Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

June 8, 2009 (Tokyo, Japan)June 24, 2009 (United States)

June 8, 2009 (Tokyo, Japan)
June 24, 2009 (United States)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. It is the sequel to Transformers (2007) and the second installment in the Transformers film series. Like its predecessor, the film was directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman. Set two years after the events of Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen recounts the battle between the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), and the Decepticons, led by Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving). The Autobots and Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) ally again to face an ancient Decepticon named the Fallen (voiced by Tony Todd), who pursues revenge on Earth.

Development on a sequel to Transformers began by May 2007. With deadlines jeopardized by possible strikes by the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, Bay managed to finish the production on time with the help of previsualization and a scriptment. Shooting took place between May and September 2008, with locations in Egypt, Jordan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California, as well as air bases in New Mexico and Arizona.

It premiered on June 8, 2009, at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, Japan and was released on June 24 by Paramount Pictures in the United States. The film received generally negative reviews from critics. It won three Golden Raspberry Awards at the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony and became the highest-grossing film to win the Worst Picture award at the time. The film surpassed its predecessor's box office gross worldwide with $836.5 million, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2009. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing at the 82nd Academy Awards. With over 11 million home media sales in 2009, it was also the top-selling film of the year in the United States. It was followed by Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011.

Storyline

In 17,000 B.C., seven Primes—the highest ruling Cybertronians—collect Energon from Star Harvesters, machines that consume stars to harness their energy. The Primes have a sacred rule to never deplete a star that sustains life. One of them violates this rule by ordering the construction of a Star Harvester on Earth, for which he becomes "the Fallen", the original Decepticon, and is defeated by the other Primes.

In the present day, two years after the battle of Mission City, the Autobots and the humans have formed NEST (Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty), a classified joint task force to eliminate the remaining Decepticons. Two Decepticons, Sideways and Demolishor, are defeated in Shanghai, but the latter warns of the Fallen's return before being killed. Later, the Decepticon Soundwave hacks a military satellite to track and steal the last known shard of the AllSpark from a U.S Navy base in Diego Garcia.

Meanwhile, Sam, now attending college at Princeton University, finds a smaller AllSpark shard from when he used it to kill Megatron, and starts seeing Cybertronian symbols upon touching it. The shard brings many of the kitchen appliances to life, which attempt to kill Sam and his parents, but Bumblebee rescues them. Sam gives the shard to his girlfriend, Mikaela Banes, who later captures the small Decepticon Wheelie as he attempts to steal it.

Meanwhile, the Constructicons use the other, stolen shard to resurrect Megatron while tearing off parts from one of their own to repair his body, and Megatron returns to the Fallen. The Fallen sends Megatron and his second-in-command, Starscream, to kill Optimus Prime and capture Sam Witwicky, who now unknowingly contains knowledge of the AllSpark within his mind; Megatron believes the symbols Sam is seeing will lead the Decepticons to a new Energon source.

After being attacked by Alice, a Decepticon Pretender posing as a college student, Sam, his roommate Leo, and Mikaela are taken to Megatron by the Decepticon Grindor before the Autobots save them. Optimus battles Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor, killing the latter, but is killed by Megatron while defending Sam. The Decepticons launch devastating attacks around the world, while Megatron and Soundwave hijack Earth's telecommunication systems, which allows the Fallen to send a message to the humans, demanding that Sam be handed over to him.

Sam, Mikaela, and Leo then seek out alien expert and former Sector Seven agent Seymour Simmons, who reveals that Transformers have visited Earth for a long time and some, known as Seekers, have remained hidden on the planet. With help from Wheelie, they track down an elderly Decepticon-turned-Autobot Seeker named Jetfire at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and use their shard to revive him. Along with Jetfire, Wheelie allies with the Autobots, and Jetfire teleports the group to Egypt, then sends them to locate the Matrix of Leadership, the key to the Star Harvester, which could also revive Optimus. The group finds the Matrix, which the Primes sacrificed themselves to conceal, but it disintegrates into dust.

Meanwhile, NEST forces and the Autobots land near the Giza pyramid complex and are attacked by the Decepticons. The Constructicons combine to form Devastator, who reveals the Star Harvester hidden inside a pyramid before he is destroyed by a Navy railgun, as U.S. military reinforcements and Jetfire arrive to assist. Many Decepticons are destroyed by multiple airstrikes from the Navy and the U.S. Air Force, but Megatron manages to kill Sam. The Primes speak to Sam, saying that the Matrix must be earned, not found, and that he has the right to bear it by sacrificing himself for Optimus. They revive Sam and grant him the Matrix, which he uses to resurrect Optimus. The Fallen steals the Matrix from a weakened Optimus and uses it to activate the Star Harvester. Jetfire, who was wounded by Scorponok before he killed it, sacrifices himself to merge with Optimus, giving him additional power and flight. With this upgrade, Optimus destroys the Star Harvester, severely wounds Megatron, and kills the Fallen. Distraught by his master's death, Megatron retreats with Starscream. The Autobots and their allies return to the United States, and Sam and Leo return to college.

Also See

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