Plot Heavy

At a point where 7, 000 people have died, references have been made to the real time President of the United States, national security and even 9/11, Transformers 2 takes a poignant moment, where a troop of military men walk slowly towards the remains of a now deceased leader on an airbase concourse. Director Michael Bay evokes an emotive experience, no dialogue necessary, the hazy dessert surrounds serving perfectly to reflect the exposed and vulnerable position their struggle is now confronted with. At this point in a sequel, this is a game changing move, with rippling ramifications for the protagonists of the piece, the fate of the worlds locked into the conflict on screen and also for us the viewer and the attachments we have developed. Thankfully, the character of Sam, as portrayed by Shia Le Beouf, returning to the role that has defined him as a raw young talent on the Hollywood scene, has fortuitous instincts that let him piece together a possible solution. The key macguffin, a matrix of randomsonething and the energy it holds can possibly be deployed to resurrect the departed leader, as opposed to its original use of mobilising a machine that will suck the sun of its energy. Physicists forums are a buzz with how this innovative development of new science-fiction lore might come to materialise in real world energy research. The potential of alien technology, that can be utilised where its power has been earned by making a sacrifice, to both power dead robots that has been twice dropped from a height and also power machines hidden with ancient pyramids to destroy a sun, is limitless.

Viewers can’t help but trust Sam’s instincts – his negotiating power with a emotionally vulnerable autobot in the early scenes of the film reflect a new maturity since his first appearance on screen in Transformers 1, as well as his cool head when being probed by a medical team of decepticons while pinned to a slab only affirms his rightful place at the heart of such a global and epic story. The character is fine tuned so that locating the powerful matrix and fathoming the complex symbols locked in his mind with the help of his loyal team, comes second nature to him. We confidently watch as Sam locates an object hidden from a super race of technologically advanced robots since the dawn of man in one afternoon. Of course, the dynamics surrounding the character are given more impact and sense of tragic focus, by the relationship at the heart of the story, that of Sam and Mikaela. Megan Fox as Mikaela, has of course been catapulted to the top of casting directors wish lists since her appearance in Transformers, and here we are reminded again of her potency as an actress, in the way her pouting lips and heaving breasts deliver her performance while the rest of her body is used for running from exploding objects. Also worth mentioning is the work of John Turturo, who in the mould of Wiliam H. Macy in Jurassic Park 3, has shown a broad appreciation of all movie roles and the opportunities they offer to put extentions on your house. His scene on one of the pyramids of Giza, successfully navigating an avalanche of debris and convincing a nearby aircraft carrier commander to launch a rocket is particularly memorable. Josh Duhamel returns as the human face of the military operation, the actor making impressive decisions in the movie as in real life, having married Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas since he launched himself on an unsuspecting movie audience in the first movie.

Transformers 2 serves as a benchmark for film in many ways, but none moreso than in the scale of destruction it portrays on screen and the number of machines it utilises to construct the alien robot warriers so effectively and of course the machines used by the human characters to blow up every single type of artifice, upstanding object or anything that could be said to have a dimension. The emotional impact is not spared, the lives lost are never reduced to mere rag dolls being flung from buildings, these soldiers are brought together from disparate locales, and where they have any type of non-cocasian skin colour will talk in street slang. The strides for authenticity are the stuff of Academy votes. Never will there be an overuse of words, explanation or logical decisions that get in the way of increasing the stakes and putting people in the way of acrobatically nubile machines or explosions. The execution of the story will ring through for hours after leaving the cinema, the final shot of a rejuvenated Optimus Prime and Sam aboard an aircraft carrier a pitch perfect final note to the story of a shared desire for a happy existence amongst humans and alien killer robots.