July10

BMN: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

“We see bad movies so that we can truly appreciate the good ones.”
– Someone who (obviously) thinks we’re doing ourselves a service.

When the first "Transformers" came out in 2007, I was super pumped. There had been rumors for years that the movie was being made, but no one could, or would, ever confirm it. When it was finally confirmed and set for release, my excitement somewhat ebbed when I learned that the man behind it all was Michael Bay – whose ONLY film that's considered Fresh that he's directed, EVER, was 1996's "The Rock." The only Fresh one. Ever.

The first "Transformers" came in at 57%, which really isn't that bad (I didn't think it was a 57%, whatevs). But in Hollywood, that doesn't matter, right? Much crappier movies are put out every year and make TONS of money. Like, say, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which is currently ranked at a whopping 19%.

So in the name of Bad Movie Night, we trudged down to the new AMC Mainstreet theater, packed with the latest in digital technology (including rumble seats) to check out Bay's latest turd.

Honestly, for the first 20 minutes, I didn't understand what everyone didn't like. It was well-paced and easily set the movie up quickly and nicely. But something happened in minute 21 that changed it all. I don't remember exactly what it was, but at that point, you had to start saying to yourself, "for a movie about giant alien robots, this is okay."

Revenge of the Fallen had so many flaws and questions that I could ask. So many stereotypes that others have already yelled about. But that's been done. The one thing, err, several things, I noticed with the movie is that Bay had an idea for the movie, but needed the help of many other movies to complete it. Here's what I saw and remember, I'm sure there are more (spoilers, kinda):

1. Tiny transformers grumble, giggle, laugh and attack larger humans – Gremlins
2. College professor has all the chicks mystified – Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Megan Fox, sweaty, scantily clad and running around in slow motion – Transformers
4. Optimus sacrifices himself, only to come back to life later. – Lord of the Rings
5. The humans being able to decipher alien language that no one has been able to do for centuries, landmarks not being where they're shown to be – National Treasure
6. Dumb parents, dumb Sector 7 dude, dumb sidekicks providing NO comic relief (comic relief from WHAT, exactly?) – Transformers
7. Action that happens so fast you really can't tell what just happened – The Bourne Supremacy
8. LaBeouf has information in his head that evil peeps are trying to extract – Johnny Mnemonic (kinda)
9. Robot spirits, yes, robot spirits, appear and tell LaBeouf what he needs to do. – Star Wars

Gosh, I know there are many more, so, please chime in with what you noticed.

Is "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," THAT bad of a movie? Well, for a movie about giant alien robots, no. But for a movie in general, yeah, pretty much.

+ original post date: July 10, 2009 06:41 AM
+ categories: Bad Movie Night