Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)[SPOILER FREE]
As with the first Transformers movie and novelization the first Act here is pretty slow moving. We do get almost instant Transformer action this time around, but the story takes a while to really pick up pace. When it does pick up the action is relentless.
As far as the story goes, overall I liked it. It was not as well put together as the story for the first movie. Alan Dean Foster novelization of which I read cover to cover in two days upon it's release weeks before the first film was released. The first book made me feel like a kid a again. This one failed to do that and actually felt a bit forced in parts (hard to put into words without spoilers, but think of the last Mummy squeal and you might get the idea), but in the final Act it does redeem itself.
My biggest problem with the story is two fold: 1. Lack of character growth. Near the end we're suppose to view one of the primary human characters as having gone through growth, but it just doesn't come across as believable in the book (perhaps in the film it will). 2. Single dimensional characters, I lost track of count of how many lines from the last film got recycled here. These characters are the same people we met last time and don't change at all throughout (goes for humans and Transformers). [COMPARISON TO FILM: WARNING SPOILERS]
This go around I liked the film better than the novelization. Really that comment isn't aimed at the author, he did a great job of making this a entertaining, quick read. As is the case with many novelizations the book represents an earlier draft of the script than what was final (or scenes were simply edited out or reworked by the director). In case of Transformers: ROTF there were a lot more changes in the novel to film over the first. Some examples:
* In the book Optimus doesn't die. There's a line of dialog between Sam and Rachet where Rachet explains that his body has shut down and is slowly regenerating and that this could take a very long time. This tid-bit of information really isn't all that important, but it explains why some of Decepticons we saw get blasted in the previous film made a return.
* In the book there's more dialog by Soundwave, Sideswipe and Arcee. Also Smokescreen is in the book.
* The scene with Alice in the dorm room were a bit more drawn out. Sam was more conflicted, see's a Deception tattoo on her, etc... Wish that scene was filmed as it was written.
* There is a part where Sams Parent's get captured by the Decepticon's. Perhaps filmed and cut?
* Near the beginning when Sam is packing there is a TV in the background talking about the events from the last movie. A representative from Massive Dynamics (nod to TV series Fringe, which screenwriter Alex Kurtzman is involved with) was part of the cover up and is explaining the whole event
* The book has an epilogue which I expected to run after the credits. It's a scene where damaged Megatron is back on his ship in space and commands his protoforms to "Rise".
* Almost all of the the dirty humor you see throughout the film (including several lines of dialog) are absent from the book. Leading me to wonder who exactly added, but on the flip side the book was almost dry of humor which had me concerned.
* The book seemed heavy on redundant dialog. Little catch phrases, etc... recycled from the last film. That was kept to a minimum in the film.
Overall I really liked the film a lot better and it just goes to show you can't judge how much you will like a film based on a novelization.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Transformers (Ballantine Books))
"THE FALLEN SHALL RISE AGAIN. . . .”This cryptic warning is ignored by the national security adviser who feels the ruthless Decepticon threat is no more. The allies are victorious, the enemy has been defeated, and the world is safe. Small attacks around the world have been contained, and the remaining pieces of the coveted Allspark are locked in an electromagnetic vault on one of the most secure Naval bases in the world. But nothing is at it seems, and there is a shift in the shadows. Things can change in an instant–and fragile peace will become all-out war.
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