NEW RELEASES - June 26, 2009 
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
Blunt Force Opera, Part II
Reviewed by John P. McCarthy
As ludicrous as it sounds, there are slivers
of evidence in "Transformers: Revenge of the
Fallen" suggesting director Michael Bay
believes he's halfway through making his
equivalent of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle.
That means we'll have to endure two more
effects-laden extravaganzas about an alien
race of shape-shifting machines. Best-case
scenario: Bay is aping "The Matrix" and so
moviegoers will only have to gird themselves
for one more installment. A high tolerance
for blunt force trauma is essential.
I found the first "Transformers" to be
entertaining summer fare and wasn't bothered
by the lack of nutrition. Even more bloated
than its 2007 predecessor, this
over-engineered spectacle inspired by
Hasbro's toys again features Shia LaBeouf
and Megan Fox as the humans caught in a war
between Autobots and Decepticons. But it's a
never-ending, blundering mess that barely
offers the thrill of watching cool metallic
gizmos do battle. It careens from the
crassly mundane to the preposterously cosmic
without regard for the consequences, most
lamentably, two-and-a-half hours of precious
time wasted. ...more |
