The midnight movie premiere is a summer staple for movie lovers. A late-night marathon to be the first to see the biggest and best summer films is a notch on the belt for many fans. I have had my fair share of opening nights including "Dark Knight," "Wall-E," "Watchmen" and "Transformers." That includes both "Transformers" films now. I went to the packed cinema with three friends of mine on Tuesday night to witness this year's biggest-hyped blockbuster "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
The first "Transformers" came out two short summers ago and managed to gross a surprising $300 million. It became the film to see during the summer of 2007, because it offered mindless, yet fun, entertainment: giant alien robots fighting a war over a little box. The opening scene alone enthralled me enough to see that film seven times in theaters. (I cheated a little because I worked at a theater so I had perks.)
This summer has an amazing lineup of films to see and the sequel to "Transformers" is one of the most anticipated. Michael Bay returns to direct, with Steven Spielberg producing. Spielberg is on record for saying that Bay was born to make Transformers, so its only fitting that he keep the explosions coming with a bigger and louder sequel.
"Revenge of the Fallen" is quite a different movie from the first. It follows the trek of Sam (Shia LaBeouf) as he goes to college, leaving his family, girlfriend (Megan Fox) and his beloved transforming car at home. The film follows an expected route in which college gets interrupted for Sam by an alien robot war. The battle spans the globe, taking the Autobots and Decepticons (the two fighting clans of robots) to China and Egypt. This time they aren't hunting after a cube, but rather an ancient key and machine that may bring about the end of humanity.
If you are a fanboy of the original series and of the first film, you most likely will enjoy "Revenge of the Fallen." There are many more robots and even bigger explosions. The first half of the movie feels entirely fresh, departing from the first installment's storyline.
The story however suffers from cliché sequel syndrome. It has a stock character, who is typecast as an overruling authority figure, and at about the halfway mark it settles back into the same plotline as the first movie. While there are more robots, many of them are irrelevant, and serve one basic purpose: to show off shiny new visual effects. The ending is exactly like the first film in which the climax hits and within three minutes the credits roll. There is no satisfying resolution to the film except that there is a sequel set up.
The acting is somewhat of another story. Shia LaBeouf has not changed at all from the first film, and he remains a stubborn yet likeable teenager. Megan Fox is a little better, as she fills out her role to be more likeable and even a touch more important to the story. John Turturro is hilarious like the first film, yet he seems to have a very annoying sidekick this time. The parents this time also have a much bigger and better role, and they carry more emotional weight in this movie.
I thoroughly enjoyed a fresh film style of this film as well. To reflect the darker tones of the story, the camera work is grittier and more handheld, much like the "Bourne" films. The robot fight animation also seems different in style. The scriptwriters also injected a lot more humor into "Revenge of the Fallen." There are some perverted things played for laughs, but the funniest moments are the subtle, well-written one-liners. As for the score, be prepared to hear the sharp new theme by Linkin Park several times and a new Green Day song seems to repeat quite often also.
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" builds on the foundation of the first film and is an enjoyable summer popcorn flick. It runs at two-and-a-half hours and is rated PG-13. Catch this one on the big screen to feel the impact of each robotic punch. Until next week, get busy livin' or get busy dyin'.
Alex Kartman is a junior telecommunications major and writes 'Scene Selection' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Alex at ajkartman@bsu.edu
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