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REEL LIFE WITH JANE
Movie and DVD reviews for you and your family
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Review by Jane Louise Boursaw
Reel Rating: 3 out of 5 Reels
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material
Released in Theaters: June 24, 2009
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Sequel
Runtime: 150 minutes
Directed by: Michael Bay
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Ramon Rodriguez, Josh Duhamel
SYNOPSIS: The giant robots are back at it, with the Decepticons and Autobots battling it out for supreme rule of the universe. A college-bound Sam Witwicky gets back into the center of things, along with his girlfriend Mikaela and the U.S. military, headed by Josh Duhamel.
Sex/Nudity: Lots of cleavage, dogs humping each other, a tiny robot humping a human (is humping ever funny? I think not), scantily-clad coeds, and frat-talk at college.
Violence/Gore: Tons of nonstop robot battles, gunfire, explosions, and hand-to-hand combat among robots and humans. A threat to the sun would wipe out all of mankind.
Profanity: Two goofy, smallish robots spout phrases like "get up in that ass." Also, one use of "f**k," plus "sh*t," "pu**y," "piss," "damn," "balls," "ball sack," "punk ass," "crap," "oh my God," "bitch," and "ass."
Which Kids Will Like It? Kids 10 and older who liked the first movie or the "Transformers" cartoon. But because of the excessive PG-13 content (edging towards R), I don't recommend it for kids younger than 15.
Will Parents Like It? Most of this movie isn't appropriate for kids. On an adult level, the special effects are cool, but there's very little plot or character development. There's also a scene where a parent mistakenly eats some marijuana brownies and starts acting loopy and babbling incoherently. Mildly amusing, but not something you want to kids to see.
REVIEW:It's best if you go into "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" expecting nothing more than a big action flick with giant robots, because that's pretty much what it is. The special effects are darn awesome, but the plot can be summed up by saying that two factions of warring robots battle it out on earth, and the humans get involved. Yeah, that's pretty much it.
But let's start at the beginning. After a brief bit of "Transformers" history, we learn that Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is heading off to college. His dad (Kevin Dunn) is happy to have him out of the house and plans to make his room into a home theater. His mom (Julie White) is weeping hysterically and wandering around with Sam's baby shoes draped around her neck.
Working at her dad's motorcycle shop is Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox), Sam's girlfriend from the first movie. Of course, our first shot of her is sitting seductively over a motorcycle doing some custom paint work, wearing a skimpy top and short shorts. I thought to myself, there's no way that anyone doing that sort of work would be doing it in that position!
And my thoughts on the rest of the movie were much the same. Somewhere around half-way through, I finally stopped myself from thoughts that started with, "There's no way…" and started thinking, "It's a movie about giant robots! It doesn't have to be realistic! It's not GOING to be realistic!"
And from that point on, I started to enjoy the movie for what it is: a big action flick about two warring factions of giant robots.
There's a plot buried in there somewhere: As Sam is packing to go to college, an ancient object drops out of his belongings and a complex series of symbols is transported into his brain. He's obsessed with getting these symbols out, whether it's in the middle of a class or in his dorm room, where he maniacally starts scribbling the symbols on chalkboards and walls.
His roommate, Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), is cute but kind of nerdy, running a YouTube-type web site with a bunch of other nerds. They've heard rumors of giant robots, but Sam tries to tell them there's no truth to any of it. But of course, we know there is.
In the first movie, the central thing was the AllSpark; in this movie, it's the Matrix. I'm still not exactly sure what it does - oh yeah, take out the earth's sun. But it's up to Sam and his team of Autobots (the good guys), including Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and Bumblebee (Sam's guardian angel, who's been living in his garage) to defeat the Decepticons (the bad guys) before the planet is wiped out.
And there are humans helping out, as well. John Turturro plays a disgraced government agent who gets back into the game, and Josh Duhamel is Captain Lennox, leader of a Special Forces troop that includes Tyrese Gibson.
After two and a half hours of ear-splitting, robot-on-robot action, you'll probably leave the theater feeling like you've been through a war yourself. Like I said, it's best if you just sit back and enjoy the special effects ride. The robots are pretty cool - and complex with all of their shiny parts that transform into other things. But no kids younger than 15 (which is weird, because "Transformers" have always been targeted to young kids - at least throughout TV history).
JANE'S REEL RATING SYSTEM:
One Reel - Even the Force can't save it.
Two Reels - Coulda been a contender
Three Reels - Something to talk about.
Four Reels - You want the truth? Great flick!
Five Reels - Wow! The stuff dreams are made of
Jane Louise Boursaw is an entertainment writer specializing in movies, TV and celebrities.
Visit her online at FilmGecko.com,
ReelLifeWithJane.com, and FilmGecko.com.
E-mail Jane at jboursaw@charter.net.
*The opinions stated aren't necessarily those of MommaSaid or its principals. Seek professional advice before beginning any health program.
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