Even though Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen actually hit theaters last Wednesday, I felt it necessary to take a few days to digest the film in order to be objective. Like most of the crowd that joined me at the midnight showing, I left the theater thinking I had seen the greatest movie ever. Upon closer investigation, however, the flaws drift to the surface.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen picks up months after the end of the previous film. The Autobots have teamed up with the US military to hunt down rogue Decepticons all around the globe. A few more Autobots have responded to Optimus' transmission making the team a bit more robust. Following a destructive showdown in China, a dying Decepticon heralds the coming of "The Fallen", the first and most powerful of all the Decepticons. This warning does not sit well with the government and mixed with the fallout from the incident itself, things do not bode well for the Autobots.

At the same time, Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf, Eagle Eye) is off to college on the east coast. While packing he discovers a piece of the Allspark in the jacket he wore the day of the infamous battle. The moment he touches it everything seems fine, but soon he begins seeing random symbols and acting strange. Other than affecting his social life, the symbols appear harmless to Sam. Little does he know that the information within his head is quite valuable to the amassing Decepticons and their leader known only as The Fallen.

This film is quite impressive visually. The transformations are still stunning though a bit scarce. The majority occur within the first 20 minutes of the film in order to get them out of the way. Both types of transformers are extremely detailed especially when it comes to their faces. The effects department did a lot of interesting things with moving parts and robot design in order to simulate things like teeth and facial hair. The design of The Fallen reflects his ancient nature by making him appear more tribal, while his dialog makes him feel more like a Sith Lord from Star Wars. Though this still isn't the Transformer only film that the fans wanted, more attention is being paid to these robotic warriors.

The humans do a great job in this film as well. Megan Fox (Transformers) may not be shooting for an Oscar with this role but she manages to be as visually captivating as the transformers. It doesn't hurt that the director and editor do their best to accentuate her looks with special lighting, camera angles and slow motion scenes. Shia LeBeouf maintains his character from the first film with the addition of some confidence and a bit of insanity. It is somewhat over the top at times, but it’s for the sake of humor. LeBeouf must have a certain "je ne sais quoi" as well seeing as he draws quite a crowd himself. Standing in line to see the midnight showing I couldn't help but notice that the ratio of the early bird crowd was quite female heavy. For an intellectual property that has historically drawn more men than women, this is quite a feat.

Many people felt that the less than stellar reviews for this film were unwarranted. If you look closer though, they are somewhat justified. There are a few blending issues I found where it becomes obvious that the robots are not actually on set, and for a movie that is robot heavy this is a serious problem that should have been taken care of before release. Michael Bay's (The Island) blow everything up mentality becomes too much towards the end of the film with a 30+ minute gun fight that is very anticlimactic. The most annoying aspect of the film, however, has to be the comedic additions. The first hour or so of the film plays out more like a comedy than an action film with a continuous stream of jokes. There are also three new characters in this film that have been compared to Jar Jar Binks in that they are useless other than for comic relief. They don't fight, they don't contribute, they just talk trash and make jokes.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn't the bad movie that some reviewers are painting it to be. That's not to say that it is without fault. If you want to knit pick, there are numerous problems. In the heat of the moment, however, you will have no problem overlooking them and having a great time. This movie is definitely worth one viewing, but no more.......than meets the eye. I couldn't resist!