Revenge of the Fallen

One of the cartoon series that I was extremely fond of during my younger years was Dragon Ball Z. I was so obsessed back then, I even watched several episodes that didn't have subtitles nor dubbed in english, even though i couldn't understand a single word of japanese. Even now, I still find the battles amazing. And now that I'm older, I've realized that the battle sequences were the only things the series had going for it. Everything in between pretty much sucked. Preposterous to downright silly story lines, littered with corny jokes and tiresome dialogue. Overextended, boring expositions that only serve to lengthen the running time. Many times, I wished i could fast forward the show when I'm watching it on TV. If only they cut out everything else and just showed one battle sequence after another, then Dragon Ball Z would have been an excellent series.

I know you are wondering... Why the heck am I talking about Dragon Ball Z when this is supposed to be a Transformers review? Because I feel pretty much the same thing with this movie. In typical Michael Bay fashion, the movie is filled with explosions, special effects, hot women, and heavy artillery. A showcase of women, military, and weaponry. The shots during the action sequences are superb, all that eye candy can really overcome one's senses. To put it bluntly, the action sequences are downright orgasmic. As for the rest of the movie? The plot sucks. The characters were written poorly. Some jokes weren't funny, and some were even offensive. Heck, some scenes that weren't meant to be funny were the ones that I thought to be funny. All the cheesy dialogue nauseated me. The scenes in between all the mayhem were overly long and unnecessary, they only made the movie less satisfying. Just when you get pumped up with adrenaline because of all the action you're seeing on screen, it all ends abruptly. You get another boring scene. another failed attempt to portray characterization and to elicit sympathy. If only all the fluff were taken out, if the scenes in between all that noise were shortened... heck, if they only showed one action sequence after another, then we'd have a more cohesive, and ultimately more satisfying movie.

But I still liked the movie... a lot. I know... WTF?!, right? How the heck can I like this movie with all the complaints that I have? Because I grew up with the Transformers. I loved the series to death, and seeing those giant f*ckin' robots for the first time on the big screen two years ago was a wet dream come true. I was a skeptic at first, but as soon as I saw the first robot transform, I was filled with awe. And upon watching another Transformers movie, I was filled with the same level of awe. Yeah I'm incredibly biased with this one. If this wasn't Transformers, I would've trashed this movie to death. But alas, nostalgia can really dull one's senses, and dulled senses made those action sequences even more intense. Nostalgia + Michael Bay signature action sequences = one incredible movie experience. Just throw you common sense out the window and take this movie for what it really is--- a summer popcorn flick (and it's not pretending to be something more than what it is, so critics should give Michael Bay and Co. a break), and you'll walk out of the movie theater entertained. You may not really like the movie as a whole, but to some degree, I'm willing to bet that you'll be entertained.