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It’s more like Revenge of the Critics this week as they put in their crosshairs
the Mozart of movie explosions,
Michael Bay. The two camps have always
had a contentious working relationship, with critics granting Fresh
status to only one
Bay movie, ever (The Rock drummed up 66% in 1996). Bay’s latest
summer blockbuster,
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, has received
its first round of reviews and looks so far to be critically similar to
Transformers, which ended its run with a just-shy-of-Fresh 57
percent
Tomatometer. What are the critics saying about this sequel?
“Despite the intervening years, neither Sam [Shia LaBeouf] nor the franchise that features
him has exactly matured,” writes Anton Bitel on Eye for Film. “It is
bigger and longer than the original — but certainly no better, and this time
round lacking even a novelty factor.“
“Fan boys will no doubt love it,” states Hollywood Reporter‘s Ray Bennett,
“But for the uninitiated it’s loud, tedious and, at 147 minutes, way too long.“
Adds Screen Daily‘s Fionnuala Halligan: “[It’s] a sprawling, frenetic,
blasting, bloated tentpole release which should match the 2007 original’s
$700m-plus worldwide gross, even if it doesn’t expand the audience for Bay’s
giant Hasbro spin-off any further.“[rtimage]MapID=1188000&MapTypeID=2&photo=33&legacy=1[/rtimage]
Confusing, loud, and skewering to a young male audience? Reads a lot like the
criticisms thrown at the first Transformers. Then again, so does
Revenge‘s praise.
“My advice is to switch off your brainpower, get in touch with your inner
juvenile self and go with the flow for this feast for the senses, orchestrated
by the undoubted maestro of the genre Michael Bay,” writes Richard Mowe for
Boxoffice Magazine.
“In terms of explosions, firepower and sheer shrill, all-action, popcorn
entertainment it is hard to see how this big’n’bold sequel can be topped this
year,” commends The Mirror‘s Mark Adams.
And chiming in with his Fresh opinion is Mark Samuels of Total Film: “Old
folks may find the relentless sensory assault a little draining, but the bangs,
‘bots and bombast ensure Fallen has everything Transformers fans will want and
expect.”
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As your chance to watch the next epic battle between Autobots and Decepticons
draws closer, stay close to the
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen page for up-to-the minute reviews
additions and Tomatometer changes.
