It's been fun reading through different opinions here. There's a few points others have raised that would be fun to come back later and discuss, but
for now...
General assessment: 90% ROCK! and 10% what the heck were they thinking??!?!
1. Bumblebee rocked throughout! Favorite moments include ripping the spine out of a certain Decepticon, and clanging together the two heads of Jar-Jar and Binks.
2. Copy to all the complaints about the Wonder Twins, Jar-Jar and Binks (they certainly don't deserve Skids' name, although Mudflap may be somewhat appropriate). I was actually very disappointed when they both didn't get eaten by Devastator.
3. Optimus remained true to himself, which of course made me a veery happy camper. *dances* Even the opening scene where he shoots the Decepticon, I think, was good - note that the Decep had already killed several of the NEST humans by that point, and even Op has his limitations of tolerance. As I had managed to remain fairly unspoiled, I actually didn't know if he would be coming back for quite a ways into the movie, until we learned about the Matrix of Creation. That said, I was very happy when Sam and Mikaela finished their near-endless trek through the sand to revive him. Sam's near-death scene was actually pretty unexpected and cool, although if I were a teenage guy, I'd be pretty spooked at the idea of six ancient robots keeping an optic in the sky on him...
4. The mysticism of the Matrix and the undead Primes are an interesting element in a story that otherwise generally attempts to answer most things with scientific explanations. Are they preparing us for Primus/Unicron in the next movie?
5. Medical exam of Spike (er, Sam) to access data in brain = ew. Even for me. Whyyy do so many movies insist on having critters (or critter-like robots) prod around in bodily cavities? Do a frickin' brain-scan, or smell his pheremones, or something. Like in Flight of the Navigator. Heehee, that just brought to mind a fun thought of Megatron getting not just the data, but the myriad of thoughts, memories, and conflicts of your general adolescent male...
6. Sideswipe = Awesome. Except that we get to see him for five seconds. *shakes fist at Bay*
7. Arcee-3 = interesting scifi concept of one intelligence in three bodies. Wish we could have seen more.
8. Ravage was awesome - loved how he moved, loved the twin missiles, and loved the itty-metal balls that transformed into a knife-edged monster.
9. Now just what did happen to the Allspark piece that the Decepticons stole? Did I miss something?
10. Very strange to see Megatron subservient to anyone. Made me wonder if he'd had a complete personality transplant, except that his interactions with Starscream were spot-on to the 80s cartoon. Loved Starscream's last comment regarding cowardice.
11. Simmons almost stole the show. It's really quite astonishing how much I loathed him in the first movie, yet could enjoy almost all his scenes in the second. There is, of course, one scene that did NOT need to be there. Let's just say he should have kept wearing shorts.
12. The score was quite lovely. So far the first track, "Prime", is my favorite (I know, big surprise!)
13. Jetfire was full of awesome and made of win. I loved his "in my day, we walked to school uphill both ways" routine! While meaningful sacrifice gets me every time, I was glad that Prime shed his extra parts at the end. It was creepy once I thought about if for a while...Kinda gives cannibalism a different context, even if the dinner is willing.
14. I find the need to go watch it again, looking for some clues to the next movie. What happened to the "hatchlings"? What is energon going to look like? What are the Autobots using now - gasoline? Are Jar-Jar and Binks hatchlings that will form cocoons and emerge, butterfly-like, with mature personalities and claim their new names? (I can only hope.) Was the Matrix destroyed along with the Solar Needle? Will Egypt have a single landmark left?
Hurm...
General assessment: 90% ROCK! and 10% what the heck were they thinking??!?!
1. Bumblebee rocked throughout! Favorite moments include ripping the spine out of a certain Decepticon, and clanging together the two heads of Jar-Jar and Binks.
2. Copy to all the complaints about the Wonder Twins, Jar-Jar and Binks (they certainly don't deserve Skids' name, although Mudflap may be somewhat appropriate). I was actually very disappointed when they both didn't get eaten by Devastator.
3. Optimus remained true to himself, which of course made me a veery happy camper. *dances* Even the opening scene where he shoots the Decepticon, I think, was good - note that the Decep had already killed several of the NEST humans by that point, and even Op has his limitations of tolerance. As I had managed to remain fairly unspoiled, I actually didn't know if he would be coming back for quite a ways into the movie, until we learned about the Matrix of Creation. That said, I was very happy when Sam and Mikaela finished their near-endless trek through the sand to revive him. Sam's near-death scene was actually pretty unexpected and cool, although if I were a teenage guy, I'd be pretty spooked at the idea of six ancient robots keeping an optic in the sky on him...
4. The mysticism of the Matrix and the undead Primes are an interesting element in a story that otherwise generally attempts to answer most things with scientific explanations. Are they preparing us for Primus/Unicron in the next movie?
5. Medical exam of Spike (er, Sam) to access data in brain = ew. Even for me. Whyyy do so many movies insist on having critters (or critter-like robots) prod around in bodily cavities? Do a frickin' brain-scan, or smell his pheremones, or something. Like in Flight of the Navigator. Heehee, that just brought to mind a fun thought of Megatron getting not just the data, but the myriad of thoughts, memories, and conflicts of your general adolescent male...
6. Sideswipe = Awesome. Except that we get to see him for five seconds. *shakes fist at Bay*
7. Arcee-3 = interesting scifi concept of one intelligence in three bodies. Wish we could have seen more.
8. Ravage was awesome - loved how he moved, loved the twin missiles, and loved the itty-metal balls that transformed into a knife-edged monster.
9. Now just what did happen to the Allspark piece that the Decepticons stole? Did I miss something?
10. Very strange to see Megatron subservient to anyone. Made me wonder if he'd had a complete personality transplant, except that his interactions with Starscream were spot-on to the 80s cartoon. Loved Starscream's last comment regarding cowardice.
11. Simmons almost stole the show. It's really quite astonishing how much I loathed him in the first movie, yet could enjoy almost all his scenes in the second. There is, of course, one scene that did NOT need to be there. Let's just say he should have kept wearing shorts.
12. The score was quite lovely. So far the first track, "Prime", is my favorite (I know, big surprise!)
13. Jetfire was full of awesome and made of win. I loved his "in my day, we walked to school uphill both ways" routine! While meaningful sacrifice gets me every time, I was glad that Prime shed his extra parts at the end. It was creepy once I thought about if for a while...Kinda gives cannibalism a different context, even if the dinner is willing.
14. I find the need to go watch it again, looking for some clues to the next movie. What happened to the "hatchlings"? What is energon going to look like? What are the Autobots using now - gasoline? Are Jar-Jar and Binks hatchlings that will form cocoons and emerge, butterfly-like, with mature personalities and claim their new names? (I can only hope.) Was the Matrix destroyed along with the Solar Needle? Will Egypt have a single landmark left?
Hurm...
