Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Sam Witwicky leaves the Autobots behind for a normal life. But when his mind is filled with cryptic symbols, the Decepticons target him and he is dragged back into the Transformers' war.

Director:

Michael Bay

Writers:

Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci,

Stars:

Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shia LaBeouf	...	Sam Witwicky
Megan Fox	...	Mikaela Banes
Josh Duhamel	...	Major Lennox
Tyrese Gibson	...	USAF Master Sergeant Epps
John Turturro	...	Simmons
Ramon Rodriguez	...	Leo Spitz
Kevin Dunn	...	Ron Witwicky
Julie White	...	Judy Witwicky
Isabel Lucas	...	Alice
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Galloway
Matthew Marsden	...	Special Air Service Forces
Andrew Howard	...	Special Air Service Forces
Michael Papajohn	...	Cal
Glenn Morshower	...	General Morshower
John Eric Bentley	...	Aide

Storyline

A youth chooses manhood. The week Sam Witwicky starts college, the Decepticons make trouble in Shanghai. A presidential envoy believes it's because the Autobots are around; he wants them gone. He's wrong: the Decepticons need access to Sam's mind to see some glyphs imprinted there that will lead them to a fragile object that, when inserted in an alien machine hidden in Egypt for centuries, will give them the power to blow out the sun. Sam, his girlfriend Mikaela Banes, and Sam's parents are in danger. Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are Sam's principal protectors. If one of them goes down, what becomes of Sam?

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Plot Keywords:

alien | machine | sun | egypt | college | 

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Taglines:

They have returned... to finish what they started.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Hungary]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 June 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Transformers 2

Filming Locations:

Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$108,966,307 (USA) (26 June 2009)

Gross:

$402,076,689 (USA) (9 October 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures, Hasbro

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The helicopter crash in Operation Firestorm was achieved by setting up a rig where a real fuselage came crashing down in front of the camera. The body of the copter, however, was empty and without rotor blades; it thus fell to the VFXperts to render these into the scene.

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Goofs

NEST is actually part of the US Department of Energy rather than Defense, as the acronym stands for "Nuclear Emergency Support Team." However it's entirely possible for two groups in two different agencies to share an acronym, especially if one of them is secret. Given that the Transformers are radioactive, making the public confuse their unit with the Nuclear Emergency Support Team would work to their advantage in keeping them secret.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Optimus Prime: Earth, birthplace of the human race. A species much like our own, capable of great compassion and great violence. For in our quest to protect the humans, a deeper revelation dawns: our worlds have met before...

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Crazy Credits

In the closing credits, the names of director Michael Bay, producer Ian Bryce, actors Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson and Glenn Morshower, and editor Tom Muldoon shine with lens flares.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Megan Fox/U2 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"21 Guns"
Written by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, & Tre Cool
Performed by Green Day
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Could have been better, but could have been much worse!

For the most part, this film is the decent thrill ride that the movie going audience is looking for. As an action moving, it has scenes to astound and thrill any avid fan. As a science fiction movie it stands reasonably well. It doesn't over-explain things and doesn't throw in concepts as central plot points that are blatantly impossible (super novas that threaten entire galaxies, I'm talking about you Star Trek). The movie also does relatively well on a comedic note, and from a standpoint of general plot. Though others have complained about the central importance of Sam's role being unlikely and a retread of the first film, it follows through logically from where the first film left off.

Though the film is a lot of fun, it does have its flaws. Unfortunately the humor descends to the low brow a little too often. Also the Autobot twins that Michael Bay apparently loved so much were frightfully annoying. They did also lean towards offensive cultural stereotypes a little heavily. It is unfortunate because a couple of their funnier lines could have been delivered just as well by completely different characters. In fact they might have been funnier coming from a more straight laced Autobot. The use of the twins in pure Jar Jar Binks fashion (though not quite as irritating) was unfortunate given how many underused robots there were. The comment about Sam's roommate's bravery could have been unexpectedly hilarious coming out of Arcee.

Most of the other glitches in the film were relatively minor and not worth mentioning, though the writers could use a geography lesson. If you enjoy action films and don't need a deeper artistic message, Revenge of the Fallen is well worth the watch.