October 2009 | blackfilm.com | TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

Bay’s Bigger-Budgeted Sequel Comes to DVD

Michael Bay freely admits that he makes movies aimed at teenaged boys and, at the very least, this testosterone-sodden spectacular won’t disappoint that targeted demographic either in terms of its eye-popping special f/x or its gratuitous displays of appealing eye candy. Transformers 2 ups the ante in terms of all the bombastic bells and whistles which have become the Bay trademark. The explosions have become bigger, the locales more exotic, the morphing machines more imaginative.

Of equal importance is the fact that he brought back all of the principals, including Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Kevin Dunn and Julie White. For it’s the task of the human cast members to give the audience a reason to care about an otherwise impersonal showdown between sentient robots from the planet Cybertron: the good Autobots and their evil adversaries, the Decepticons.

At the point of departure, we find Sam (LaBouef) headed east to college, but regretting having to leave his girlfriend Mikaela (Fox) behind. Soon after meeting his new roommate, Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), our unassuming hero finds himself being pursued by Alice (Isabel Lucas), an ardent admirer.

Soon, Mikaela shows up and catches them in a compromising position, but not to worry. Turns out Alice is just a Decepticon who is after the shard of the “All Spark,” the precious Transformer lifeblood that Sam had inadvertently brought with him to campus. This confrontation kickstarts a globetrotting adventure during which Sam, Mikaela and Leo team with both Autobots and the U.S. military.

A high-octane, 2½ hour diversion certain to stimulate, titillate and satiate the blood and other lusts of the raging-hormone set.