DVD Release Date:  October 20, 2009
Theatrical Release Date:  June 24, 2009
Rating:  PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material and brief drug material)
Genre:  Action/Sci-Fi
Run Time:  150 min.
Director:  Michael Bay
Actors:  Shia LeBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Isabel Lucus, Rainn Wilson, Tyrese Gibson, Hugo Weaving, Isabel Lucas, Ramon Rodriguez

File Under: Well, now I know …

Just in case you've ever wondered what it's like to watch someone else play videogames for two and a half hours, sitting through Transformers:  Revenge of the Fallen will definitely satiate your curiosity. And yes, it's just as boring and uninspiring as you probably imagined.

Proving yet again that less is definitely more, especially when it comes to seemingly endless sequences of CGI stunts, Revenge of the Fallen is everything most ill-conceived sequels are:  bigger, considerably longer and much, much louder than its predecessor. Coincidentally, that's a pretty convenient starting point for tackling the flick's myriad of weaknesses.

Adding to the overall feeling of madness is a poorly written script with no discernable heartbeat or concern for characterization. While the first installment of Transformers was a fairly likeable story about a guy and his first car, that just happens to be, well, alive, this story doesn't give its leading man Sam (Shia LeBeouf) much to do. In fact, I'd venture to say he looks pretty bored for most of the film's running time, even with a planet to save and Megan Fox sauntering around as the requisite eye candy.

Really, Transformers:  Revenge of the Fallen is truly a movie only a fanboy could love, and with all its brainless excess, I'm sure there will be some disappointment with that particular contingency, too. After all, when Sam saved the planet last time around, there wasn't really a need for a sequel. Everything ended nice and tidy. But when a movie grosses $700 million worldwide, the temptation is always there to create one anyway, much to the detriment of the loyal moviegoer. Still, when done right, a second installment of an already successful movie can beat the odds. In my humble opinion, this summer's Night at the Musuem:  Battle of the Smithsonian is a recent example of a sequel done right.

But with little in the way of an actual story in Revenge of the Fallen, and trust me, fleshing out the plot is ultimately an exercise in futility, director Michael Bay, (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor), who is often skewered by critics for a heavy-handed, over-the-top approach, was simply left the challenge of outdoing himself.