G4's Transformers: ROTF DVD Review

On G4's Attack of the Show for DVDuesday, Chris Gore reviews Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the Transformers Generation One Box Set. Over all he didn't like the movie but did like the special features and thought the Generation One set was good but likely will destroy your childhood memories of the show (as its not as good as your decades long memory makes it seem).

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Roger Ebert Rebukes Transformers 2 Fans

Robert Ebert is one of many critics that disliked the movie but his review was one of the most vicious. He hated the movie on a fundamental level, liking nothing about it. His review is essentially a series of insults that comes down to a crappy plot with stupid characters and loud confusing visuals that lasted too long. Only he didn't put it in such simple terms. Personally I just thought he clearly isn't the audience for this movie (much older males) and his review very clearly reflected that. I think my review more accurately reflects the audience this movie was aimed. He is a good example of why I read more than one opinion to get a wider viewpoint as often most mainstream critics have a set of expectations that I don't.

His review apparently led to outrage from Transfan that loved the movie and they let him know what they thought of his write-up. His response to that is a blog post entitled "I'm a proud Brainiac" (found via MB.com). At the heart of this, he basically believes that those that like Transformers 2 are idiots. In turn those that liked the movie think Ebert is an idiot. His response, essentially comes down to "no I am not stupid, you are!" What I have a problem isn’t that he disliked the movie, so what many people did. My problem is I think he (and many others) fail to do their jobs as a movie reviewer.

Transformers 2 "Most Movie Mistakes of 2009"

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was recently crowned the top movie of the year worldwide and in the US but it also has a more notorious "award" according to MovieMistakes.com. Currently it is considered the most error prone movie of the year with more than 40 mistakes. Some of them seem to be nitpicks but the second closest movie is Angels & Demons with 19 mistakes so even if half of them removed Transformers 2 will retain the title of most movie mistakes (so far) for 2009. To read the full list, click here.

G4's Transformers 2 Debate

I figure some will find the below video interesting (blog reader pointed it out) since Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen seems ignite a lot of passion as it’s either loved or hated. Below is a little debate talking about the merits of the movie from someone that enjoyed it (Todd Gilchrist from Cinematical.com) and hated it (Devin Faraci from chud.com) with Attack of the Show host Kevin Pereira moderating (who also hated it but mostly stays out of it).

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Worst Reviewed $400 Million Hit?

A new article on Breitbart.com points out that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has the likihood of being "the worst-reviewed movie ever to make the $400 million club (domestically)." I assume they mean domestically since the worldwide total is nearly $400 million. Thanks to Mike for the link.

The movie pulled in $201.2 million since opening Wednesday, the second-best result for a movie in its first five days, just behind "The Dark Knight" with $203.8 million. Even after its whopping $60.6 million opening day, "Revenge of the Fallen" was packing theaters, a sign that unlike critics, who mostly hated the movie, audiences felt they were getting their money's worth and were giving the flick good word of mouth.

Critics "forget what the goal of the movie was. The goal of the movie is to entertain and have fun," said Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount, which is distributing "Transformers" for DreamWorks. "What the audience tells us is, `We couldn't be more entertained and having more fun.' They kind of roll their eyes at the critics and say, `You have no idea what you're talking about.'"

According to Paramount's exit polls, 91 percent of the audience thought the sequel was as good as or better than the first "Transformers," which received far better reviews.

Not so for the new "Transformers." On Rottentomatoes.com, a Web site that compiles critics' opinions, the sequel had only 38 positive reviews out of 187, a lowly 20 percent rating usually reserved for box-office duds.

Many critics who liked the movie had reservations, praising the movie's visual effects and relentless action but generally advising audiences to check their brains at the door. On Metacritic.com, a site that assigns ratings of zero to 100 based on movie reviews, "Revenge of the Fallen" received a 36, a lowly score barely above those given to recent box-office duds "Year One" and "Land of the Lost."

Of the eight movies that have grossed more than $400 million domestically, four scored 90 percent or higher on Rottentomatoes: "The Dark Knight," "Spider-Man," "E.T. the Extra-terrestrial" and "Star Wars." Two others, "Shrek 2" and "Titanic," topped 80 percent.

The article doesn't mentioned that while the critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a drubbing, the community's average score is 68%. On Metacritic, the users score is 60 out of 100.

Overall, I think its the usual disconnect between critics and the audience and the different set of requirements each have. To me, any critic should answer a simple question when writing a movie review - "Is the movie entertaining?". When they fail to consider that question as part of their judgement, you get the wide disconnect between the audience and the critic that this movie illustrates. Most of the reviews I read focused on how loud the movie was, how weak the story, how insulting the jokes but few actually addressed that critical question - is it entertaining?

Critics tend to judge movies as a form of art looking for themes, acting tour de forces, scenary chewing and so forth. For the general audience, the goal is often a desire to escape from life for a few hours, to be entertained with anything beyond that is a nice bonus. Cutting off your brain and enjoying two hours of loud escapism isn't a bad thing. That is what Transformers 2 is for most, just two and half hours of great entertainment, something most critics failed to judge the movie on and something they should address if they want to truly reflect the audience they are trying to reach.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Review

More. That is the best one word description of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It has more Transformers, more explosions, more minutes, more humor, more characters but all this more comes at the expense of a cohesive story and any attempt at character arcs.

The story is simple even though several obstacles are thrown in to make it seem complicated. The Fallen orders Megatron and the Decepticons to find the Matrix so he can blow up the Sun for power and Sam and the Autobots must stop them. The story has holes the size of Optimus Prime so it is best to not dwell on the details. The dialogue is as flat and uninspired as the first movie but Prime gets a few good lines in here and there. Really though this isn’t a movie you watch for story nor characterization.

Transformers: ROTF The Game Reviews

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game is now available and reviews are popping up online. Checking out Metacritic, it appears the game is scoring pretty good overall with an average score of 70/100 for the XBox360 and 68/100 for the PS3. Below are samples from the above links.

PGNx Media (83/100)

Like the movie it’s based on, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn’t trying to radically change the genre or introduce innovative new features. It’s giving you great-looking robots that go off and fight other great-looking robots as you watch the resulting explosions.

Gamespot (75/100)

Though it isn't immediately accessible, Revenge of the Fallen has a good amount of fun and satisfying gameplay. The initial awkwardness of the controls is a bit vexing, and some issues linger no matter how good you get. The single-player missions and multiplayer game modes aren't very diverse, but the various bonus challenges and strategic nuances add some welcome depth. What Revenge of the Fallen does best is make it fun to be a Transformer by giving you a powerful set of abilities and open maps where you can put them to use. It's enjoyable and engaging, and it's probably the best Transformers product you'll see this summer.

1Up (C+, 58/100)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an apt representation of what you'd expect from a Transformers movie: a disposable, explosion-laden piece of mindless entertainment featuring robots beating the crap out of each other. And judging from the movie reviews, it actually sounds like this solid, if flawed, action game might turn out to be better than the movie.

IGN (60/100)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen comes up short in a number of categories, due in large part to its repetition, odd control layout, poor AI and almost total lack of presentation. Running around and just shooting stuff has its merits, though it does get old after a bit. At least the multiplayer offers up a pretty good time for when you tire of the short single-player game.

Also, Target currently has a promo on Transformers products both in store and online that does seem to work with the video games. When you buy any two Transformers products in the entire store you can save 10%, 15% on any three, and 20% on any four. For online, the promotional code to enter (depending on number bein purchased) is TF2STR02, TF2STR03, and TF2STR04. They all expire on July 11th. Thanks to Inuyasha for the info.

New Media Reviews of ROTF

Previously I posted reviews from mainstream media websites, now here are a few reviews from "new media" sources on the internet. First a quick check-in on Rotten Tomatoes shows that critic hatred of this film continues with the T-Meter for critics at 21% (down from 29%), top critics is at 21% (down from 23%), and RT community holds steady at 68%. Of those three numbers, really the only one that matters (unscientifically) is the last as it is audience word of mouth that will drive ticket sales.

IGN (3/5)

...the battle scenes are comprehensible, but the story isn't. If plot isn't important in films of this type -- as its most ardent defenders will inevitably claim -- then why did director Michael Bay and screenwriters Ehren Kruger & Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman spend two and a half hours telling it? Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is more epic, bombastic and overwhelming than the 2007 original, but it's also charmless, dumber and cruder by comparison. Since the characters, human and otherwise, are seldom engaging, the film only works when things go boom.

Mudflap and Skids, the Amos 'n' Andy of the Autobots and two of the most offensive characters in recent cinematic history. What were the filmmakers thinking? The "it's just a movie" defense doesn't fly on this one, folks; whereas George Lucas had wiggle room to defend himself with Jar Jar Binks, there is none here for Bay and company to fall back on. It's just too blatant to be deemed anything but obvious and in poor taste. Mudflap and Skids will pull anyone with a half a brain right out of the movie, and they taint the overall viewing experience and prove to be an embarrassment for all involved.

Dark Horizons

Often bypassing any logic or reason let alone character or depth, this utter mess of an action opus is only sporadically entertaining thanks to all the visual flair that $200 million worth of computer-generated fighting robots can buy, but holds no real value beyond that. The fanbase and target demographic of pre-teens and grown men with nostalgic mindsets will likely enjoy the initial ride, but most will be let down by an overly long and unruly sequel that effectively demonstrates that bigger and louder doesn't always mean better. 'Fallen' indulges Bay's excesses well past the point of reason to deliver the male teenage cinematic equivalent of snorting cocaine off a hooker's ass. This "all money shots, all the time" approach robs the action of any weight or coherency - leaving behind sensory white noise that hopes to browbeat its audience into either submission or boredom.

The CG also proves oddly mixed. On the one hand the Transformers facial expressions have much more range and appearance now, on the other the integration with the real world is noticeably less smooth and more cartoonish than the first one. The first film also really lent a sense of physics and gravity to these creations, here giant robots get tossed about with no real weight or inertia. Jablonsky's score leaves little impression, mostly drowned out by forgettable metal thrash music.

io9.com

Transformers: ROTF has mostly gotten pretty hideous reviews, but that's because people don't understand that this isn't a movie, in the conventional sense. It's an assault on the senses, a barrage of crazy imagery. ROTF is like twenty summer movies, with unrelated storylines, smushed together into one crazy whole. You try in vain to understand how the pieces fit, you stare into the cracks between the narrative strands, until the cracks become chasms and the chasms become an abyss into which you stare until it looks deep into your own soul, and then you go insane.

Mania

Revenge of the Fallen contains enough reprehensible material to send any rational adult into fits of rage, but if you didn't know that going in, you probably fail to meet the definition of "rational adult" anyway. Too much of the film concerns itself with the human cast--still as boring as ever and still far less developed than the machines on the poster. At times, the dialogue literally becomes incoherent, as when Sam is infected with an ancient Transformer language that points the way to some magical hidden Maguffin or another. while Revenge of the Fallen holds the requisite amount of whiz-bang mayhem, it also contains a number of really cool action-based notions… which it doesn't know what to do with. ...hampered by a ADD-laden editing style that doesn't even give us a reliable look at the robots as they morph into their hidden shapes. (The choppiness also makes it difficult to tell good robot from bad unless you're seriously steeped in the mythology.)

Revenge is Here, What Did You Think?

I just got back from watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on the IMAX. The crowd I was with was great, cheering as the movie started, at the end of the movie and at the great moments in between for seven total crowd cheers. After there was a large crowd waiting for the 3:15am showtime. Don't remember a time been The movie is pretty much a wall to wall action extravaganza of Transformer action fun. Best part is Optimus Prime finally gets moments to shine. I may write a more formal review once had time to formulate something. I had fun and was thoroughly entertained for 2.5 hours.

Oh and FYI, there are two quick cutscenes at the end of the movie, there is nothing at the end of the credits.

So what did you think? Try to keep it spoiler free and PG-13.

Transformers ROTF Trashed By Critics

Probably to the surprise of no one, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is getting trashed by critics judging by the summaries and results over at Rotten Tomatoes. Currently the ratings show a top critics rating of 23% (out of 100), T-Meter critics rating of 29%, and RT community (site users) of 68%. Comparing that to the first Transformers movie which has a top critics rating of 68%, T-Meter of 57%, audience rating of 68% it seems to sequel is suffering.

These results however are not definitive. The only number (besides money) that really matters to Paramount and Bay is the audience number. Word of mouth alone made Star Trek the current US top dog and Hangover a smashing success. This year it seems, as people watch what they spend their money on, they are paying a lot more attention to what friends say about a movie then a critic and judging by the audience score, things are looking good for the movie and this is before the world wide audience gets a chance to weigh in.

Below is a sampling from a few reviews. The consensus seems to be confusing plot, poor dialog, too long, too loud, and too many robots and confusion sequences. I hear that from critics and my mind goes "perfect summer popcorn movie!"

Chicago Tribue (1.5 stars)

Nobody's looking for anything other than relentless, brainless action from this sort of movie, but Bay, whose best junk came early with "Bad Boys" and " The Rock," offers nothing but visual and aural chaos. Your eye instinctively flees to the far corners of the screen for some relief from the computer-generated mayhem.

USA Today

Bigger, louder, longer and more metallic is definitely not better. Where the first movie was a happy surprise, a comedy with engaging characters and spectacular action-filled escapades, the sequel lacks wit, charm, subtlety, restraint, humanity and clever dialogue. It has loads of spectacle but no soul. Though there are more special effects and new ways for machines to turn into 'bots, the story seems as if it's about to end at least three times.

Entertainment Weekly (B)

Revenge of the Fallen has a number of dead spots, but every time the movie hits one, you can sit back in eager, childish anticipation of the next feat of industrial whirligig diversion. Revenge of the Fallen is slovenly, bombastic, overly busy, and — at two hours and 29 minutes — far too long. Each of these creature-gizmos has a marvelous, organic fluidity — they don't just move, they clank and roll. And it was an inspired touch to set the film's most ferocious battle amid the Pyramids, featuring a Decepticon so humungous it just about waddles with power. Revenge of the Fallen may be a massive overdose of popcorn greased with motor oil. But it knows how to feed your inner 10-year-old's appetite for destruction.

Roger Ebert

If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination. The plot is incomprehensible. The dialog of the Autobots, Deceptibots and Otherbots is meaningless word flap. The human actors are in a witless sitcom part of the time, and lot of the rest of their time is spent running in slo-mo away from explosions, although--hello!--you can't outrun an explosion. The battle scenes are bewildering.

Revenge Dawns in the United Kingdom and Japan

Today is the day that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen premieres in theatres for the general public starting with the United Kingdom and Japan. So from all of us in the rest of the world...sod off :D

Feel free to let us know what you think of the movie in the comments. Also try to note if there is any scenes during or after the credits and who the voice cast is for the various Transformers.

Note that comments are likely to contain spoilers (will approve them as opportunity allows).

More Reviews; Variety Confirms Todd As Fallen?

Variety has posted its review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen from the London premiere of the movie. As part of that, they posted a partial cast list that seems to confirm that Tony Todd is the voice of The Fallen. It also shows that Anthony Anderson voices Jolt. While Todd's deep voice is perfect for Fallen, not sure about Jolt who I don't think even has lines in the movie so I can't help but wonder if Variety's list is from IMDB which is not 100% accurate. Thanks to Jennie for the link and Carnivac for the reminder.

Now on to few more reviews.

Variety Review

With machines that are impressively more lifelike, and characters that are more and more like machines, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" takes the franchise to a vastly superior level of artificial intelligence. As for human intelligence, it's primarily at the service of an enhanced arsenal of special effects, which helmer Michael Bay deploys like a general launching his very own shock-and-awe campaign on the senses. Otherwise, little seems new compared to the first installment, except that this version is longer, louder, and perhaps "more than your eye can meet" in one sitting. It will reap similar B.O. rewards worldwide.

But the true stars here are the Transformers themselves, who continually steal the spotlight from the flesh-and-blood cast, even in scenes of tragic death or comic relief usually reserved for real actors.

The Hollywood Reporter

With its intelligence at the level of the simple-minded, however, the film is not likely to attract moviegoers who seek something more than a screen filled with kaleidoscopes of colored metal. Fan boys will no doubt love it, but for the uninitiated it's loud, tedious and, at 147 minutes, way too long.

Empire Online (3/5)

Devastator..lumbers up the dusty colossus, a shot tilts up to its mid-section, revealing two wrecking balls dangling down. Yes, Michael Bay...has one-upped himself: Decepticon testicles. If the thought of that gag makes you laugh, chances are you’ll have a ball with Revenge Of The Fallen. If not… well, Bay really doesn’t care. His first and only sequel since Bad Boys 2 is, like that film, marked by swaggering confidence, wild excess and a string of bad-taste jokes. ...The plot, meanwhile, is as baffling as before, not only bringing back the abstruse Allspark but throwing in a new MacGuffin called the ‘Matrix of Leadership’. It tries harder to be funny but is actually less so.

What saves it, just about, are the effects. At times the frame is so packed with whirring cogs and twirling cranks that you could replicate the effect by staring at the innards of a domestic appliance, but when these CG moto-men from another world duke it out, the images are often so screwy it’s impossible to do anything but sit and stare. The Shanghai-set opening sequence is lunatic fun, with Optimus Prime leaping onto the face of a colossal, rampaging unicycle and ordering it to, “Pull over”. And while Prime’s later forest face-off against a trio of Decepticons suffers by comparison to a recent film’s spar between a big ape and three dinosaurs, there are more flawlessly rendered money shots in the last 40 minutes alone than in a dozen less ambitious blockbusters.

Early Revenge of the Fallen Reviews

Between the various premieres in Tokyo, Seoul, Spain, Paris and the sneak peak in London, more then a few critics have now posted their reviews of the film. Something to keep in mind is that for a popcorn/action flick like Transformers 2 the goal is excellent audience word of mouth. The critics are mostly irrelvant as most tend to pan action flicks that have no goal beyond providing entertainment for a few hours. Regardless, it is still interesting to read what mostly UK critics have to say. Thanks to Ian, Chris, and Gregory for the links.

Total Film (4/5)

Fallen so frequently approaches the first pic’s all-out awesomeness, and even occasionally surpasses it - notably in an opening blitzkrieg in Shanghai and a forest face-off between Optimus Prime and three Decepticons impressive enough to merit comparison with King Kong’s multiple T-Rex smackdown - that it's this close to being the perfect summer flick. The problem is, it’s the parts you remember, not the whole.

Old folks may find the relentless sensory assault a little draining, but the bangs, ’bots and bombast ensure Fallen has everything Transformers fans will want and expect.

IGN UK Movies

the film reaches its pinnacle with one such action set-piece that takes place in a forest - a brilliantly crafted sequence that is kinetic, emotional and genuinely thrilling. Unfortunately however, it is a climax that comes only an hour or so into the movie - the remaining 80 or so minutes just never quite scale the same heights. That's the one BIG problem with ROTF; the movie stops dead halfway through, and then spends the rest of its overlong run-time building up a head of steam again, painstakingly setting up the eventual climax.

Don't get us wrong, we love Michael Bay and the particular grab-bag of delights only he can bring to blockbuster movies; huge explosions; quick, intense dialogue; lingering , pornographic shots of both girls' asses and military hardware. 90 minutes of Bay-ness makes for a thrilling flick, but if the clock starts ticking past the two hour mark and beyond, it all becomes just too much; your mind and senses need a rest.

Sci Fi Now UK 2/5

It’s paper-thin all the way through, with nothing in the way of characterisation or invention, just misjudged joke after misjudged joke (don’t be surprised to see a Constructicon’s testicles or a Decepticon humping Megan Fox’s leg), danger-less explosion after danger-less explosion and the sort of expositional exchanges that would make a ten-year-old wince. There are arguably one or two surprises but immediately these are followed up with the most formulaic, predictable plot-points, sucking the life out of any drama or tension there might be like a 200 foot vacuum-cleaner Decepticon, which, incidentally, does feature, as does a regular-size vacuum cleaner Decepticon. Troublingly, like so many other recent blockbusters (Terminator Salvation to name but one) there is so little that feels like a real threat: explosions are nothing more than decoration; all Transformers, both Autobot and Decepticon, are in dire need of an intensive training course in how to shoot; the much talked about Fallen comes across as little more than a computer-generated slouch; even Sam and Mikaela appear to be made of an indestructible, alien rubber alloy. ...the action is tediously unengaging and totally sterile, and nowhere near enough of a reward for the 40 minute bout of nothingness that precedes the final act.

The Mirror UK

In terms of explosions, firepower and sheer shrill, all-action, popcorn entertainment it is hard to see how this big'n'bold sequel can be topped this year.

Star Trek might have had more spaceships and aliens and Terminator: Salvation more grim-faced robots, but this Michael Bay summer blockbuster is pure mindless adventure mayhem that sticks firm and hard to its winning formula. In truth, it is a film for teen boys - and a bloomin' long one at that - but is also a guaranteed multiplex crowd pleaser.

Saying that, for the most part it is also a complex lumbering mess of a movie that is long on turgid backstory and short on tension, laughs and subtle acting.

Shiznit UK (4/5)

Here's the thing. Revenge Of The Fallen is a kids' movie; the secret to enjoying it as an adult is to unlock the ten-year-old within (and not the one in your cellar, bunnngg). It is, in common parlance, completely and utterly retarded. The juxtaposition between hardcore military war movie and shitty Saturday morning cartoon feels downright bizarre at times. You'll be creaming at the sight of the US army unloading their weapons on the enemy, only to feel a little ashamed when you remember their enemy is a race of evil alien robots who want to destroy the sun. Somewhere towards the end, when you realise the plot literally centres around magic dust, you'll feel ever-so-slightly silly for enjoying it.

In truth, Revenge Of The Fallen doesn't stray too far from the solid framework built in the first movie. It mixes superb action sequences – directed with panache and almost pornographic glee by a never-better Bay – with frequent scenes of light comic relief, some of which work (squabbling robo-hick siblings Skids and Mudflap provide a few laughs), some of which don't (Wheelie the RC truck humping Fox's leg). Naturally, the robots are the real stars again.