Director Michael Bay once again returns us to the incredible universe of the Transformers in TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN that is bigger bolder and better than the original. To keep the consistence of the original 2007 movie, The Transformers, actors Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Isabel Lucas, Hugo Weaving, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro and Peter Cullen revisit their characters in this blockbuster extravaganza, however what sets this movie apart from its predecessor is a “four” letter word, IMAX. As with the 2008 movie, The Dark Knight, TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN features key sequences shot with IMAX cameras, making this one of the most visually impressive movies to date.

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Using four IMAX cameras, Director Bay incorporated state of the art CGI (Computer Graphic Images) into the movie which means on IMAX, the viewer is treated to full screen as opposed to widescreen. Best of all, these IMAX sequences are filmed on IMAX 70mm film and with the CGI, the result is simply breathtaking due to the high resolution, making the Transformers look quite realistic. Apart from a truly inspirational and cinematic experience on IMAX, viewers will also be able to witness Optimus Prime to scale which left many viewers flabbergasted. It should be noted that the interesting aspect about the IMAX sequences is that the switch from widescreen to IMAX during the movie is quite flawless.

In relation to the movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen follows directly from the original 2007 movie, The Transformers, however the director ensures that there is enough back history for those who have not seen the original to not be disadvantaged. However, if you have seen the original movie, it makes the experience even more entertaining and a true rollercoaster ride.

For the uninitiated, the Transformers are a race of robotic aliens who have the ability to disguise themselves as cars, trucks and jets, hence their ability to integrate into our society. In essence they are shape shifters and when they transform, they become giant robots which is where the special effects of the movie comes into play.

With the nefarious and deadly Decepticons being defeated in the first movie, the Autobots have been working closely with the US Military to weed out the remnants of the Decepticons. Unfortunately peace is short lived as Starscream (Charles Adler) takes command of the Decepticons in order to resurrect their former leader Megatron (Hugo Weaving) and uncover an ancient secret that will not only see the destruction of the Autobots but also planet Earth, all under the auspice of The Fallen (Tony Todd).

From the very first moments of the movie, you immediately know that you are in for a treat from the spectacular opening sequence which involves a gigantic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons in China. The special effects are of course the star of the movie and seeing these powerfully huge alien robots transform and battle each other to victory is reminiscent of the stories from ancient Greece with gods and other mythological creatures. From here the story moves onto Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) who is about to move to College, leaving his parents, his "pet" Autobot Bumblebee (Mark Ryan) and his perfect girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox) behind. Of course fate intervenes for young Witwicky and a Transformer shard in his possession is activated which causes him to be directly linked to ancient Transformer knowledge as he is unwittingly drawn into the war again.

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In relation to Megan Fox and her titillation factor, Director Michael Bay ensures that the viewer receives an almost music video approach to this star from her seductively undressing at the start, model like poses and sultry pouts throughout the movie. Without sounding crass, even when the battle heats up, there are plenty of shots of Megan’s body and unfortunately Mikaela seems to be along for the ride, offering male viewers the chance to see her in a variety of outfits on the big screen. There is a great moment in the movie where Mikaela captures one of the small Decepticons and this is where her character comes to life, not to mention the Decepticon humping her leg which was a great comedic moment.

The first half of the movie sets up the characters in the movie such as Alice (Australia's Isabel Lucas), a strange yet sensual vixen who tries to seduce Sam in college to retrieve his ancient knowledge or the return of more familiar faces such as the former Agent Simmons (John Turturro) who happens to have the most knowledge on Earth about Transformers thanks to his previous government agency. His character also provides some great comedy value with Sam's college roommate. Add in the Autobot twins and you have enough comedy littered through the movie to make most people laugh while their gasping at the action.

The love story between Sam and Mikaela is brought to a new level which adds in the stress of a long distance relationship and the cliché of Sam or Mikaela refusing to say "I love you" or Sam's parents who are looking forward to their new life without Sam, however deep down, they don't want their son to leave. For the fanboys and girls, viewers will even glimpse Cybertron and there are a variety of new Transformers of all shapes and sizes introduced into the live action franchise which simply looks spectacular on the IMAX format.

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The movie itself is virtually split into two chapters which revolves around Sam's reluctance to rejoin the war and then his transformation from unwilling hero to savior of the world. This unfortunately adds a slightly disjointed perspective on the movie midway and does make Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen a little lengthy at times. Thankfully the storyline and characters will immerse you enough into the story for this not to be a problem and once again it should be reiterated that this story is far superior and understandable than the original.

We are also treated to more of the history on the Transformers and there is a great scene involving the original Primes which adds some great fanboy fuel to the climatic ending. The battle between Optimis Prime (Peter Cullen) and Megatron (Hugo Weaving) is definitely the highlight of the movie as these two adversaries duke it out with metallic parts flying off each other from every violent punch and kick. In relation to the ending, the last part of the movie was filmed in Egypt and Petra as both Autobots and Decepticons engage in magnificent battle for supremacy as ancient buildings and people are caught in the crossfire and it's great to see the human forces "almost" hold their own against the villains. One gripe though, Petra in Jordon is not a car drive away from the Gaza where the pyramids are located outside of Cairo. Of course you need to suspend belief of giant robots as well!

Final thoughts

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen may not be the perfect movie but for an action flick, it's pretty damn close as it contains all the elements from drama, action, comedy and romance, all set in the amazing mythology of The Transformers. It's refreshing and partly cool to see a movie that makes mention of President Obama and even the sensationalised swine flu, ensuring that the film mirrors the real-world, assisting in throwing all your disbelief out the window of giant robots for a couple of hours.

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However, In order to fully appreciate the scope of this movie, I would highly recommend that you see this on IMAX if possible because you will not be sorry. For Melbourne viewers in Australia, the Melbourne Museum contains the third largest screen in the world with not only outstanding picture quality but a sound system of 15,000 watts that produces pure digital sound. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen supersedes its predecessor and it delivers on all levels, coming highly recommended by Impulse Gamer!

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