AT THE MOVIES - 'Transformers' sequel loses original appeal

By Aimee O'Connor

** "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

Onward we segue, to the top of the box office, from a manufactured chick flick to a boy-centric action spectacle.

'Tis the season for lowered expectations, and nothing deflates expectancy quite like a rushed summer sequel. Not that I begrudge director Michael Bay for following up his massively successful, surprisingly enjoyable feature based on a popular 1980s toy line with an even bigger, louder, viscerally abrasive entry, I just need a minute to cease the echoed ringing in my ears before I can even begin to process 150 minutes of booming, tumbling and bash-crash battling.

2007's "Transformers" was no-nonsense popcorn fare; a shade smarter than it appeared, and with Steven Spielberg as executive producer, the movie managed to earn a bit of credibility for its lively attention to detail, both in script and on screen. Here was a franchise that may not have arrived adorned in profound shades of greatness, it just existed and thrived on an ability to entertain and not exhaust.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for our sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," as exploding robot overload overlaps a plot that is as underdeveloped as Bay's sense of humor.

And of the plot, we're back with our hero Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf,) as he's off to college and on to a life of normalcy, completely devoid of giant fighting robots. But faster than he can whisper awkward sweet nothings to his pin-up, gear-head girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox, molested by the camera every scene she's in) he's sucked back into a good vs. evil battle between enormous robot forces that disguise themselves as everyday forms of transportation and the like.

The robot troupes known as Transformers, good guys Autobots and bad guys Decepticons, are at odds again, this time over the fate of the entire planet. The possible catalyst? A machine used to drain energy from the stars in order to power the bots.

Of course, Witwicky is at the heart of all matters, as his brain is imprinted with the star-sucker's whereabouts. And on with the combat, as a resurrected Megatron (lead baddie/earthling-hater) and his leader, a treacherous traitor named The Fallen, go head-to-head with Optimus Prime (head goodie/U.S. Government employee).

But it's not just bot vs. bot, it's bot vs. everything, as a full-scale, vengeful attack on planet earth takes place. Human bad, robot good: clank, smash, loud noise, electric guitar.

Familiar robot personalities are back, along with a few grating new ones, cartoonishly prodding your attention span with a throw-away line of dialogue or a metallic jolt and brow furrow as if this were "Puppy Bowl," Animal Planet's answer to the Superbowl, only imagine the puppies as giant fighting robots - infinitely less intriguing, trust me.

Familiar humans are back as well, including John Turturro as a geeky United States Secret Sector agent, and I'm glad we'll always have "Barton Fink" because how embarrassing.

Bay keeps his camera low, his colors saturated and his editing frenetic, as endless piles of metal crunch against each other with such haste and force it's hard to keep track of exactly who or what to root for other than Witwicky, who's sort of just there to ignite awesome fights.

And yes, the CGI is as awesome as it could be, but even awesome can turn into wearisome if all we have to move us is just a lot of movement on screen.

- Now playing at CinemaWorld, Lincoln, 622 George Washington Highway, 401-333-8676, cinemaworldonline.com .

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