Tomorrow we're seeing three films: "Moon" (above with Sam Rockwell), Sam Mendes' "Away We Go," and Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker."Thursday, July 2, 2009
Nothing More Than Meets The Eye
Summer’s here and that means many things: short shorts, ice cream, the same fucking conversation starter of how about this heat, and summer blockbusters. After seeing TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, there’s a good chance that there won’t be a movie this summer that’s louder, dumber, and quite possibly more racist than this somewhat enjoyable schlock fest.
REVENGE OF THE FALLEN is essentially the same story, but bigger, louder, and somewhat dumber than the first. The story centers on Shia LaBeauf’s Sam Witwicky as he goes off to college, and is away from his girlfriend, Megan Fox, and from his bff. the transformer Bumblebee. From here on, the movie is the same: they’re caught in a cosmic war with the Transformers that’s been going on for centuries, and have to find ways to battle the evil transformers with the help from the army.
While summer action movies are an essential and healthy part of a film diet, REVENGE OF THE FALLEN might be too much. Literally after the opening credits the film is non-stop action from beginning to end, which is ok on some levels, but not when the action is on this level. After about 30 minutes, it’s not hard to grow tired of the overly elaborate action set pieces. At one point the movie blows up an aircraft carrier for no real reason, and by this point I was so numb from the action in the first half hour of the movie, that watching slow motion shots of people on fire and drowning was one of the more emotionally hollow things I’ve seen in recent years.
The film is what it is, a loud summer blockbuster, but one that is made on such a gaudy and monstrous level, that any real way to connect with it is lost. The acting like the movie is what it is, it’s adequate, but they really have nothing good to say. It’s a decent form of entertainment, but following a good slate of more thoughtful and more thrilling summer action films last year (IRON MAN, THE DARK KNIGHT) and a rejection of weaker ones (SPEED RACER, THE INCREDIBLE HULK), it’s somewhat disheartening to embrace with such fervor a piece of mediocrity at best.
REVENGE OF THE FALLEN is essentially the same story, but bigger, louder, and somewhat dumber than the first. The story centers on Shia LaBeauf’s Sam Witwicky as he goes off to college, and is away from his girlfriend, Megan Fox, and from his bff. the transformer Bumblebee. From here on, the movie is the same: they’re caught in a cosmic war with the Transformers that’s been going on for centuries, and have to find ways to battle the evil transformers with the help from the army.
While summer action movies are an essential and healthy part of a film diet, REVENGE OF THE FALLEN might be too much. Literally after the opening credits the film is non-stop action from beginning to end, which is ok on some levels, but not when the action is on this level. After about 30 minutes, it’s not hard to grow tired of the overly elaborate action set pieces. At one point the movie blows up an aircraft carrier for no real reason, and by this point I was so numb from the action in the first half hour of the movie, that watching slow motion shots of people on fire and drowning was one of the more emotionally hollow things I’ve seen in recent years.
The film is what it is, a loud summer blockbuster, but one that is made on such a gaudy and monstrous level, that any real way to connect with it is lost. The acting like the movie is what it is, it’s adequate, but they really have nothing good to say. It’s a decent form of entertainment, but following a good slate of more thoughtful and more thrilling summer action films last year (IRON MAN, THE DARK KNIGHT) and a rejection of weaker ones (SPEED RACER, THE INCREDIBLE HULK), it’s somewhat disheartening to embrace with such fervor a piece of mediocrity at best.
I'm So Excited, And I Just Can't Hide It
First. Transformers. 2.
Yes it made $200 million this past weekend, but didn't deserve not one single cent. I think the dogs would be better of at the pound then on a Michael Bay set. There are many things wrong with this film: editing, dialogue, continuity errors everywhere, but what is probably the worst is the absence of imagination. Nothing about this film is special in any way, no creativity, no spirit or soul, and what I mean by that is the filmaker's enthusiasm in making this film.
What does that say to the future filmmaker and even to the future moviegoer? I'm not sure I have that answer. Don't get me wrong, I love action films - I'd take any old broken down piece of meat from the 80s over this film today. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, however, isn't worth your time.
Yes it made $200 million this past weekend, but didn't deserve not one single cent. I think the dogs would be better of at the pound then on a Michael Bay set. There are many things wrong with this film: editing, dialogue, continuity errors everywhere, but what is probably the worst is the absence of imagination. Nothing about this film is special in any way, no creativity, no spirit or soul, and what I mean by that is the filmaker's enthusiasm in making this film.
What does that say to the future filmmaker and even to the future moviegoer? I'm not sure I have that answer. Don't get me wrong, I love action films - I'd take any old broken down piece of meat from the 80s over this film today. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, however, isn't worth your time.
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