From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Revenge of the Fallen outdoes its predecessor in every way

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opens June 24 Rated: PG-13

By Landon Watnick
Olympic Heights High School

After seeing a giant Decepticon engulf half the Egyptian desert during the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen trailer, did you think this had to be the best this movie had to offer?

Let’s just say the trailer was just an appetizer for a Transformers "all-you-can-eat" buffet.

Director Michael Bay (Armageddon and Bad Boys) has given us 147 minutes of CGI heaven with Revenge of the Fallen, the latest installment in the Transformers movie franchise. If you saw the previous film and thought it was filled with noisy-but-wildly-entertaining action, let's just say this film is like the first Transformers, but on steroids.

Leaving off from the last movie, the military has formed an alliance with the Autobots to protect the world from further danger. The plot really begins to unfold when Sam Witwicky ( Shia LaBeouf) finds a piece of the massive power source called the AllSpark while packing for college (Yes, finding an everlasting energy source from space is highly unrealistic, but you have to just go along with it to understand the plot.) Right when Sam thought life finally would be peaceful and void of alien wars, things begin to go haywire.

The Decepticons hunt for Sam because they want this energy to take over the world and revive their lost friend, the Fallen. But in an effort to stop this, Optimus Prime and his gang of Autobots once again clash with the Decepticons in an enhanced digital spectacle.

The special effects in this movie are put together seamlessly in a way that makes the action seem more real than reality itself. Bay’s special-effects crew has pulled off an incredible feat in making the robots evoke as much emotion as possible. The amount of time and effort put in by this massive crew is evident.

The fictional aspect of the movie keeps most realists in a state of disbelief, but the action scenes, being so intense, should leave even the average moviegoer sitting at the edge of their chair. While the storyline may be weak in some areas, it serves to add enough suspense and mystery, similar to a National Treasure essence.

Also, the film's rumbling soundtrack helps capture its overall tone. Although it may seem to be too loud at moments, especially for older people who can’t handle the noise factor, it fits the mood of some of the fight scenes very well.

One problem with the film is it doesn't make use of its cast well enough. Talented actors like John Turturro and Josh Duhamel, who play a former agent and a soldier, are minor characters, and are watching the robots battling it out the majority of the time. Bay does utilize the cast to make them humorous at moments, which will manage to keep you entertained.

Revenge of the Fallen is truly as good as it gets for a summer blockbuster. With its explosive action sequences and robots practically popping out of the screen, expect to enjoy viewing some great science-fiction action, but nothing really more than that.