The robots in disguise continue their age-old feud in the eagerly-awaited sequel to one of the biggest box office hits of 2007.
Director Michael Bay (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) returns to the helm for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen to destroy large swathes of planet Earth in a miasma of pyrotechnics and computer-generated imagery, courtesy of the wizards at Industrial Lig
ht & Magic and Digital Domain.
The second film pushes the visual effects envelope with more outrageous slam-bang thrills, apocalyptic set-pieces and skirmishes between the noble Autobots and their sworn enemies, the Decepticons.
At times, the screen becomes a blur of entangled, shiny automaton limbs and it's difficult to work out who has the upper hand until the dust settles or, as in the film's most heart-tugging moment, one of the metal monsters powers down for good.
Steve Jablonsky's booming orchestral score begins at an ominous growl for a throwaway prologue in 17,000 BC and steadily increases in volume to match the on-screen crash, bang, wallop.
Two years have passed since high school student Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and his Autobot friends defeated power-hungry Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving).
In the intervening period, humankind has forged an alliance with Autobot leader Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) to create a top-secret military division known as NEST, which hunts down the last remaining Decepticons.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen overstays its welcome by at least 30 minutes with a middle section that sags badly.
The introduction of a Decepticon called The Fallen echoes Star Wars, while chaotic scenes of appliances in the Witwicky family home coming to life are an obvious nod and a wink to Gremlins.
Bay orchestrates action sequences with customary aplomb and lack of subtlety, employing slow motion ad nauseam as American pluck once again
rescues humanity from annihilation.
On general release