 Back when this was initially released, I think it's safe to say that I still had my blinders on. The whole concept was just a couple of years old, and I was still very much admiring the visuals attached to this, not really paying attention to its many flaws. The last time I saw this was in 2009, and some friends might remember how well I reviewed it, as Take 5's very first review. (on the site that lasted from '09-'12). I dunno that I'd say I've gone completely 180 on the positives, but I can also admit that this isn't nearly as decent as I remember it.
Two years after the events of the first film, the Autobots have formed a bond with the humans, forming "NEST" (the Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty), meant to work together to search and destroy and Decepticons that may still be hiding in plain sight. For this team-up, we see the return of Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Chief Master Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson), who both played a major human role in the previous film as well as the into of the two biggest throw-away-bots in the franchise, Skids (Tom Kenny) and Mudflap (Reno Wilson) as well as a cast of new Autobots. Out of sight, the Decepticon Soundwave (Frank Welker) hacks a military satellite, locating the last known shard of the AllSpark (or "The Cube"). More Decepticons locate it in a military facility on Earth, steal it with no problem, and use it to resurrect Megatron (Hugo Weaving), who returns home to his master, The Fallen (Tony Todd); a great and powerful Decepticon with a backstory that connects to human history in Egypt, and who can only be destroyed by a Prime. With Optimus being the only Prime left, The Fallen sends Megatron and Starscream ( Charlie Adler) to kill him, but to bring Sam (Shia LaBeouf) in alive. While the need to destroy Optimus is clear enough, Sam is wanted after he finds a separate shard in the pocket of his old clothes he wore in battle. Said shard gives him a bit of a zap, and before he knows it, Sam goes a bit haywire, seeing and drawing all sorts of Cybertronian symbols. With luck, this could lead the Decepticons to another source of Energon, which, in the animated movie is essentially fuel, and in these live-action movies, is mostly represented by the AllSpark. It can all be boiled down to the life force for the Transformers. So for the second time around, it's essentially about the Decepticons wanting to get their hands on something that will allow them to gain power, and the Autobots have to intercept them, not only to save themselves, but to save humankind from possible extinction. This time around (and sorry if this actually counts as a spoiler for some, still) Optimus is taken out of the battle, however, and I have to somewhat credit it for being one of the darker storylines, and adding a little bit of hopelessness to things, reflecting the Transformers' "darkest hour", as mentioned in the animated film. While I may make it sound all well and good, however, this is certainly not without its flaws. The Twins are kinda the elephant in the room when it comes to this chapter, as they're just a couple of jive-talking robots who never existed before this movie, and let's just say it did not go over well with a particular group of people. But beyond that, the human element here just plain sucks. Mikaela (Megan Fox) is now Sam's girlfriend, and spends the entire movie complaining about how Sam won't tell her he loves her. It's literally all she does, it's annoying, and made even worse now, knowing she never comes back. I also hate that they actually try covering up the actions of the Transformers around the world, when that seems like it would be absolutely impossible to do after levelling... how many cities in two years? Bumblebee even takes a back seat to the Twins here, which is just a dumb move, considering the only reason for the Twins is failed comedy relief. So while a lot of the visuals are cool, for the most part, that's all there really is to this movie, and it lacks the heart of the first one. And buckle up, because it doesn't get much better from here! 2/5
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