NEGATIVE SPACE

Als Erstes laut 'Hier' schrien die Jungs von Total Film. Was dabei auffällt: Für die erste Meinung zu einem der am heißesten erwarteten Blockbustern der Saison klingt der Text ungemein verhalten:

"But Fallen so frequently approaches the first pic’s all-out awesomeness, and even occasionally surpasses it - notably in an opening blitzkrieg in Shanghai and a forest face-off between Optimus Prime and three Decepticons impressive enough to merit comparison with King Kong’s multiple T-Rex smackdown - that it's this close to being the perfect summer flick. The problem is, it’s the parts you remember, not the whole."
(Mark Samuels, Total Film)

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Und der Bruder im Geiste, Empire, ist noch kritischer. Nach einem ganzen Tag Bedenkzeit klingt es bei denen insgesamt eher nach "Bad Boys 2" als nach "Armageddon":

"It all looks good on paper, as does the added-value 150-minute run time. But it’s a case of same meal, bigger portion, with the flaws of the first not only present but accentuated. You’ll be even more hard pressed at the end of this one to remember which robot’s which — there are three or four new Gremlin-esque ones that chitter and skitter about like the first movie’s Frenzy — and few get more than a scene before Bay’s attention flits elsewhere. Even the Fallen, an Emperor figure to Megatron’s Darth Vader, who can hurl tanks around with the aid of his jagged staff, is only blandly nefarious." (Nick de Semlyen, Empire)

Von den amerikanischen Branchenblättern war Screen Daily wie so häufig am schnellsten und nichtssagendsten. Jetzt also der Dienstagmorgen, die Profis endlich am Drücker und gleich die erste richtige Duftmarke von Variety. Augenscheinlich nicht von Chef Todd McCarthy geschrieben, klingt dieser halbe Verriss nach Schwerstarbeit:

"With machines that are impressively more lifelike, and characters that are more and more like machines, 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' takes the franchise to a vastly superior level of artificial intelligence. As for human intelligence, it's primarily at the service of an enhanced arsenal of special effects, which helmer Michael Bay deploys like a general launching his very own shock-and-awe campaign on the senses. Otherwise, little seems new compared to the first installment, except that this version is longer, louder, and perhaps 'more than your eye can meet' in one sitting." (Jordan Mintzer, Variety)

Und auch beim konkurrierenden Hollywood Reporter, genauer gesagt bei Ray Bennett, liest sich das nicht besser:

"With its intelligence at the level of the simple-minded, however, the film is not likely to attract moviegoers who seek something more than a screen filled with kaleidoscopes of colored metal. Fan boys will no doubt love it, but for the uninitiated it's loud, tedious and, at 147 minutes, way too long." (Ray Bennett, THR)