Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Blu-ray Disc, 2009, 2-Disc Set, Special Edition)

4 stars out of 5 -- "TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN does not take itself too seriously. There is a neat and jokey atmosphere that pervades throughout..."
Box Office - Richard Mowe (06/16/2009)

"[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..."
Hollywood Reporter - Ray Bennett (06/15/2009)

"That someone actually conceived of these hulking, twisting, Rubik's contraptions, choreographed the battles to the inch, and executed them as flawlessly as they did...it's pretty amazing..."
Movieline - Movieline (06/23/2009)

The Transformers continue 2 years later in "Rise of the Fallen" where the Autobots co-op with a U.S. Military strike force NEST hunting down Decepticons in hiding around the world while Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBouf) goes off to college hiding a piece of the All-Spark Cube (destroyed in the previous film) from everyone. More G1 Transformers appear in this; Sideswipe, Arcee, Mudflap, Skids, Jetfire, Soundwave, Ravage, Wheelie and a Pretender leading to Megatron's resurrection, Optimus Prime's demise, the hidden truth of The Fallen, Sam's revelation with alien symbols to an all out Egyptian desert battle reviving Prime with the Matrix in a handicap match with The Fallen/Nemesis Prime and Megatron, and more robot carnage that shocks many die-hard fans who I recommend reading the "Transformers: Generation 2" 12-issue series (plenty of robot carnage for them).

What I'm about to tell you is top secret. DO NOT tell my mother! There are some choppy editing to inconsistency in several scenes that begs asking 'What happened to Wheelie after Sam and his friends (Megan Fox, John Tutorro) rested in that desert hideout? He wasn't even with them at that temple where they found the tomb of the Primes. The Twins were also left out after fighting underneath Devastator. Looks like we didn't get THAT memo. Not as much scenes with the Transformers to provide character depth when mostly centering around Sam. Plus several cast members from the first film did not return for this one. But overall, a pretty well done sequel but not quite as good as the first film.

This blu ray or should I say, "Big Screen Edition" (I won from an eBay seller) comes with a 2nd blu ray disc of the film's documentaries with 25 Years of the Transformers, Linkin Park's "Divide" music video, interactive games, and bio galleries of the Transformers. Looking forward to Dark side of the Moon.

There is no denying Director Michael Bay ('Bad Boys', 'The Rock', 'Armaggedon', 'Pearl Harbor', 'Bad Boys II') has a talent for "Over-The-Top", CGI-enhanced theatrics.
After misfiring with 'The Island', Bay got back-to-roots with "Transformers", a high-octane symphony of machine battling, explosions and itense cinematography; all the while blowing everything to pieces.
"Transformers" opens when U.S. Soldiers on a base in Qatar find themselves under a sudden and merciless assault. The foe is eventually revealed to be Extraterrestrial; part of the Murdero...Read full reviewus Decepticon Robot Race. In a powerfully effective scene it gets the movie off hard.
Then begins the introduction of single teenager, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). Visiting a used car lot with his Dad (Kevin Dunn), the high school nerd falls in love with a rusting Camaro. The hunk of junk has a strange quirk: its radio has a habit of turning on spontaneously to tacky old pop songs that oddly befit whatever situation Sam finds himself in.
But when Sam thinks that someone has stolen the heap; he tracks it to a rail yard, where he discovers it's most bizarre kink when it transforms into a robot.
Though the Soldiers in Qatar; and Sam back in the 'Burbs' don't realize it yet, they are the early unwitting recruits into the Robot Wars between the Evil Decepticons and the Benevolent Autobots.
The Decepticons prefer to transform into Helicopters and Cop Cars. The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), have a much more refined aesthetic, preferring to transmute into items like Sam's "bitchin'" Camaro. They also have far more expressive personalities.
Motivation also divides the Robots. The Decepticons want to lay waste to the Planet in their quest to take over the Universe. Optimus Prime, on the other hand, makes pronouncements about how the Autobots, hope to "Bring Peace to this Planet,". Of course, the Autobots' idea of promoting peace is to throw down with the Decepticons in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles, destroying buildings, cars, and anything else that gets caught in the middle., in Apocolyptic Cinematographic Glory.
Extremely entertaining in it's explosive way, it follows a formula as successful as 'Godzilla' while being as up-to-date as the 'Terminator' Series. Thanks also to LaBeouf's grounded performance; who helps continue to add significant human characters in "Transformers".
Good To Have You Back, Michael Bay.... And The "Big Productions" reminiscent of our first flirts with "Independance Day", "Armageddon", "The Day After Tomorrow", "War of the Worlds".... and more !!
SEE THIS !!!!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction action film, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to Transformers (2007) and the second film in the live action Transformers series. The plot resolves around Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), the human caught in the war between Autobots and Decepticons, having visions of Cybertronian symbols, getting hunted by the Decepticons under the orders of their long-trapped leader, The Fallen, who seeks 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.

Although panned by critics, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was a box office success, achieving the highest Wednesday opening gross in history, bringing in $62 million in North America 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. It is currently the third highest-grossing film of 2009 worldwide (behind Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) 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. It was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 20, 2009.

I may be a little bias in this review due to my love of the Transformers as a young boy so I suggest you see it for yourself, preferably infront of a big screen with a big sound system! The fist movie left us all amazed in the special effects and engaging story line. This time Director Michael Bay pulls out all stops in this sequel to deliver way more bang for your buck than the first instalment. For Sam, life goes on, time to put the past behind and get on with the next stage of life, College. Struggling with an eratic mother, unsympathetic father, a pending lond distance relationship with his girlfriend and Bumblebee, and a past that won't go away. A new threat to humanity reveals itself and once again Sam is the world's only hope. Juggling the demands of college, internet dates, a very interested new girl, a jealous room mate, gigantic robots hell bent on the death and destruction of earth, Sam & co have their hands full. The action is thick and fast from opening scenes, and doesn't let up. I can't think of any other movie where the pyrotechnics bill would be bigger than Oprah winfrey's pay cheque!
The stroy line cleverly unravels and as it introduces new characters and gives you a flash course history lesson of the world of Transformers without reading a thousand dusty comic books.?
It's smart, fast and exlplosive. What else can I say?! BOOM! I loved it!!