Saw it last night in IMAX in NYC:
Simply put, the movie was ****ing awesome. I really don't get quite get a lot of the criticism people are giving it.
The twins:
Racist? Eh, not at all. Stereotypes? Maybe, but all in all they just came off as wannabes that were amusing. As for them being compared to Jar Jar, they were barely in the film, or rather barely spoke enough to be what I would consider even remotely annoying.
The story/plot:
It was simple as **** to follow, and it didn't feel as segmented as the first film. My only complaint, or rather odd issue was that the Fallen was on Cybertron all this time. That aside, it felt more simplistic/less messy than the first film, but even more so due to...
Characters/Lack of development:
One thing I loved was that there weren't any useless/annoying human characters this time around (the hackers mostly). The new human characters I felt were good. Sam's roommate was slightly annoying, but it helped to set up some great comedic moments, especially with Simmons. Plus Simmons was far more tolerable this time around, a big improvement in my eyes. Sam's parents were far more enjoyable also in this regard. Sam himself wasn't as sarcastic, but I chalk that up to him "maturing" after the experience of the first film. As for Mikaela, she was just there, and it wasn't good nor bad.
As for the autobots/decepticons, I didn't really feel the need for development with them. I could care less about backgrounds for Arcee/Sideswipe/Soundwave, etc, being fleshed out as they served their purposes and didn't require it. Given they are still alive (minus that one Arcee unit, not clear if the blue one died) there is room for more if necessary in another sequel. I was dissappointed by the lack of dialogue from the constructicons, and the sudden reemergence of a few familiar faces was odd, but all in all it worked. Again, my biggest beef is the Fallen being on Cybertron all this time.
Perverted/gross/fart humor:
Really, why was this such an issue for people? It's brief, well placed and was highly entertaining. Nothing much more needs to be said about it.
CGI/Visuals:
Absolutely stunning. Granted I'll need to see it again on a regular screen to follow it better, but everything was vivid and amazing.
Final verdict:
I'm no Bayfan, the only other film of his I enjoy moderately is BBII. I came into this expecting exactly what I saw in the first, which I enjoyed and thought, even with all its flaws and annoyances, was a fun film. With RoTF, everything was better. It was simple, fun and entertaining. I was less/hardly annoyed with things like I was with the first, and all in all it was a great experience with the crowd in the theater. I think people have been reading into this film way more than they need to, and I feel sorry for those who couldn't "check their brain at the door" and just enjoy the film for what it was. I got what I expected and wanted, giant ****ing robots ****ing **** up, and it was excellent. Best film next to Star Trek I've seen this year.
9.5/10
