Best Transformers 2 Review

[Evil Avatar]

io9 has an awesome Transformers 2 review online, Michael Bay Finally Made An Art Movie (http://io9.com/5301898/michael-bay-finally-made-an-art-movie?skyline=true&s=i).

Critical consensus on Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen is overwhelmingly negative. But the critics are wrong. Michael Bay used a squillion dollars and a hundred supercomputers' worth of CG for a brilliant art movie about the illusory nature of plot.

Looks like Bay's plotless action nonsense has finally caught up with him. Bay cost one studio executive his job, will Transformers 2 cost Bay his career?

[PopoWRX]

io9 has an awesome Transformers 2 review online, Michael Bay Finally Made An Art Movie (http://io9.com/5301898/michael-bay-finally-made-an-art-movie?skyline=true&s=i).



Looks like Bay's plotless action nonsense has finally caught up with him. Bay cost one studio executive his job, will Transformers 2 cost Bay his career?

Haha, I don't know about that. I think Bay wanted to make THE summer movie of summer movies and he hit the nail on the head. It's a movie about transforming robot toys and while a semi-serious plot would of went well with me, frankly it was pretty low on the list. Some of the low brow humor didn't go over for me but I did chuckle a bit at the really racist twin robots.

I expected a visual bonanza and I got it in spades and was entertained.

One thing I think they did right in terms of "lore" (lol lore), was how they handled Soundwave even though they don't have him in his G1 form.

I expect it to do well, though I dunno if it will do the original Transformers numbers.

[Mr. Lake]

Just got back from seeing it. If explosions and things breaking are artforms, then Bay is truly leading the next Renaissance.

[3Suns]

Someone over at aintitcool called the twin robots Jar Jar twins. I would be hard pressed to think of something more insulting.

Anyway, it will still make a truck ton of money, both at the box and later on DVD, so no, Bay's career is still safe. If anything were ever gonna break it, it would have been Pearl Harbor. Now, he is covered in teflon. The only thing that will bring him down is a scandal with minors.

[Evil Avatar]

The only thing that will bring him down is a scandal with minors.

Unless there was a big explosion afterward, in which case all would be forgiven.

[BalekFekete]

I'm on the fence with the movie. I was going to catch it on Saturday in IMAX, but the overwhelming negative reviews, both online and some guys who saw it already, are leading me to second guess the plans.

[sgtslappy]

People need to stop taking movies so seriously these days.

[PopoWRX]

I'm on the fence with the movie. I was going to catch it on Saturday in IMAX, but the overwhelming negative reviews, both online and some guys who saw it already, are leading me to second guess the plans.

Well, if you wanna watch a movie with lots of explosions and robot on robot action, then yea, go watch it.

If you want a coherent plot and witty banter, then no, don't watch it.

If you liked the first you will like the second.

[Roman]

People need to stop taking movies so seriously these days.Hey, I'm all for turning your brain off for a popcorn movie but aside from the scenes of robots fighting, the first Transformers was so aggressively retarded I couldn't take it. It actually felt mean-spirited, as in if it intentionally wanted to annoy the shit out of me.

[Cefca]

There´s no way in hell I´d watch this. Wouldn´t even watch it if somebody invited me to an Imax. When I went to watch the first one, I couldn´t believe what I was watching; I wanted it to end... quickly.

[GraveMatter]

People need to stop taking movies so seriously these days.

I agree. I saw the movie today and thought it was great for what it was. A great popcorn flick with jokes for the kids and action and explosions everywhere for anyone to enjoy and get the adrenaline pumping. I mean, if I wanted to see a Citizen Kane type movie, I wouldn't be going to see a movie on gigantic robots to begin with. A lot of my friends go to see movies to review them and not "see" them...that's when it becomes not a movie, but instead some sort of job where they go in already with preconceived negativity.

Was I happy with some of goofy jokes, not really. But when I heard the little kids in the theatre laughing like crazy at it, I understood why it was there and it became infectious and I started laughing as well. It's all about having fun and letting go of reality...just go with it for a change.....

[UttiniDaKilrJawa]

Oddly enough I don't quite understand all the negative press the new Transformers film is getting. Saw it at a midnite showing on opening day and had a blast. It's just a fun movie with a semi-decent plot about giant robots blowing the crap out of stuff. Works for me:)

[Trickyicky]

People need to stop taking movies so seriously these days.

No kidding. I thought Transformers 2 was awesome. Top 3 this year so far, IMO. The only thing that I could understand someone being upset about is the flow of the plot, but even that was barely noticeable.

Not every movie has to ram their theme and plot devices down your throat for the entire duration with flawless precision. Sometimes you just (should) want raw entertainment.

[Trickyicky]

Was I happy with some of goofy jokes, not really. But when I heard the little kids in the theatre laughing like crazy at it, I understood why it was there and it became infectious and I started laughing as well. It's all about having fun and letting go of reality...just go with it for a change.....

I'm totally with you on this one, too.

[oldschooldimo]

hell my girlfriend and i enjoyed it. Seriously what do you expect from a movie about huge robots from an alien planet? It had explosions, and was fun to watch. I wasn't expecting to have a glorious revelation watching it.

[Methos]

So if anyone wants to save some money, slam your head against a wall repeatedly until your numb and have a headache instead of seeing this. Yes, I know it's just a movie about giant fighting robots; but it STILL SUCKED metal balls (literally, you'll see). 2 1/2 hours is way too long as well. It all just looks the same. Worst movie I've seen this year. 0 stars

[sgtslappy]

The only movie I would rate a solid 0 would be Epic Movie.

[Wyrm]

Fuck the haters. The day you cannot enjoy watching giant robots beat the shit out of each other with little or no care for human casualties, that is when you become an uninteresting, jaded asshole, and spend lots of time on internet forums, bitching about how Michael Bay is ruining Hollywood.

I'll take my tickets and possibly even a copy of the DVD, because I'd enjoy seeing another one in two years. Yeah, I said it.

[RevGored]

If you went into this movie expecting anything other than robots pounding the shit out of each other, ridiculous explosions, and army dudes shooting at robots while they pound the shit out of each other, you are stupid as shit.

If you went into the movie expecting that, and were also treating to bad jokes and a couple shots of some girl's kidneys, then that's what you got for your 10 bucks.

[drakkarim]

haven't seen it yet, but finally got around to seeing terminator last night (loved it, much better than star trek), but as i was leaving, i saw these huge lines in the theater, had to ask an employee WTFBBQ was going on at midnight, turned out it was for the midnight screening of transformers, so judging by those lines alone, i'm guessing they're sitting pretty in profits.

haven't seen any reviews, but not that i'd really care what they have to say, i just want to see robots blowing shit up for 2 hours, if that's delivered, my money's well spent. if it can top the robots in terminator, even better. somehow though i think the talking part of the transformers lore will not make that happen.

first transformers was pretty decent, don't remember a story, but do remember hating the lead actor, and do remember loving seeing shit blowing up all over.

love the sounds the terminator machines make.

i'm easy like that, give me da machinz squashing humies and i be happy orc.

[t3kl3r]

Wow. He managed to make it worse than the first movie? That's impressive... or not impressive... err... or something.

Seriously though, when I first heard they were making a live-action Transformers movie, I got pretty excited because I figured it would be impossible to mess up giant transforming robots. But I was wrong.

Simply give the robots less personality and screen time than the original cheesy 80's cartoon, and design them in such a way that they resemble something assembled from your silverware drawer more than they resemble a large armored fighting machine.

And for the record I'm NEVER entertained by tons of explosions on their own. I can enjoy a spectacle, but there has to be at least a little meaning and quality behind it. Especially considering how many spectacular Hollywood explosions I've been witness to over the years. *yawn*

[DarkDaY]

People need to stop taking movies so seriously these days.

Here here. I think the real problem is people love it deep down for what it is, but by the time they get home they can't wait to wank off on internet forums. This is the future. It sucks.

[Illuminus]

I just can't watch movies like Transformers anymore... i don't know, maybe i'm just getting older :eek:. The story and acting for the first movie was just so cheesy and while the effects were great.. it really didn't do anything for me.

[Earth Djinn]

I'm psyched for the movie.

I loved the first one and I am SO READY for some more Starscream action.

[Ravenus]

If you went into this movie expecting anything other than robots pounding the shit out of each other, ridiculous explosions, and army dudes shooting at robots while they pound the shit out of each other, you are stupid as shit.

If you went into the movie expecting that, and were also treating to bad jokes and a couple shots of some girl's kidneys, then that's what you got for your 10 bucks.

LOL! Exactly!! It's based on a fucking cartoon, so if you are expecting some award winning plot, you are a fucking retard and should stop whining!

If you think it's such a horrible real-life make of a cartoon, then go watch He-man and the Masters of the Universe with Dolph Lungren, or the GI Joe trailer, then tell me it's a horrible make.... I mean, c'mon!

[cruelcynic]

Movie was good. Had exceedingly violent robot fighting. The things they did to each other would have been rated R if they were people. Plot is not going to catch you by surprise but it was a damn fun way to enjoy an air conditioned afternoon when it was hot as hell outside.

[DarkDaY]

I just can't watch movies like Transformers anymore... i don't know, maybe i'm just getting older :eek:. The story and acting for the first movie was just so cheesy and while the effects were great.. it really didn't do anything for me.

This I understand, but to hate on an 80's robot toy movie due to movie elitism is asinine.

[ScottBravesFan]

I actually liked the first one. I rented it on DVD because I refuse to pay theater prices for Michael Bay movies but I was actually surprised that I liked it. I'll probably go check out the second one at the theater.

[lost]

I loved it. A bit long but the action, involving toy robots, was awesome.

At certain points I wanted to shout "Fuck 'em up Prime!" but refrained because of the number of children in the cinema.

There are the Transformers mega-fans who would say that the cartoon always had deep plots. I often think people mistake shit happening as depth.

[DarkDaY]

Thanks, how about spoiler tags.......nice.

[sgtslappy]

Definitely spoilerrific considering the large role he played in the movie.

[lost]

Didn't even cross my mind. Major apologies for major spoilers. Posts edited!

[DarkDaY]

Didn't even cross my mind. Major apologies for major spoilers. Posts edited!

Thanks, though to be fair it is Transformers so I can't imagine i am missing much by knowing that, not like its Shakespeare. But I am excited for it and wnat a few small surprises.

[Qoz]

It's not that the robots aren't cool and all - I'm just mad at the missed potential of these blockbusters Bay is making. The movies cost like a billion dollars, and they spend only 10$ on an actual story.

It's action overload!
Bay seriously need to consider that "less is more"!

If you pick some of the scenes from this movie, then they are awesome in their own right. But it's like being forced to eat cake when you are actually quite full of it. you start to feel uncomfortable and you just don't really care anymore.

He could have had a great movie, if he made room for some character development and some fucking pauses to make people catch their breath instead of going numb with all the action.

Bay should team up with another director (Ang Lee?!) and only do the action.

[bjornbarspingvinen]

Bay get box office hits, so who cares what critics says? Bays movies are perfect for the big screen...

[pwnophobia]

All my buddies are raving about how awesome the movie is, Bay's career is safe.

[Ulysses]

Friend said it was sort of like 300 - fun to watch, but then once you leave you feel stupid for watching it.

[krackmonkey]

This shit ain't Shakespeare, chess, or checkers - it's giant fucking robots beating the tits off of one another, and it does it with fucking class. If you're looking for plot and rich character development, don't go see a movie based off of a line of toys. If you want shit to blow up tenfold and to just have a mindless good time, this is your movie.

[Methos]

I really like the first movie, it's one of the few Blurays I own. This one was just shit. The "Robot-fighting action" you all are talking about? Did you actually SEE the movie? Bay ALWAYS places the human-characters frontmost and center, most times the robots are all fighting in the background surrounded by explosions. It just all blurs together, both the Autobots and Decepticons looks the same until they have a slow motion part, in which case the action is awesome because you get to actually see what's going on. The cliched urban-slang jive talking robots were terrible, not to mention borderline racist and most certainly a stereotype. The humor was beyond juvenile, it had no place in this.

This movie was hit hard by the WGA strike and it shows. And yet you could cut an hour from this blindfolded. The college stuff, the parents, the d-bag government agent, the butt***ing dogs, all of it served no purpose other then to make us wish we were seeing what we payed to see, the huge robots. I did really like John Turturro's character though, one of the few tolerable human's in the movie. Prime fighting in the forest was very cool; as was the final battle. It needed more of that, and less of the Mom hopped up on pot brownies.

I love Transformers, grew up with em. If you enjoy the film, good for you. But I've seen enough movies to know that even a movie about giant fighting children toy robots can still suck robot balls (literally).

[EShadowP]

Meh, if you want a plot, read a book. If you want absolutely sublime amounts of explosions, see a summer blockbuster. Critics/Reviewers are a uniformly arrogant group of human beings that should be ignored as a whole. I can't tell you how many times outright applause broke out during the midnight showing of this movie.

[ElfShotTheFood]

Michael Bay's career will be over after this movie? Hardly.

Say what you will about his narrative skills, but Bay makes big-time hits. The Island is an exception, obviously. ;)

I do find the "If you want a plot read a book! All I want is robots fighting and lots of explosions!" attitude kind of disturbing though, sort of like people are happy with bad acting and plotting just as long as there are lots of crashes and things blowing up.

[Taiso]

The first one was complete shit because Michael Bay missed the fucking point, made a movie that he wanted to make and shoehorned the Transformers concepts into his lame ass concoction.

I've never been a massive fan of Tranformers as I prefer the genre of 'real robots' to 'heroic robots'. I like Mobile Suit Gundam and Macross more than Transformers, for example. So I am not piping up here as a 'Transformers fanboy.' I readily admit I am a fanboy of some things, but Transformers is not one of them by any stretch.

When I want to see a Transformers movie, here is what I want:

Autobots, CHARACTERS that transform into cars and trucks, each with their own distinct look and personality

FIGHTING

Decepticons, CHARACTERS that transform in to jets and guns, each with their own distinct look and personality

WHILE

Human beings are caught in the middle and ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HELPLESS to do anything about it except maybe in an innucuous capacity. For example, Spike/Sam operating a crane to slam a bundle of girders into a Decepticon to give Bumblebee a chance to escape certain doom, after which Spike/Sam has to get the fuck out of dodge or be rescued because Starscream is about to turn him into a pink smear on the bottom of his foot.

I want these three basic things, worked into the premise of a coherent plot that works, is respectable enough that I can suspend my disbelief for it and doesn't just seem like a framing sequence for tralierrific shots.

What we get with these movies instead is a bunch of amorphous, soulless nondescript masses of walking twisted steel rolling around on the screen while the human characters somehow get billing over the robots. I have no idea how, in a movie with giant transforming fucking robots, you can manage to have them overshadowed by their human costars. You have to be TRYING to fuck something up that badly.

And lest I forget, eternal dicktease Megan Fox shakes her silver screen sized ass in our faces. Thanks Megan, but if you aren't going to take a stab at a legitimate acting career and you're going to sell yourself solely on your looks, at least have the common courtesy to go on some adult website and give us something to REALLY cheer about. Or please go drown yourself. In an era of free porn, tittilation is overrated.

People say 'all I want is giant robots beating the fuck out of each other' but you don't just get that with Michael Bay's Transformers. You get a nonsensical plot that does everything it can to stave off the inevitable. It's too bad THE INEVITABLE IS ALL WE WANT TO FUCKING SEE IN THESE MOVIES.

I don't consider any of these movies the finest films ever made:

Batman Begins
Iron Man
Incredible Hulk
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (3rd one, directed by Alfonso Cuaron)
Star Trek

None of these movies come from properties that are viewed as anything other than kids' fare. Same as Transformers.

So why are they all better flicks? Maybe because they are made intelligently enough to both understand what they are and yet still strive to provide us with QUALITY entertainment rather than spectacle?

And don't get me started on Up, which has more gravitas and meaning in its first ten minutes than both Transformers movies combined. And that's a goddamned CGI family flick, for chrissake!

Transformers is nothing other than 2.5 hours of trailer fodder, pure and simple. It's a lot of iconic imagery of robots being kicked around the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid and Megatron swimming out of the ocean. Great individual scenes, but does it fucking mean anything if the movie is just comprised of these shots without any kind of decent narrative or even marginally compelling plot to tie it all together?

Maybe Transformers: Reveng Of The Fallen isn't the movie it could have been, but it's definitely turning out to be the movie that all of the rationalizers and enablers of shitty cinema deserve.

[Verruckt]

Michael Bay's career will be over after this movie? Hardly.

Say what you will about his narrative skills, but Bay makes big-time hits. The Island is an exception, obviously. ;)

I do find the "If you want a plot read a book! All I want is robots fighting and lots of explosions!" attitude kind of disturbing though, sort of like people are happy with bad acting and plotting just as long as there are lots of crashes and things blowing up.

Is it too much to ask to have a movie with both explodey parts and actual decent writing? I don't think it is. There are lots of great action movies with both.

[tehhu1k]

You. Do. Not. Leave.
I can't stop laughing! xD

[Frag-L-Rock]

I'm sad that it's "cool now" to dislike Shia. I just loved him so much in Even Stevens (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206511/) and Holes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311289/).

I'm that SUPER Transformers kid fan from childhood - proudly declared it my "favorite" toy, even over G.I. Joe (my 2nd). :) And I'm not much of a movie critic, I tend to enjoy most movies for what they are.

I did like the first one, but not as much as I hoped. I could never put my finger on it exactly (my friends joke about not having my transformers jammies on and missing the "magic").

However, Taiso's post finally made me realize - although it was fine as a "story about a boy, his first car, his first girlfriend... and some giant robots", I actually wish it were about the robots, as characters. What are these guys like? I want to know them more. I want them to be the main characters.

Anyway, love this discussion, and I still can't wait to see RoTF!

[skinnyboy30]

Sad thing is that no matter what was said ,and boy did this get it, it will make a F@#k ton of cash. Simple reason is a good majority of people are idiots that don't want a plot or just are too stupid to care.

Have to look at it this way, the internet-which now includes everyone and their brother reviewers- doesn't make a difference. You have to understand that internet fandom or the hate thereof doesn't dent this American retardation of entertainment.

Also here-in is the problem, NO ONE HAS EXPECTATIONS. Goddamnit people you all need to stop selling yourselves short and have some F'n standards for film. This is why shit like this gets made. But I digress there is too much hate for this in general and I just don't have the time nor the energy to keep hitting myself in the head with it.

[ElfShotTheFood]

Is it too much to ask to have a movie with both explodey parts and actual decent writing? I don't think it is. There are lots of great action movies with both.

It's possible, but I read that Transformers 2 was conceived and shot during the Hollywood writer's strike. Not having a professional writer around to patch over the rough spots probably hurt, especially if you believe Bay's claims that he wrote much of the script himself.

But then again, this movie does give writing credit to the two guys who wrote the new Star Trek movie, so who knows?

The only certainty is that Transformers 3 will be greenlighted on Monday, once the weekend box office totals are added up.

[GraveMatter]

The humor was beyond juvenile, it had no place in this.

Tell that to the tons of kids in the theater I was in who were laughing and having a great time with the humor. I grew up with Transformers also but to not have a good time at this movie might mean you don't know what fun is anymore or just that you're version of fun has changed. I usually hate having kids in the theater with me at a movie, but you know what...in this case, I was glad they were there because they reminded me what fun was again and I went along with them on the great ride that was T:RotF.

Why do some people always try and come out of these movies like they're supposed to have some life altering out of body experience??? Stop nitpicking these movies about why a director did this or that and just roll with it like you're an observer to the action, not the backseat director.....

[sol740]

That was an awful movie. Michael Bays sucks ass again.

[das mod]

I dont understand why people negatively judge a movie that otherwise is rather enjoyable solely because of what other people say.

"Oh, my friend said is better if i take a piss sitting down, so from now on, i will have to reconsider standing up while i pee" .....

If you like tranformers, go watch it and enjoy it for yourself and stop being a damned sheep, .... if said friends dont like it as much is maybe because they're not into transformers to begin with ....

I, for example, absolutely hate Star Wars, yet there's people out there that swear on their lives those movies are the best ones ever made.... Plain and simple, is my movie taste, and is MY choice to not watch it.



/rant

[Verruckt]

The only certainty is that Transformers 3 will be greenlighted on Monday, once the weekend box office totals are added up.

Im pretty sure it was greenlit just a couple hours ago when word came down of a 60 million opening day (including midnights).


Often times who wrote the script is just a smoke screen. David Goyer is given credit for writing Batman Begins alongside Christopher Nolan... But he's a hack, and I actually noticed when Christopher Nolan used his brother instead of Goyer to write The Dark Knight script, it was so much better, while everything Goyer has done on his own has been beyond awful.

[Venkman]

I will see it solely for the amazing work by ILM and the other VFX shops.

[lallous]

I just came back from watching it.
Most of the things I was to write have already been stated in previous post.
Personally I loved it and might watch it again.. Too much eye candy :D

[graySUPERBEAST]

There´s no way in hell I´d watch this. Wouldn´t even watch it if somebody invited me to an Imax. When I went to watch the first one, I couldn´t believe what I was watching; I wanted it to end... quickly.

What you just said proves to me that you have freakin taste.

[brandonjclark]

I, for example, absolutely hate Star Wars, ...


Failed, you have!

[ashikenshin]

If it wasn't because I got the flu at the movie theater >_< I would be watching it again.

this movie is Fun.

[Chimpbot]

I loved it. A bit long but the action, involving toy robots, was awesome.

At certain points I wanted to shout "Fuck 'em up Prime!" but refrained because of the number of children in the cinema.

There are the Transformers mega-fans who would say that the cartoon always had deep plots. I often think people mistake shit happening as depth.

I, to, was really impressed with the fights in the movie. Like someone said earlier, the level of violence shown in this movie would never have been allowed if it wasn't giant CG robots performing the acts on each other.
Bumblebee and Optimus easily captured the "Badass of the Movie" award. I'm surprised at just how brutal the combat really was...especially coming from Bumblebee.

[cool8man]

Michael Bay made an art film that made $60 million in 24 hours on a Wednesday:

http://boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/

$60,628,141

Holy shit. Is this going to be the most successful opening of a movie? And with next week being July 4th...

[OMNIPRO]

This is an action movie not Citizen Kane.
It's based after a toy and animated series not WWI-II.
I loved it and all that matters to me.
It was exciting, funny, and made me cheer with the crowd.

[Verruckt]

Michael Bay made an art film that made $60 million in 24 hours on a Wednesday:

http://boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/

$60,628,141

Holy shit. Is this going to be the most successful opening of a movie? And with next week being July 4th...

Nope. That would still be The Dark Knight.

[cool8man]

Nope. That would still be The Dark Knight.

I mean opening as in it's opening weekend (Wed-Sun.) Dark Knight did $67M on a Friday and only grossed $6M more. If Transformers 2 had opened on a Friday and not a Wednesday it would have trounced Dark Knight easily. Transformers 2 could end up breaking the fastest to $200M record.

[cool8man]

The first one was complete shit because Michael Bay missed the fucking point, made a movie that he wanted to make and shoehorned the Transformers concepts into his lame ass concoction.

I've never been a massive fan of Tranformers as I prefer the genre of 'real robots' to 'heroic robots'. I like Mobile Suit Gundam and Macross more than Transformers, for example. So I am not piping up here as a 'Transformers fanboy.' I readily admit I am a fanboy of some things, but Transformers is not one of them by any stretch.

When I want to see a Transformers movie, here is what I want:

Autobots, CHARACTERS that transform into cars and trucks, each with their own distinct look and personality

FIGHTING

Decepticons, CHARACTERS that transform in to jets and guns, each with their own distinct look and personality

WHILE

Human beings are caught in the middle and ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HELPLESS to do anything about it except maybe in an innucuous capacity. For example, Spike/Sam operating a crane to slam a bundle of girders into a Decepticon to give Bumblebee a chance to escape certain doom, after which Spike/Sam has to get the fuck out of dodge or be rescued because Starscream is about to turn him into a pink smear on the bottom of his foot.

I want these three basic things, worked into the premise of a coherent plot that works, is respectable enough that I can suspend my disbelief for it and doesn't just seem like a framing sequence for tralierrific shots.

What we get with these movies instead is a bunch of amorphous, soulless nondescript masses of walking twisted steel rolling around on the screen while the human characters somehow get billing over the robots. I have no idea how, in a movie with giant transforming fucking robots, you can manage to have them overshadowed by their human costars. You have to be TRYING to fuck something up that badly.

And lest I forget, eternal dicktease Megan Fox shakes her silver screen sized ass in our faces. Thanks Megan, but if you aren't going to take a stab at a legitimate acting career and you're going to sell yourself solely on your looks, at least have the common courtesy to go on some adult website and give us something to REALLY cheer about. Or please go drown yourself. In an era of free porn, tittilation is overrated.

People say 'all I want is giant robots beating the fuck out of each other' but you don't just get that with Michael Bay's Transformers. You get a nonsensical plot that does everything it can to stave off the inevitable. It's too bad THE INEVITABLE IS ALL WE WANT TO FUCKING SEE IN THESE MOVIES.

I don't consider any of these movies the finest films ever made:

Batman Begins
Iron Man
Incredible Hulk
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (3rd one, directed by Alfonso Cuaron)
Star Trek

None of these movies come from properties that are viewed as anything other than kids' fare. Same as Transformers.

So why are they all better flicks? Maybe because they are made intelligently enough to both understand what they are and yet still strive to provide us with QUALITY entertainment rather than spectacle?

And don't get me started on Up, which has more gravitas and meaning in its first ten minutes than both Transformers movies combined. And that's a goddamned CGI family flick, for chrissake!

Transformers is nothing other than 2.5 hours of trailer fodder, pure and simple. It's a lot of iconic imagery of robots being kicked around the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid and Megatron swimming out of the ocean. Great individual scenes, but does it fucking mean anything if the movie is just comprised of these shots without any kind of decent narrative or even marginally compelling plot to tie it all together?

Maybe Transformers: Reveng Of The Fallen isn't the movie it could have been, but it's definitely turning out to be the movie that all of the rationalizers and enablers of shitty cinema deserve.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I agree with your sentiments. Good call on Harry Potter 3 by the way, it was the best of the series.

My only hope out of all this success that Transformers has had is that someday down the line even if it's 10-15 years from now that we will get some real Transformers movies that takes the material seriously like the Batman movies we are getting now. I'm hoping that Michael Bay's Transformers will be like the 90's Batman movies were, just paving the way for the real quality stuff to come. I sort of see these Transformers movies as Hollywood's rough draft.

I think Transformers has now been elevated to Batman, Superman, Spider-man levels in our culture. Transformers will be resurrected by Hollywood every generation and just keep getting better.

[Verruckt]

I mean opening as in it's opening weekend (Wed-Sun.) Dark Knight did $67M on a Friday and only grossed $6M more. If Transformers 2 had opened on a Friday and not a Wednesday it would have trounced Dark Knight easily. Transformers 2 could end up breaking the fastest to $200M record.

Most people are pegging it at around 170-180 5-day after this 60 Wednesday, which would fall 20-30 short of the record. However I dont think anyone was really expecting 60 opening day either, so some waiting and seeing will have to commence.

[Verruckt]

I think Transformers has now been elevated to Batman, Superman, Spider-man levels in our culture. Transformers will be resurrected by Hollywood every generation and just keep getting better.

I can't WAIT to see Nolan's take on Transformers!

[cool8man]

I really wish that Star Trek had done these Transformers box office numbers. Star Trek is now one of my favorite summer action movies of all time and I don't think you needed to be a sci-fi nerd or a Star Trek fan to enjoy it. Given the stark difference in quality it's interesting that Star Trek was written by the same guys who wrote Transformers. I think those guys just know how to make great action flicks and I guess J.J. Abrams is just a much much better director than Michael Bay. :D

Honestly though once I saw Star Trek in early May I was kinda disappointed because I knew that nothing was going to come close to topping that for the rest of the summer. I would love to be proven wrong though. Imagine if G.I. Joe by some bizarre chance turned out to be a good movie. :lol

[Teh Super King]

I enjoyed Transformers 2, the action and the explosions were good as expected in a Micheal Bay flick. The plot came short and wasn't the best but for a robot fighting movie it was good. Not better than Star Trek but I liked it more than the new Terminator.

[Chimpbot]

I can't WAIT to see Nolan's take on Transformers!

I can. We'll have to see Christian Bale play Optimus Prime...and since he's a decently hardcore method actor, he'll probably have his brain implanted into a full-sized, fully operational robot body to do it. Either that, or he'll gain 1,000 lbs and squeeze into a big rubber suit.