Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Review

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Release Date: 24th June 2009 - Australia


Production Companies
Dreamworks SKG (presents)
Paramount Pictures (presents)
Hasbro (in association with)
Di Bonaventura Pictures
Amblin Entertainment (Uncredited)
Platinum Dunes (Uncredited)

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 150 minutes

Budget: $210,000,000

Box Office Gross: $836,303,693 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
While in his first year of college, Sam Witwicky discovers the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. He must accept his destiny and aid Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in their fight against the Decepticons as they become more powerful than ever with a plan to destroy our world.


Cast

Humans
Shia LaBeouf - Sam
Witwicky
Megan Fox - Mikaela Banes
John Turturro - Seymour
Simmons
Ramon Rodriguez - Leo Spitz
Josh Duhamel - U.S. Army
Major William Lennox
Tyrese Gibson - USAF Master Sergeant Robert Epps
Kevin Dunn - Ron Witwicky
Julie White - Judy Witwicky
John Benjamin Hickey -
Theodore Galloway

Matthew Marsden - Special Air Service Forces

Andrew Howard - Special Air Service Forces

Michael Papajohn - Cal 
Glenn Morshower - General Morshower

Isabel Lucas - Alice
Deep Roy - Egyptian Guard

Rainn Wilson - Professor
Colan (Cameo)

Autobots
Peter Cullen - Optimus Prime (Voice)
Mark Ryan - Jetfire (Voice)
Tom Kenny - Skids (Voice)

Reno Wilson - Mudflap (Voice)
Jess Harnell - Ironhide (Voice)
Robert Foxworth - Ratchet (Voice)
Grey DeLisle - Arcee/
Chromia/Elita One (Voices)
Andre Sogliuzzo - Sideswipe (Voice)

Michael York - Prime #1 (Voice)

Kevin Michael Richardson -
Prime #2 (Voice)

Robin Atkin Downes - Prime #3 (Voice)

Decepticons
Tony Todd - The Fallen (Voice)
Hugo Weaving - Megatron (Voice)
Charles Adler - Starscream (Voice)
Frank Welker - Soundwave/
Reedman/Devastator (Voices)
Tom Kenny - Wheelie (Voice)

John Di Crosta - Doctor (Voice)

Calvin Wimmer - Wheelbot (Voice)

Kevin Michael Richardson - Skipjack (Voice)

Crew
Executive Producer/Director - Michael Bay

Writers - Ehren Kruger,
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

Associate Producers - Matthew Cohan

and Michelle McGonagle

Associate Producer/First Assistant Director -

K.C. Hodenfield
Executive Producers - Steven Spielberg,
Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian
Producers - Ian Bryce, Tom DeSanto,
Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Don Murphy
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager - Allegra Clegg
Co-Producer/Second Unit Director (Uncredited)/

Stunt Coordinator - Kenny Bates
Casting Director - Denise Chaiman

Military Advisor - Harry Humphries
Production Designer - Nigel Phelps
Illustrators - Ryan Church, Steve Jung,

Ryan Meinerding, Josh Nizzi and Paul Ozzimo

Supervising Art Director - John Billington
Art Directors - Julian Ashby, Sean Haworth,
Naaman Marshall and Ben Procter

Art Director: East Coast/Desert Southwest

Units - Lauren E. Polizzi

Assistant Art Directors - Page Buckner,

Martha Johnston and Robert W. Joseph

Assistant Art Directors: East Coast/

Desert Southwest Units - Iain McFayden

and A. Todd Holland
Set Decorator - Jennifer Williams

Property Master - Andrew Petrotta
Costume Designer - Deborah Lynn Scott

Costume Supervisor - Lisa Lovaas

Department Head Makeup Artist - Edouard F. Henriques
Director of Photography - Ben Seresin

"A" Camera/Steadicam Operator - Jacques Joffret

"B" Camera Operator - Philippe Carr-Forester

Pursuit Camera Operator - Brooks P. Guyer

Aerial Director of Photography - David B. Nowell

Production Supervisor - Daren Hicks

Key Location Manager - Ilt Jones

Location Manager - Jonathan Hook

First Assistant Director - Bruce Moriarty

Second Assistant Directors - Chris Castaldi

and Hope Garrison

Second Assistant Directors: East Coast/

Desert Southwest Units - Steve Battaglia

and Jeff Okabayashi

Second Second Assistant Director - Marvin Williams
Second Unit Director (Uncredited)/Visual Effects
Supervisor - Scott Farrar

Aerial Coordinator/Pilot - Alan D. Purwin

Aerial Coordinator/Pilot: Egypt/Jordan/

Paris Units - Frédéric North

Transportation Coordinator - Randy Peters
Additional Stunt Coordinator - Bob Brown
Co-Stunt Coordinator - Troy Robinson
Special Effects Supervisor - John Frazier

Special Effects Coordinator - Jim Schwalm
Special Effects Coordinator: East Coast/

Desert Southwest Units - Bruno Van Zeebroeck

Animatronics Supervisors: KNB EFX Group -

Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger

Mechanical Supervisor: KNB EFX Group -

Wayne Toth
Visual Effects Supervisor: Asylum -
Nathan McGuiness
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor -

Richard Kidd (Uncredited)
Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -
Matthew E. Butler

Associate Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Jeff White

Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Wayne Billheimer

Visual Effects Producer: Asylum - Elizabeth Hitt

Visual Effects Producer: Digital Domain -

Julian Levi

Visual Effects Art Directors: ILM - Alex Jaeger

and Yanick Dusseault

Digital Production Supervisor: ILM - Jason Smith

Animation Supervisor: ILM - Scott Benza

Animation Supervisor: Digital Domain - Dan Taylor

Associate Animation Supervisor: ILM - Rick O'Connor

Lead Animators: ILM - Stephen Aplin,

Jean-Denis Haas, Greg Towner,

C. Michael Easton and Shawn Kelly

Character Animation Lead: Digital Domain -

Erik Gamache

Computer Graphics Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Paul George Palop

Pre-Visualization Supervisor - Steve Yamamoto

TD Supervisors: ILM - Gerald Gutschmidt,

David Hisanaga and Doug Sutton

Digital Artist Supervisors: ILM - Richard Bluff,

Dave Fogler, Steve Sauers, Timothy Brakensiek,

Ben O'Brien, Amy Shepard and Terry Chostner

Lead Digital Artists: ILM - Steve Braggs,

Neil Herzinger, Kaori Ogino, Thomas Fejes,

Robert Hoffmeister, Anthony Rispoli,

Rene Garcia, Polly Ing, Nigel Sumner,

Willi Geiger, François Lambert,

Meghan Thornton, Bryant Griffin, David Marsh,

Jeff Wozniak, John Hansen, Tory Mercer and

Scott Younkin

Digital Compositing Supervisor: ILM - Nelson Sepulveda

Compositing Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Lou Pecora

Plate Match Mover: ILM - Duncan Blackman

Visual Effects Plate Supervisor: Digital

Domain - Kelly Port

Editors - Roger Barton, Tom Muldoon,
Joel Negron and Paul Rubell

Additional Editor - Glen Scantlebury

Associate Editor - Calvin Wimmer

Supervising Sound Editors - Erik Aadahl

and Ethan Van der Ryan

Supervising Dialogue/ADR Editor -

Mike Hopkins

Sound Effects Editors - Greg Ten Bosch,

John Marquis, Warren Hendriks and

P.K. Hooker

Sound Effects Recordist - John P. Fasal

Dialogue Editors - Ulrika Akander

and Wayne Lemmer

Re-Recording Mixers - Greg P. Russell

and Gary Summers

Additional Recording Mixer - Greg Orloff

Foley Artists - John Roesch and

Alyson Dee Moore

Music - Steve Jablonsky
Composer: Additional Music - Lorne Balfe

Additional Music Arrangements -

Matthew Margeson, John Sponsler and

Tom Gire

Ambient Music Design - Clay Duncan,

Howard Scarr and Andrew Kawczynski

Music Programmers - Ryeland Alison
and Jay Flood
Writer/Performer: "New Divide" - Linkin Park
Music Consultant - Bob Badami

Music Recordist & Mixer - Alan Meyerson


Awards

2010 Academy Awards
Best Sound Mixing - Greg P. Russell,

Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson (Nominated)


Review
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN has terrific action and CGI effects from Industrial Light & Magic and has more good Transformers. The plot and characterisation lacked energy, weakening the entire movie to the point where it's gotten cheesy. It's because of the writers' strike, which led to the crew trying to complete the sequel as best they could. This instalment ended up widely savaged by many critics who weren't too fond of how it was loud, illogical and childish.

The five things that were not quite right in this film include too much adult comedy, the other Transformers, such as the Arcee triplets, which were undeveloped, and the Fallen being an uninteresting and unnecessary replacement for our favourite Decepticon leader, Megatron, Devastator's two wrecking balls that looked like a private body part, and last but not least, the Autobot twins, Skids and Mudflap. I found the latter to be annoyingly racist stereotypes as they both sound and act like two rapping African-American teenagers.

I'm glad the original G1 actor Frank Welker has returned to voice the Decepticon, Soundwave and Hugo Weaving is still voicing the Decepticon leader, Megatron.

To me and the other fans of the Transformers franchise, REVENGE OF THE FALLEN is not as enjoyable as the first movie (click here), but it would have been better if it had less crude humour. And the twins weren't there in the first place.

Star rating: (3/5) Average

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