More Than Met The Eye

Tonight, as promised, a friend and I took in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.  I was NOT disappointed (although we both felt the need to visit the facitlities as soon as the final credits began to roll).  Nearly non-stop action, breathtaking effects, comic relief (at times) all created a perfect summer blockbuster.  The battle of the Autobots and Decepticons returned to the big screen.  I WAS a big fan of the toys and cartoon of the 80s and weel remember the battles of Optimus Prime and Megatron.  The live-action sequel again brings the alien robots together with humans led by Sam (Shia Labeouf), Mikaela (Megan Fox), and Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel).

Sam is on his way to live the ordinary life of a college student when the action kicks off.  The young man learns the truth about the origins of the Transformers and the Decepticons return to Earth to capture him and draw out Optimus Prime for a confrontation.

At times, I was not sure who the movie was aimed at.  There were a few scenes in which I thought it was playing to the more adult viewer (it is PG-13 rated for a reason) who is old enough to remember the beginnings of the franchise. A scene in a dorm room involving Sam and a young lady who is more than she appears created a chuckle from a young child in the row behind us. Then there was the playful bits geared to the kid in all of us which were really fun.

Again, the main robots all had distinct personalities of their own.  The leader, Optimus Prime, the emotional Camero transforming Bumble Bee, and the hilarious twin duo of Skids and Mudflaps.

Like all summer popcorn flicks, this is in no way geared to the intellectual demanding audience.  As with any Michael Bay production, there are huge explosions, limited conceivable plot lines, and a great deal of fun.  And, IMHO, any film starring Shia Labeouf is not going to be confused with Shakespeare.