Transformers 2: Two and a Half Hours of Megatron’s Revenge

What are the things that Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen has to do better than the first film? More robots? Definitely. Better, more comprehensible action? Certainly. But would a longer running time be on the top ten list? I wouldn’t think so, at least not if the problems of the first film remain un-remedied for the sequel.

However, in an interview with MTV, director Michael Bay revealed the running time of Revenge of the Fallen: a whopping 147 minutes! He didn’t actually say the run time explicitly, but he said, “It’s four minutes longer than the last one,” which if you do a bit of Sherlock Holmes-style investigating (read: look at the back of the Transformers DVD), you’ll see that the first one is 143 minutes, making Transformers 2 147 minutes.

Bay gave his thoughts on the importance, or lack thereof, of running times:

“”I don’t ever talk (to executives) about run times,” he grinned. “Studios always ask, ‘What’s the run time?’ And I’m like ‘If you enjoy the movie, do you care?’”

In principle I agree with what Bay is saying about run times, but in the case of something like Revenge of The Fallen, I think running time definitely matters. I just re-watched the first movie recently, and without a doubt it’s an example of where being a bit more liberal in the editing room would have benefited enormously, especially considering the annoying overwhelming amount of human stuff there was compared to the robots.

I am all for that long of a run time for Transformers 2, providing that we get a hell of a lot more screen time for the actual robots, you know… what the film’s title suggests the movie is actually supposed to be about…

In other Transformer 2 news, ever since the release of the first film one of the biggest pieces of speculation was whether or not Megatron would be making a return for the sequel. It was “yes he is, no he isn’t, yes he is, oh wait no he isn’t,” for a long time, particularly because that sneaky Bay said he would be purposefully leaking false news to throw avid fans for a loop as to what was true and what was false.

However, a couple of months ago, Transformers co-writer Robert Orci finally confirmed that Megatron would be returning for the sequel. However, even though Bay was forced to admit Megatron would be in the sequel after Huge Weaving said he’d finished all the voice work for the film, he still denied he’d actually be returning in the same capacity as he was in the first film:

“[Megatron would only be seen] from the long lost past. We go way back in time as this movie explains the mythology of the Primes. He is not a tank like everyone suggests, but an alien vehicle. But sadly he does not has much screen time.”

Well, time seems to have changed that, or the above quote was just another one of Bay’s little deceptions. As it turns out, not only will Megatron be back, but he will be looking for revenge on Shia Labeouf’s Sam Witwicky, and looking to conquer Optimus Prime. The info given on some toy images on TF08.net tells us so:

SPOILER ALERT!!!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Trapped in the black, crushing depths of the sea, his mind inert in the grip of stasis lock, Megatron knew nothing of the desperate search mounted for his remains by the other Decepticons. When he was finally brought back online, their effort and sacrifice meant little to him. The only thing that had any meaning was revenge. He would have his vengeance against the human boy who cheated him of his prize, and he swore to celebrate over the smoking wreck of Optimus Prime.

I guess since we now know the level of presence Megatron will have in Transformers 2, that the subtitle Revenge of the Fallen refers to both the new character of ”the Fallen,” as well as Megatron himself…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

END SPOILERS

I fully admit that I am not a fan of Transformers the original cartoon, the toys, or even the more recent versions in the ’90s and the 2000’s. I went into the first film knowing nothing more than the names Optimus Prime, Megatron and the fact that the Transformers were giant transforming robots.

So when the movie got to the almost incomprehensible action sequences, since I had no idea which robots were which, and whether they were the good guys or not, the shaky and ultra-zoomed-in camera didn’t help my understanding of the whole thing.

I just hope that for the sequel, Bay has taken a step back and seriously looked at all the problems the first film had, and done everything in his power as the director to remedy them for the sequel.

What is your opinion on Transformers 2 being even longer than the first film? And what about the fact that Megatron is back and out for revenge?

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is released on June 24th this year.

Source: IESB, MTV Movies Blog and TF08

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed or if you want more frequent updates follow us on Twitter. Thanks for visiting!