week.
The Scotiabank theatre has a bar, and I spent the time I should've been spending at the earlier screening at the bar, drinking some Stellas and reading my new copy of Film Comment (Jarmusch issue! with de Bankole on the cover!).
Then the bartender switches the news to CNN, which is wall-to-wall Michael Jackson coverage. I can deal with that. This is pretty big news. Then the bar starts to fill up with people gawking at the Jackson coverage. People are talking. And talking. And talking.
A black dude walks in with a Michael Jackson t-shirt and orders a glass of whiskey- he looks depressed. It was really weird to me- I couldn't concentrate on reading the magazine- Jacko's death has created a circus at the cineplex!.

Then, about a hour before the showtime for Transformers I noticed a giant-ass line up at the stanchions past the ticket taker.
There is no other movie playing that would have a giant-ass line at this time of the night so I got over there and, sure enough, it's the line-up for my screening. I join the line way back at the back. Then more people just start streaming in.
Hundreds over the course of the next hour! And they're ALL talking! The corridor to the IMAX theatre is nothing but wall-to-wall people. Roaring to each other. I think I was the only person in the whole building who came alone. I lamented that I had no one to shoot the shit with to kill off the time it took to actually get into the theatre.
It was nuts.

[Johann]

But to get to the movie, HOLY SHITBALLS!
This is what it is, a MASSIVE action movie.
I feel Star Trek edges this one out because of the character development and the tightness of the piece.

This Transformers film is an event, a film that you must see on the big screen. I saw it on the biggest screen on the planet and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. There are some SFX shots in this juggernaut that will take your breath away.
The fluidity of the robots' "transforming" is just so fucking kick-ass and brain-boggling. Mamma Mia, you seriously have to create a new award for the special effect technicians who came up with these incredible visuals. It's jaw-dropping how this shit is rendered. It just boggles the brain how believable it is!
You can really give it up for these alien machines and the havoc they unleash.
The whole reason the original Transformers film rocked the casbah was the special effects. They set/maintained a standard that will be referenced for years and years to come.
Industrial Light and Magic have shifted the film medium into a digital realm that truly proves "anything is possible".
The sound on this film is probably the best I've ever heard in an action film. The sound mix is just sheer nirvana. Anybody who's been to an IMAX theatre knows how good the sound system is.
With this Transformers sequel, that system is tested with a vengeance!

The sequel picks up with Sam Witwicky going to college, and is struggling with being a "regular" kid with regular problems (yeah, a regular problem for me at 19 was having one of the hottest girlfriends on the earth. Yeah right)
He's still being protected by Bumblebee and still has very odd parents.
The action sequences can actually be a visual overload for some.
During three sequences I had to close my eyes there was so much going on onscreen. It is literally a riot of the mind, these Transformers. It's tremendously exciting to me to see these robots transform. It's done with a real virtuosity that just engages, man. I'm not a fan of Transformers but I am a fan of Michael Bay's series so far. Benchmarks to me. As Steve Tilley in the Toronto Sun said in an early review- "Bay likes his Armageddons SUPERSIZED". The action sequences are Epic in every sense. Bay has Egypt on supersize, he has an attack and sinking of an aircraft carrier that blew my mind, and the opening action sequence is one of the best things I've ever witnessed in a movie theatre. Just sheer spectacular SPECTACLE.
Amazing action film.
I think it's equal to the original film, but when I think of that aircraft carrier sequence, that just might push it ahead.
I talked to a guy in the lobby who was manning a Hasbro toy display (?- in a movie theatre?) who saw it two days ago and he thinks this one is a little weaker than the first Transformers. I think it's equally great, but you decide.
If you can see it in IMAX, DO IT!

[Johann]

This film is getting rancid reviews, the latest from Roger Ebert, who gives it one star.

The odd part about all this is that I understand his criticisms and those of others. This is one helluva noisy movie. Noisy visually and noisy aurally. No question about that. It is a gigantic cacophany.
But I find myself in the strange position of defending Michael Bay and these TRANSFORMERS films. I know, I can't believe it either!!

This is sheer entertainment, of the highest, best, most bombastic variety. I hate to say it, but in terms of escapist, sheer entertainment, these films entertain me more than the Star Wars prequels. I'm totally down with Transformers.
If you like cinema, this is cinema. Seriously.
The special effects are incredible.
Think about how far we've come since the days of Ed Wood.
I am absolutely blown away with the special effects renderings of these kick-ass robots. The colors, the kinetic "transforming"- yeah, the film is kitchy and corny and lame and the plot is pretty supportless, but this all about the F'n ROBOTS, MAN!

Give it up for the F'n Robots! Give it up for ILM!
Shit!
This is how I like my summer blockbusters: Over the top but GOOD over the top. You dig? And that's what Revenge of the Fallen is. Pure escapism, pure sensory overload. No deep thinking or soul-searching here. Just sheer cinematic spectacle.

Sorry, I just had to mention this. I love this series and Bravo to Michael Bay for resurrecting my faith in Hollywood's ability to deliver solid kitchy awesomeness...

[tabuno]

Looking a the trailers prior to this movie, I noticed that there are going to be a number of disaster/big action special effects spectaculars released later this year. It seems to be the big industry draw for the summer and into the fail along with 3-D. Oddly, enough, I wasn't so impressed with the special effects as the big screen action sequences that focused a lot on the military men in uniform. Those scenes reminded me of BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001) and which eventual dominated a lot of the last third of the movie and made the movie better as the movie went along. I did enjoy the big action, not so much of the bot battles which seemed more like video game sequences, but the visceral stimulation of military combat big time. Overall, this movie didn't really impress me except for the military sequences which I found amazing especially on the big screen. The characters, the plot development, story all seemed pretty standard with an apparent effort by Michael Bay to make the movie appear more intellectually and emotionally lofty than it really was. The balance between action, story, between teenage popcorn plot and even some juvenile, children's character cartoons didn't fit well with me. I still enjoy BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER better for its comedy, drama, action fusion. The movie dragged in a number of places, but picked up by the end and wasn't as bad as I was led to believe by the poor reviews this movie received. I would sum up this movie as an average movie with super action sequences that deserve the big, big screen and vibrant sound system.

[cinemabon]

I can't believe the BO figures after this weekend. Somebody really, really likes this movie... 363,000,000! That's a lot of robot trash cash! It's set to boot Jurrasic Park and Passion of Christ out of the near top ten spot (that's the biggest money making films of all time, folks) and threatening Lord of the Rings next. Good gracious godness agnes.

I'd like to hear what the rational men have to say about that...

"Madness... madness..."

last line from "Bridge over the River Kwai"

[tabuno]

Factoring in the high increase in theater tickets and IMAX theaters, it's really admission numbers that count.

[Johann]

Like it was posted in my thread for the first Transformers movie:
films like this speak "Action" in any language.
You could be from Guam or Siberia and the action translates.

Everybody loves a good "action" movie...