TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen on Blu-ray reviewed by John J. Puccio and William David Lee

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—> See Link to our Blu-ray Review (below)

Revenge is coming...

With the success of the live-action film TRANSFORMERS, the robots in disguise proved that there was too much action for just one film. This sequel promises more in the epic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons.

From Director MICHAEL BAY and Executive Producer STEVEN SPIELBERG... the biggest movie of the year worldwide is unleashed on Blu-ray and DVD!

TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen
— on 2-Disc DVD and 2-Disc Blu-ray (+ Exclusives!), and 1-Disc Standard DVD

DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures' $820+ million global smash returns to earth October 20 armed with explosive special features to bring the epic battle home in Two-Disc Blu-ray and DVD Sets.

"TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN does not take itself too seriously. There is a neat and jokey atmosphere that pervades throughout."
—Richard Mowe (Box Office)

"A nonstop whirl of flying, battling and crashing machinery.... with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox back as the leads and massive battles involving ships, planes, tanks, rockets and industrial level shape-changing machines."
—Ray Bennett (Hollywood Reporter)

TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen
Street date: October 20, 2009
Runtime: 142 minutes
Edition/Price:
$19.99 (Single-disc DVD)
$24.99 (Two-disc DVD Special Edition)
$29.99 (Two-disc Blu-ray, with exclusive content)

TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen
> Explore further:
—> Theatrical Review by John J. Puccio and William David Lee »
EXCERPT: John's comments: After the first ten minutes, I just...wanted...the...movie...to...end.

Remember how the first "Transformers" movie concluded with a big battle that seemed to last forever? That's all there is to this second installment, 2009's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." The good robots fight the bad robots for about ten hours of screen time, which go by about ten times slower than that.

Its sound effects are noisy, its CGI is cartoonish, its pacing is frenetic, and its music is loud and nondescript. Star Shia LaBeouf gets lost in the shuffle, as does any semblance of plot, logic, reason, or sanity. Understand, this is coming from someone who enjoyed most of the first "Transformers" movie. I'd give this second installment a 3/10 film rating: one point for John Turturro, who's slicing baloney when we meet him this time and who continues providing the baloney for the rest of the film, and two more points for Megan Fox's chest. Beyond that, I regretted having to watch the movie again on Blu-ray disc after seeing it in a theater.

I mentioned that a lot of the CGI looked cartoonish to me. It's possible the filmmakers intended this as a tribute to the movie's cartoon origins; I don't know. Whatever, it's unfortunate the robots couldn't have looked at least a little more realistic, especially in their movement. Still, I suppose by now we have come to take the transformations themselves for granted, so they've lost some of their initial wow factor, unless you didn't already see the first movie.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" gives its fans exactly what they want, more of the same, and yet more and still more. Put Michael Bay behind a camera, and he's going to blow something up. As long as people keep paying to watch him blow things up, he's going to be Hollywood's multimillion-dollar cash cow and keep on doing it forever. We live with it.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" provides all the eye candy a person could ask for and makes a splendid demo piece for folks looking to show off their super-new home theaters. Just don't look for a plot, a story thread, characterizations, interactions, depth, variety, nuance, subtlety, or themes. In five-minute doses, the movie works perfectly well. Just don't make me watch it again in its entirety.

William's comments:
I previously thought "Transformers" was the most Michael Bay that Michael Bay ever Michael Bay-ed. But, the Bay actually out-Bays himself with the sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." The second film based on the popular Hasbro toy line is bigger, louder, and longer than every previous version of the property combined. It's a two-and-a-half hour assault on the senses. Notice I haven't said anything about it being a great movie?

Like most sequels, "Revenge of the Fallen" has more of everything, more robots, more action, more characters, more explosions (including one that took seven months to set up) and more glamour shots of Megan Fox. It actually has more story. Not a better story, just more half-ass subplots strung together into a semi-coherent narrative.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is the perfect embodiment of every negative aspect of the summer blockbuster. It's a film that panders to the bases, adolescent desires. It's loud, obnoxious, and unrelenting. Its junk food and for some that's more than enough to satisfy their appetites. Personally, I'm more than happy to sit back and enjoy a dumb action movie every now and then. The thing about junk food is, it gives you a quick fix, but you're eventually left hungry for a real meal. Films like "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight" proved you can be a big-budget action spectacle with a smart story and genuine emotion.

"Revenge" simply substitutes noise and movement for any type of true emotional connection. The audience isn't taken along for a journey as much as press ganged into it and yanked along. This is the type of messy sequel that was churned out of the "Matrix" and "Pirates" franchises. Whatever weak plot it possesses is only there to service a string of action scenes that are directed either blandly or nonsensically by Michael Bay. In the end, "Revenge" offers nothing that wasn't already seen in the first film.

(Click thru the Link above for the full review, including a look at the audio/video quality, and details on the bonus features)

—> Visit the TRANSFORMERS Official Site »
(Explore the film, cast and crews in more depth)

—> View the Theatrical Trailer (w/HD) »
(From Apple.com Trailers website)

—> Visit the TRANSFORMERS UK Site »
(International site for the UK market)

Hollywood, CA — With more action and more thrills, TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen captivated audiences to earn over $820 million at the box office and become the #1 movie of the year in North America and throughout the world.

The latest spectacular adventure in the wildly popular TRANSFORMERS franchise will make its highly-anticipated DVD and Blu-ray debut on October 20, 2009 in immersive, two-disc Special Editions, as well as on a single disc DVD, from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures in association with Hasbro; distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment. The eagerly-awaited home entertainment premiere will be accompanied by one of the division´s biggest marketing campaigns ever, generating awareness and excitement of galactic proportions.

From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen delivers non-stop action and fun in an all-new adventure that the whole family can enjoy. Featuring out-of-this-world heroes in the form of the mighty AUTOBOTS and a malevolent and powerful villain known asTHE FALLEN, the film boasts some of the most sensational—and complex—visual effects in film history set against the backdrop of spectacular locations around the world.

In addition to audience favorites OPTIMUS PRIME and BUMBLEBEE, the film's human stars have returned to help save the world including Shia LaBeouf (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Megan Fox (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People), Josh Duhamel (TV's "Las Vegas"), Tyrese Gibson (Four Brothers) and John Turturro (The Good Shepherd).

The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen two-disc Blu-ray and DVD feature over three hours of in-depth, immersive special features that let viewers further explore the world of the legendary ROBOTS IN DISGUISE. Among the engrossing content is a multi-chapter documentary, including interviews with the cast and crew, that chronicles the entire making of the film from development and design to filming in locations around the globe, working with the U.S. military, creating the groundbreaking visual effects and putting it all together to produce the biggest film of the year.

The discs also include an all-access featurette following renowned director Michael Bay through an entire day, a comprehensive exploration of the "confidential files" on a dozen of the TRANSFORMERS characters featured in the film, multi-angle breakdowns of some of the most sensational action sequences and much, much more.

The Blu-ray and two-disc DVD packages also will feature augmented reality technology that will allow owners to interact with a holographic image of OPTIMUS PRIME utilizing their webcams and a special website. Fans will be asked to piece together the Matrix of Leadership to bring OPTIMUS PRIME back to life, help repair his armor and calibrate his weapons by actually controlling his aim during target practice.

As an added bonus, the Blu-ray will include an exclusive interactive feature that gives viewers the ability to customize their own robot characters and get a glimpse at a rogue robot. Out of all the available permutations, one will unlock an exclusive interview with Michael Bay about his plans for the next adventure.

Two-Disc Special Edition DVD & Blu-ray:
The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen two-disc Special Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.

The Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles.

DETAILS (both Blu-ray and DVD)
The disc breakdown is as follows:
Disc One:
• Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Disc Two:
• The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen — This multi-chapter documentary chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew:
- Seeds of Vengeance: Development and Design - After the overwhelming success of 2007's Transformers, how do the filmmakers top themselves for the sequel?
- Domestic Destruction – Production: United States - Michael Bay believes in going big: Big action and big explosions. Cast and crew are pushed to the limit as they traverse the U.S. from New Mexico to Pennsylvania
- Joint Operations – Production: Military - No other filmmaker in the world enjoys the kind of military access and cooperation Michael Bay has. Here we see just how efficient our armed forces are and the awe and respect shown by the cast
- Wonders of the World – Production: Middle East - You can't really reproduce Egypt anywhere but Egypt so off we go to Giza and Luxor
- Start Making Sense: Editing - In order to turn over the massive amount of film as quickly as possible to VFX, four editors work tirelessly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film
- Under the Gun: Visual Effects – Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM's total render farm capacity
- Running the Gauntlet: Post-Production and Release: - Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timing and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres
• A Day with Bay: Tokyo — An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan tor the world premiere of the biggest film of the year
• 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS — Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro's most successful and popular franchises
• NEST: Transformer Data-Hub — Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film
• Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto — A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film's most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.
• Extended Scenes
• Music Video: "New Divide" by Linkin Park

Blu-ray Exclusive:
• The ALLSPARK Experiment — Viewers get their chance to unleash the power of the recently recovered ALLSPARK shard on Earth vehicles. Begin by selecting and customizing a vehicle with a selection of parts and accessories. Then apply the ALLSPARK to this creation and watch what happens. Applying the ALLSPARK to certain custom combinations enables four new robot characters with special powers. If viewers discover all four, they unlock a fifth vehicle, which reveals a top secret message about the future of the TRANSFORMERS movie franchise
• NEST: Transformer Data-Hub — A database of some of the TRANSFORMERS characters that appear in the new film, offering users access to each robot's confidential file including:
- Innovative 3-D spin galleries of each robot
- A timeline for each TRANSFORMERS character charting its origins, back story and design evolution from toys to animated series to comics and finally feature films
• Giant Effing Movie – A very personal look at the making of the movie
• The Matrix of Marketing — An archive of the film's promotional media including trailers, posters and television spots.

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

Film Synopsis:
Revenge is coming...
Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

The battle for Earth continues in this action-packed blockbuster from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg. When college-bound Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) learns the truth about the ancient origins of the TRANSFORMERS robots, he must accept his destiny and join OPTIMUS PRIME and BUMBLEBEE in their epic battle against the DECEPTICONS, who have returned stronger than ever with a plan to destroy our world.

A Message for All Mankind
The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray and DVD debut is supported by one of the largest marketing and promotional campaigns in Paramount Home Entertainment's history. In addition to a multi-million dollar advertising blitz spanning television, print, radio and online, a stellar array of partners has joined forces with the studio to ensure that the AUTOBOTS' message is transmitted to all of the Earth´s inhabitants.

Chevrolet returns as a partner with an awesome sweepstakes offering participants the chance to win a dream garage. The winner will select two Chevy vehicles of their choice from the most diverse line-up on the planet, including the coveted Camaro, the all new Equinox, the critically acclaimed Malibu, the legendary Silverado and others. A huge online campaign will drive consumers to TransformYourGarage.com to enter to win.

Papa John's launches a massive national promotion in over 2,500 locations and featuring a multi-million dollar national television campaign promoting a $3.00 coupon for the DVD and Blu-ray. Papa John's will also produce over two million limited edition TRANSFORMERS-themed pizza boxes and promote the offer and DVD release on 25 million pieces of direct mail and over 250 million online impressions.

Land O'Frost features a $3.00 DVD rebate inside five million packages of One Pound Premium® deli pouch lunch meats. The promotion will be executed across nearly 20,000 supermarkets. Perdue includes a promotion on 2.5 million packages of PERDUE® Refrigerated Breaded Chicken products featuring a $5 DVD rebate that will be promoted through a full-page free-standing insert ad and in-store POP.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an American science fiction action film released on June 19, 2009 in the United Kingdom and June 24, 2009 in North America. It is the sequel to 2007's Transformers and the second film in the live action Transformers series. Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg return respectively as director and executive producer, while Shia LaBeouf reprises the role of Sam Witwicky, the human caught in the war between Autobots and Decepticons.

The film introduces many more robots and the scope has been expanded to numerous countries, most notably France, Jordan and Egypt. The plot revolves around Sam, who has been having visions of Cybertronian symbols, getting hunted by the evil Decepticons under the orders of their long-trapped leader, The Fallen. The Fallen seeks to get revenge on Earth by finding and activating a machine that would provide the Decepticons with an energon source, destroying all life on the planet in the process.

With deadlines jeopardized by possible strikes by the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, Bay managed to finish the production on time with the help of previsualization and a scriptment by his writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and series newcomer Ehren Kruger. Shooting took place from May to November 2008.

Despite poor critical reception, Revenge of the Fallen achieved the highest Wednesday opening gross in history, bringing in $62 million in North America alone and close to $100 million worldwide; this is also the second-highest opening day gross of all time, behind only The Dark Knight's $67.8 million. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is currently the second highest-grossing film of 2009 worldwide, behind only Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and the highest-grossing film of 2009 in the United States. In less than a month, the film surpassed the all-time earnings of its predecessor.

Hasbro became more involved in the designs of the robots than in the 2007 film, and they and Takara Tomy suggested to the filmmakers that combining robots be the main draw for the sequel. They insisted on keeping the alternate modes of some of the returning characters similar, so people would not have to buy toys of the same characters. Bay used real F-16 Fighting Falcon and tank fire when filming the battles. Many of the new Autobot cars supplied by General Motors were brightly colored to look distinctive on screen.

Scott Farrar returned as visual effects supervisor and anticipated moodier use of lighting as well as deeper roles for the Decepticons. He stated that with the bigger deadline, post-production will be a "circus". The producers expected that with a bigger budget and the special effects worked out, the Transformers would have a larger role. Peter Cullen recalled, "Don Murphy mentioned to me, 'Only because of the tremendous expense to animate Optimus Prime, he'll be in just a certain amount of.' But he said, 'Next time, if the movie is a success, you're gonna be in it a ton.'"

Michael Bay hoped to include more close-ups of the robots' faces. Farrar said the animators implemented more "splashes and the hits and the fighting on dirt or moving, banging into trees... things splinter and break, they [the robots] spit, they outgas, they sweat, they snort." Shooting in the higher resolution of IMAX required up to 72 hours to render a single frame of animation. While ILM used 15 terabytes for the 2007 film, on the sequel they used 140.

Orci hinted the majority of the Decepticons were entirely computer-generated in both robot and alternate modes, making it easier to write additional scenes for them in post-production.

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