| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Bay |
| Written by | |
| Based on | Hasbro'sTransformers action figures |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ben Seresin |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Steve Jablonsky |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures[a] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 150 minutes[3] |
| Country | United States[1] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $200–210 million[4][2][5] |
| Box office | $836.5 million[2] |
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 Americanscience fictionaction film based onHasbro'sTransformers toy line. The film is the second installment in theTransformers film series and a sequel toTransformers (2007). The film is directed byMichael Bay and written byEhren Kruger,Roberto Orci, andAlex Kurtzman. Set two years after the events ofTransformers,Revenge of the Fallen recounts the battle between theAutobots, led byOptimus Prime (voiced byPeter Cullen), and theDecepticons, led byMegatron (voiced byHugo Weaving). The Autobots andSam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) ally again to face an ancient Decepticon named the Fallen (voiced byTony Todd), who pursues revenge on Earth.
Development on a sequel toTransformers began by May 2007. With deadlines jeopardized by possible strikes by theDirectors Guild of America and theScreen Actors Guild, Bay managed to finish the production on time with the help ofprevisualization and ascriptment. Shooting took place between May and September 2008, with locations inEgypt,Jordan,Pennsylvania,New Jersey, andCalifornia, as well asair bases inNew Mexico andArizona.
It premiered on June 8, 2009, atRoppongi Hills inTokyo, Japan and was released on June 24 in the United States. The film received generally negative reviews from critics. It won threeGolden Raspberry Awards at the30th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony and became the highest-grossing film to win theWorst Picture award at the time. The film surpassed its predecessor's box office gross worldwide with $836.5 million, making it thefourth-highest-grossing film of 2009. It was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Sound Mixing at the82nd Academy Awards. With over 11 million home media sales in 2009, it was also thetop-selling film of the year in the United States. It was followed byTransformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011.
In 17,000 B.C., seven Primes—the highest ruling Cybertronians—collect Energon from Star Harvesters, machines that consume stars to harness their energy. The Primes have a sacred rule to never deplete a star that sustains life. One of them violates this rule by ordering the construction of a Star Harvester onEarth, for which he becomes "the Fallen", the original Decepticon, and is defeated by the other Primes.
In the present day, two years after the battle of Mission City,[b] theAutobots and the humans have formedNEST (Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty), a classified joint task force to eliminate the remainingDecepticons. Two Decepticons, Sideways and Demolishor, are defeated inShanghai, but the latter warns of the Fallen's return before being killed. Meanwhile, the DecepticonSoundwave hacks a military satellite to track and steal the last known piece of the AllSpark shard from aU.S Navy base inDiego Garcia. The Constructicons use it to resurrectMegatron while tearing off parts from one of their own to repair his body, and Megatron returns to the Fallen. The Fallen sends Megatron and his second-in-command,Starscream, to killOptimus Prime and captureSam Witwicky, who now unknowingly contains the knowledge of the AllSpark within his mind after using it to kill Megatron.
Meanwhile, Sam, now attending college atPrinceton University, has been seeing Cybertronian symbols since touching a smaller AllSpark shard unlocked some of its knowledge; Megatron believes the symbols will lead the Decepticons to a new Energon source. The shard brings many of the kitchen appliances to life, which attempt to kill Sam and his parents, butBumblebee rescues them. Sam gives the shard to his girlfriend,Mikaela Banes, who later captures the small DecepticonWheelie as he attempts to steal it. After being attacked by Alice, a Decepticon Pretender posing as a college student, Sam, his roommate Leo, and Mikaela are captured by the Decepticon Grindor before the Autobots save them. Optimus battles Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor, killing the latter, but is killed by Megatron while defending Sam. The Decepticons launch devastating attacks around the world, while Megatron and Soundwave hijack Earth'stelecommunication systems, which allows the Fallen to send a message to the humans, demanding that Sam be handed over to him.
Sam, Mikaela, and Leo then seek out alien expert and former Sector Seven agent Seymour Simmons, who reveals that Transformers have beenvisiting Earth for a long time and some, known as Seekers, have remained hidden on the planet. With help from Wheelie, they track down an elderly Decepticon-turned-Autobot Seeker namedJetfire at theSmithsonian Air and Space Museum. They use their shard to revive Jetfire, who teleports the group to Egypt. Along with Jetfire, Wheelie allies with the Autobots, and Jetfire sends them to locate theMatrix of Leadership, the key to the Star Harvester, which could also revive Optimus. The group finds the Matrix, which the Primes sacrificed themselves to conceal, but it disintegrates into dust.
Meanwhile, NEST forces and the Autobots land near theGiza pyramid complex and are attacked by the Decepticons. The Constructicons combine to formDevastator, who reveals the Star Harvester hidden inside a pyramid before he is destroyed by a Navyrailgun, as U.S. military reinforcements and Jetfire arrive to assist. Many Decepticons are destroyed by multipleairstrikes from the Navy and theU.S. Air Force, but Megatron manages to kill Sam. The Primes speak to Sam, saying that the Matrix must be earned, not found, and that he has the right to bear it by sacrificing himself for Optimus. They revive Sam and grant him the Matrix, which he uses to resurrect Optimus. The Fallen steals the Matrix from a weakened Optimus and uses it to activate the Star Harvester. Jetfire, who was wounded byScorponok before he killed it, sacrifices himself to merge with Optimus, giving him additional power and flight. With this upgrade, Optimus destroys the Star Harvester, severely wounds Megatron, and kills the Fallen. Distraught by his master's death, Megatron retreats with Starscream. The Autobots and their allies return to the United States, and Sam and Leo return to college.
Before the release ofTransformers (2007),Paramount Pictures began developing two sequels.[8] Major hurdles for the film's initial production stages included the2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike as well as the threat of strikes by other guilds. Prior to a potentialDirectors Guild of America strike, directorMichael Bay began creatinganimatics of action sequences featuring characters rejected for the 2007 film. This would allow animators to complete sequences if the Directors Guild of America went on strike in July 2008, which ultimately did not happen.[9][10] When asked about directing a sequel while promoting the first Transformers film, Bay said "you have your baby and you don't want someone else to take it".[11]
ScreenwritersRoberto Orci andAlex Kurtzman, who had written the first film, originally passed on the opportunity to write a sequel due to schedule conflicts. The studio began courting other writers in May 2007, but were unimpressed with otherpitches and eventually convinced Orci and Kurtzman to return.[9] The studio also hiredEhren Kruger, who had impressed Bay and Hasbro presidentBrian Goldner with his knowledge of theTransformers mythology.[12] The writing trio were paid $8 million.[9] Screenwriting was interrupted by the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, but to avoid production delays, the writers spent two weeks writing atreatment, which they handed in the night before the strike began.[13] Bay then expanded the outline into a 60-pagescriptment,[14] which included more action, humor, and characters.[13][15] The three writers spent four months finishing the screenplay while "locked" in two hotel rooms by Bay; Kruger wrote in his own room and the trio would check on each other's work twice a day.[16]
Orci described the film's theme as "being away from home", with the Autobots contemplating living on Earth as they cannot restore Cybertron, while Sam goes to college.[17] He wanted the focus between the robots and humans "much more evenly balanced",[18] "the stakes [to] be higher", and more focused on the science fiction elements.[19] Orci added he wanted to "modulate" the humor more,[20] and felt he managed the more "outrageous" jokes by balancing them with a more serious plot approach to theTransformers' mythology.[21] Bay concurred that he wanted to please fans by making the tone darker,[22] and that "mums will think it[']s safe enough to bring the kids back out to the movies."[23] Two elements were added late into the film: the Autobot Jolt—asGeneral Motors wanted to advertise theChevrolet Volt—and the railgun that kills Devastator, a new acquisition by the United States military.[24]
In September 2007, Paramount announced a release date for the sequel toTransformers in late June 2009.[25] The film was given a $200 million budget, which was $50 million more than the first film,[26] althoughVariety put the budget spend at over $210 million, after rebates.[5][2][27] Some of the action scenes rejected from the first film were written into the sequel.[28] ProducerLorenzo di Bonaventura later stated the studio proposed filming two sequels simultaneously, but he and Bay agreed that the idea was not the right direction for the series.[29]
Prior to the first film's release, producerTom DeSanto had "a very cool idea" to introduce the Dinobots,[30] while Bay was interested in including a Transformer who transforms into anaircraft carrier, a concept which was dropped from the 2007 film.[31] Orci claimed they did not incorporate these characters intoRevenge of the Fallen because they could not think of a way to justify the Dinobots' choice of form,[17] and were unable to fit in the aircraft carrier.[32] Orci later admitted that he was dismissive of the Dinobots because he does not like dinosaurs, saying "I recognize I am weird in that department."[33] However, he became fonder of them during filming because of their popularity with fans.[34] He added "I couldn't see why a Transformer would feel the need to disguise himself in front of a bunch of lizards. Movie-wise, I mean. Once the general audience is fully on board with the whole thing, maybe Dinobots in the future."[35] When asked on the subject, Michael Bay said he hated the Dinobots and they had never been in consideration for being featured in the movies.[36]
During production, Bay attempted to create a misinformation campaign to increase debate over what Transformers would be appearing in the film, as well as to try to throw fans off from the story of the film; however, Orci confessed it was generally unsuccessful.[32] The studio went as far as to censorMTV andComic Book Resources interviews with Mowry and Furman, who confirmed Arcee and The Fallen would be in the picture.[37] Bay toldEmpire that Megatron would not be resurrected, claiming his new tank form was a toy-only character,[26] only for Orci to confirm Megatron would return in the film in February 2009.[38] Bay also claimed he faked the leaking ofdaily call sheets from the first week of filming, that revealed Ramón Rodríguez's casting,[39] and the appearance of Jetfire and the twins.[40]
Principal photography lasted from roughly June to November 2008. Inspired by its use inChristopher Nolan'sThe Dark Knight, three action sequences inRevenge of the Fallen were shot usingIMAX cameras.[22] Although screenwriter Roberto Orci suggested that the IMAX footage would be3-D,[41] Bay later said he found 3D too "gimmicky". Bay added that shooting in IMAX was easier than using IMAXstereoscopic 3-D cameras.[42]
The majority of interior scenes for the film were shot in the formerHughes Aircraft soundstages atPlaya Vista.[43] From June 2–4, the production filmed an action sequence at theBethlehem Steel site inBethlehem, Pennsylvania, which was used to represent a portion ofShanghai.[14][44] Afterwards, they shot at theSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.[45]
The crew moved toPhiladelphia on June 9, where they shot at a defunctPECO Richmond power station, theUniversity of Pennsylvania,Drexel University, theEastern State Penitentiary,Laurel Hill Cemetery,Philadelphia City Hall,Rittenhouse Square,Wanamaker's, and historic Chancellor Street, which represents a street nearPlace de la Concorde inParis.[46][47]
The production moved toPrinceton University on June 22.[48] Filming there angered some students at the University of Pennsylvania, believing Bay had chosen to reshoot scenes at Princeton and script Princeton's name in the film. One shot that was filmed in the University of Pennsylvania was the party scene, filmed at what students call "The Castle". "The Castle" is home to thePsi Upsilon fraternity. However, neither the University of Pennsylvania nor Princeton gave Bay permission to be named in the film because of a scene that both institutions felt "did not represent the school" in which Sam's mother ingestsmarijuana-laced brownies.[49]
Bay scheduled a break for filming beginning on June 30, turning his attention to animation andsecond unit scenes because of the potential guild strike.[50] Shooting for theShanghai battle later continued inLong Beach, California.[51] In September, the crew shot atHolloman Air Force Base andWhite Sands Missile Range inNew Mexico. The two locations were used forQatar inTransformers and stood in forEgypt in this film.[52] Ascale model in Los Angeles was also used for some close-ups of the pyramids.[26] Shooting atTucson International Airport and the309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group'saircraft boneyard took place in October under thefake working titlePrime Directive (a reference toStar Trek).[53] Filming also took place atCamp Pendleton,Davis–Monthan Air Force Base,[43]Imperial Beach,Naval Amphibious Base Coronado,Naval Base Point Loma andSan Diego Bay.[54]
The first unit then shot for three days in Egypt at theGiza pyramid complex andLuxor. The shoot was highly secretive, but according to producerLorenzo di Bonaventura, a crew of 150 Americans and "several dozen local Egyptians" ensured a "remarkably smooth" shoot.[55] Bay earned the Egyptian government's approval to film at the pyramids by contactingZahi Hawass, whom Bay said "put his arm around me and said, 'Don't hurt my pyramids.'"[43] A 50-foot-tall (15 m) camera crane was used at the location.[26] Bay stated he found the climax of the first film to be weak, partly because it was shot across five different city blocks, making the action confusing and hard to follow. On this film, the final battle in Egypt was devised to make it easier to follow the action.[56]
Four days were then spent inJordan; theRoyal Jordanian Air Force aided in filming atPetra,Wadi Rum andSalt becauseKing Abdullah II is a big fan of science fiction movies.[57][58] Filming continued at thePlace de la Concorde in Paris with second unit shots of theEiffel Tower and theArc de Triomphe.[59] The cast and crew finished principal photography on the aircraft carrierUSSJohn C. Stennis on November 2, 2008.[60]
Hasbro became more involved in the designs of the robots than the company was for the first film.[20] The company, along withTakara Tomy, suggested to the filmmakers that combining robots be the main draw for the sequel.[61] They insisted on keeping the alternate modes of some of the returning characters similar so that consumers would not have to buy toys of the same characters.[62] Bay used a realF-16 Fighting Falcon and tank fire when filming the battles.[29] Many of the new Autobot cars supplied byGeneral Motors were brightly colored to look distinctive on screen.[63]Revenge of the Fallen features 46 robots, while the original movie had 14.[64]
Scott Farrar returned as visual effects supervisor and anticipated moodier use of lighting as well as deeper roles for theDecepticons.[clarification needed] He stated that with the bigger deadline, post-production would become a "circus".[65] The producers expected that with a bigger budget and with the special effects having 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 [Transformers].' But he said, 'Next time, if the movie is a success, you're gonna be in it a ton.'"[66] Michael Bay hoped to include moreclose-ups of the robots' faces.[67] The heads had to be designed with more pieces in order to express emotions in a more convincing way.[64] Farrar said the animators implemented more "splashes and the hits and the fighting on dirt or moving, banging into trees, [...] things splinter and break, [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.[68][69] While ILM used 15terabytes forTransformers, they used 140 for the sequel.[58] Particularly problematic effects were the lighting, with scenes such as Jetfire inside the Smithsonian requiring 41 light sources, and the destruction of the pyramid, which appears in about five shots and required seven months to simulate the behavior of the blocks.[64] 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 inpost-production.[70] Rendering the Devastator took over 85% of ILM'srender farm capacity, and the complexity of the scene and having to render it at IMAX resolution caused one computer to "explode".[71]Digital Domain handled work on secondary characters, including the transformation of Alice from her human disguise to her robot self. The beginning showing a close-up of her face as the skin broke apart took five animators three months to finish.[72]
Thescore toRevenge of the Fallen was composed and produced bySteve Jablonsky, who reunited with director Michael Bay to record his score with a 71-piece ensemble of theHollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage.[73] Jablonsky and his score producerHans Zimmer composed various interpretations of a song byLinkin Park called "New Divide" for the score.[74] RapperKid Cudi’s 2009 single “Sky Might Fall” appears in the extended trailer.[75]
The marketing campaign forRevenge of the Fallen cost $150 million.[76]Hasbro'sRevenge of the Fallen toy line included new molds of new and returning characters, as well as 2007 figures with new mold elements or new paint schemes.[77] The first wave was released on May 30, although Bumblebee and Soundwave debuted beforehand.[78] The second wave came in August 2009, which introduced toys such as 2¼-inch human action figures that fit inside the transforming robots, and non-transforming replicas of the cars that can be used on a race track.Product placement partners on the film includeBurger King,7-Eleven,LG Phones,Kmart,Papa John's,Walmart,YouTube,Nike, Inc.,M&M's, andSnickers.General Motors' financial troubles limited its involvement in promotion of the sequel, although Paramount acknowledged that with or without GM, their marketing campaign was still very large and had the foundation of the 2007 film's success.[79][80][81]Kyle Busch drove aRevenge of the Fallen decorated car atInfineon Raceway on June 21, 2009,[82] whileJosh Duhamel drove a 2010 Camaro at theIndianapolis 500.[83] At the movie's launch in China, a version of Bumblebee was constructed using aVolkswagen Jetta.[84]
Chris Mowry and artistAlex Milne, who had collaborated onThe Reign of Starscream comic book, reunited forIDW Publishing's prequel to the film. Originally set to be a five-part series entitledDestiny,[85] it was split into two simultaneously published series, titledAlliance andDefiance.Alliance is drawn by Milne and began in December 2008; it focuses on the human and Autobot perspectives.[86]Defiance, which started the following month, is drawn by Dan Khanna and is set before either film, showing the beginnings of the war.[87]
After the 2007 film, and serving as a bridge between the two films,Alan Dean Foster wroteTransformers: The Veiled Threat,[88] originally titledInfiltration. During the writing, Foster collaborated with IDW to make sure their stories did not contradict each other.[89]
The first printed media directly related to the second film was a 32-page coloring and activity book by publisherHarperCollins, which became available on May 5, 2009 and was the first official source to openly give out key plot points to the film.[90] On June 1, 2009DK Publishing published a 96-page book entitledTransformers: The Movie Universe, which intended to provide factual data on the characters of the film.[91]
On June 10, 2009, the comic book adaptation of the film, written bySimon Furman was released.[92] Additionally, Alan Dean Foster also wrote thenovelization for the film.[93] Meanwhile, Dan Jolley wroteTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Junior Novel, a 144-page book oriented at a younger audience than the one by Foster.[94] Lastly, a book titledTransformers: The Art of the Movies was released, documenting behind-the scenes aspects of the making of the film.
Other minor tie-in publications includeTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Last Prime,Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Reusable Sticker Book,Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Made You Look!,Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Rise of the Decepticons,Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Spot the 'Bots',Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Mix and Match,Operation Autobot,When Robots Attack andTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen 2010 Wall Calendar.
On June 23, 2009,Activision publisheda video game based on the film forPlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable,Wii,Nintendo DS, andGames for Windows.
Revenge of the Fallen premiered on June 8, 2009, in Tokyo, Japan.[101] After its UK release on June 19, it was released in regular andIMAX theaters in North America on June 24,[102] although some theaters held limited-access advance screenings on June 22.Linkin Park held a special show after the premiere at theFox Theater, Westwood Village on June 22, during which they performed "New Divide" live for the first time. The IMAX release featured additional scenes of extended robot fighting sequences, which were not seen in the regular theater version.[103]
The film was released in two-discBlu-ray andDVD editions, and a single-disc DVD version on October 20, 2009, in North America.[104] Michael Bay has revealed that the Blu-ray release of the film, produced byCharles de Lauzirika, features variable aspect ratio for the scenes shot inIMAX format. A special “Big Screen” IMAX edition was available exclusively atWalmart.[105]Home versions include over three hours of bonus content and several interactive features, including "The AllSpark Experiment", which reveals Michael Bay's plans fora third movie in the series. AtTarget, the DVD and Blu-ray versions includes a transformable Bumblebee case. Both two-disc editions are the first to include Paramount'saugmented reality feature, which allows the user to handle a 3-D model of Optimus Prime on a computer by moving the package in front of a webcam.[106] First-week sales of the DVD reached 7.5 million copies, making it the best-selling DVD of 2009. The Blu-ray version had the best first-week sales of 2009, with 1.2 million units.[107]Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray on December 5, 2017.[108] The film grossed $276 million in home sales.[109]
Revenge of the Fallen was a box office success, earning $402.1 million in the U.S. and Canada and $434.2 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $836.5 million, being the37th-highest-grossing film of all time domestically.[110]Revenge of the Fallen grossed $16 million from midnight showings, at the time the most ever for a Wednesday midnight debut.[111] For 13 years, it achieved the biggest previews for aParamount film until 2022 whenTop Gun: Maverick ($19.3 million) took it.[112] The film proceeded to beatHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix's record ($44.2 million) for the biggest Wednesday opening in history,[113] bringing in $62 million in total receipts on its first day (untilThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse topped this record with $68.5 million in 2010),[114] additionally ranking it as the second biggest opening day ever at the time, behindThe Dark Knight.[115] The film grossed $109 million on its first weekend, the seventh-largest in history at the time, and brought in $200 million in its first five days, putting it in second place behindThe Dark Knight's $203.7 million for the all-time biggest five-day opening.[116] It would hold the record for having the highest five-day Wednesday opening gross until it was taken byThe Super Mario Bros. Movie ($204.6 million) in 2023.[117] Its gross from Friday to Sunday was also the biggest June opening weekend for one year, breakingHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban's record ($93.7 million), untilToy Story 3 claimed that record the following year ($110.3 million).[118]
Revenge of the Fallen remained #1 at the box office for two weeks straight by a close margin before being overtaken byBruno ($30 million) and the second weekend ofIce Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs ($28 million). Initial studio estimates showed a tie between it and that weekend's new releaseIce Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, but the actual totals showedRevenge of the Fallen taking the #1 spot yet again with $42.3 million.[119] Also, it was the first film of 2009 to reach the $300 million mark in North America.[120] On July 27, a month after its release, the movie reached $379.2 million in the US, which brought it into the top 10 highest-grossing movies ever in that country as of August 2009.[121] Among2009 films, it was the second-highest-grossing in the United States and Canada, behindAvatar,[122] and fourth globally behindAvatar,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, andIce Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.[123]Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 53 million tickets in the US.[110]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 19% based on 248 reviews, with an average rating of 4.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a noisy, underplotted, and overlong special effects extravaganza that lacks a human touch."[124] OnMetacritic, the film has an average score of 35 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[125] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[126]
According toThe Washington Post,Revenge of the Fallen was Bay's worst-reviewed film at the time of release, faring even worse thanPearl Harbor (2001).[127] Betsy Sharkey of theLos Angeles Times described the film as "in-your-face, ear-splitting and unrelenting. It's easy to walk away feeling like you've spent 2 hours in the mad, wild, hydraulic embrace of acar compactor".[128]
Roger Ebert, who had given the 2007 film three stars,[129] gave the sequel only one, calling it "...a horrible experience of unbearable length", a phrase which later became the title of his third bad-movie-reviews collection. Later in his review, Ebert discouraged movie-goers from seeing the film by saying "If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination."[130] He later wrote on his blog about the film, "The day will come whenTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be studied in film classes and shown at cult film festivals. It will be seen, in retrospect, as marking the end of an era. Of course there will be many more CGI-based action epics, but never again one this bloated, excessive, incomprehensible, long (149 minutes) or expensive ($200 million)."[131] Ebert would continue to lambast the film (and, sometimes, theTransformers franchise in general) in other movie reviews and responses to letters and emails sent to him.[132][133]Rolling Stone criticPeter Travers called it "beyond bad, it carves out its own category of godawfulness" and did not give the film any stars, considering that "Revenge of the Fallen has a shot at the title 'Worst Movie of the Decade'."[134] Travers named it the worst of 2009 and later the "worst film of the decade".[135][136][137]
Some reviews were less harsh, with the film's CGI effects receiving praise.The A.V. Club gave the film a "C−", complaining about the writing and length, but mentioning the effects and action scenes were impressive.[138] Among positive reviews, Amy Biancolli of theHouston Chronicle called it "a well-oiled, loudly revving summer action vehicle that does all that's required, and then some",[139] Jordan Mintzer fromVariety said it "takes the franchise to a vastly superior level of artificial intelligence",[140] andOwen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly wrote that "Revenge of the Fallen may be a massive overdose of popcorn greased with motor oil. But it knows how to feed your inner 10-year-old's appetite for destruction."[141] A review fromEmpire said: "What saves it, just about, are the effects. At times the frame is so packed with whirring cogs and twirling cranks that you could replicate the effect by staring at the innards of a domestic appliance, but when these CGI moto-men from another world duke it out, the images are often so screwy it's impossible to do anything but sit and stare."[142]
There was considerable negative reaction to the characters Mudflap and Skids, who some perceived as embodying raciststereotypes. Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times said that "the characters [...] indicate thatminstrelsy remains as much in fashion in Hollywood as when, well,Jar Jar Binks was set loose byGeorge Lucas".[143] Critic Scott Mendelson said "To say that these two are the most astonishingly racist caricatures that I've ever seen in a mainstream motion picture would be an understatement."[144]Harry Knowles, founder ofAin't It Cool News, went further, asking his readers "not to support this film" because "you'll be taking [your children] to see a film with the lowest forms of humor, stereotypes, and racism around."[145] Bay (the director) has attempted to defend the film as "good clean fun" and insisted that "We're just putting more personality in."[146] Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman responded to the controversy with "It's really hard for us to sit here and try to justify it. I think that would be very foolish, and if someone wants to be offended by it, it's their right. We were very surprised when we saw it, too, and it's a choice that was made. If anything, it just shows you that we don't control every aspect of the movie."[147]Tom Kenny stated in a late 2020 interview that he was hired as a placeholder for the role of Skids, but that Bay ended up using Kenny's voice in the final version of the film; a decision that Kenny admitted he was embarrassed by.[148]
Actor Shia LaBeouf was unimpressed with the film, stating "We got lost. We tried to get bigger. It's what happens to sequels. It's like, how do you top the first one? You've got to go bigger. Michael Bay went so big that it became too big, and I think you lost the anchor of the movie...You lost a bit of the relationship. Unless you have those relationships, then the movie doesn't matter. Then it's just a bunch of robots fighting each other."[149] Bay has admitted his disappointment with the film and has apologized, saying the film was "crap" and blaming the2007–08 Writers' strike, saying "It was very hard to put (the sequel) together that quickly after the writers' strike (of 2007–08)".[150][151]
In a year-end poll administered byMoviefone, the film won in both the best and worst categories. It was voted the "worst film of 2009" by 24% of those surveyed, while also winning the vote for "best action movie" again with 24% of the vote. Fox's performance was voted the worst by an actress that year, and she was also voted the year's sexiest star.[152]Comcast ranked the film as the 4th-worst sequel of all time.[153]Empire named the film the 25th-worst movie ever made.[154] In June 2009, David Germain from theAssociated Press called the film the "worst-reviewed $400 million hit ever".[155]
Revenge of the Fallen was nominated forBest Sound Mixing (Greg P. Russell,Gary Summers, andGeoffrey Patterson) at the82nd Academy Awards.[156] The film won fiveScream Awards, for Best Actress (Megan Fox), Breakout Performance-Female (Isabel Lucas), Best Sequel, Best F/X, and Scream Song of the Year ("New Divide");[157] and twoTeen Choice Awards, for Choice Summer Movie Star: Female (Megan Fox) and Choice Summer Movie Star: Male (Shia LaBeouf).[158]Revenge of the Fallen was also nominated for theSaturn Award forBest Science Fiction Film but lost toAvatar,[159]Satellite Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound,[160] aVES Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Feature Motion Picture,[161] aSAG Award forOutstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble,[162] and anMTV Movie Award for Best WTF Moment (Isabel Lucas turning into a Decepticon).[163][164] Shia LaBeouf, the film and Megan Fox were nominated at theNickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor, Favorite Movie and Favorite Movie Actress, respectively.[165]Revenge of the Fallen received each nomination at twoGolden Trailer Awards ceremonies: Best Teaser (2009) and Best Animation/Family TV Spot (2010).[166][167]
It was nominated for sevenRazzie Awards includingWorst Actress forMegan Fox (also forJennifer's Body),Worst Supporting Actress forJulie White,Worst Screen Couple (forShia LaBeouf and Megan Fox) andWorst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel,[168] winning three in theWorst Picture,Worst Director, andWorst Screenplay categories at the30th Golden Raspberry Awards.[169]
The third film,Transformers: Dark of the Moon was released on June 29, 2011. The fourth film,Transformers: Age of Extinction was released on June 27, 2014. The fifth film,Transformers: The Last Knight was released on June 21, 2017. A spin-off, titledBumblebee was released on December 21, 2018.Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was released on June 9, 2023.
With a pricetag north of $210 million after rebates, it's one of the summer's most expensive titles.
Some sequences will be in IMAX 3D
Redeeming feature John Turturro, who appeared to be in a different movie from everyone else - again.
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