1. You're assuming Fox put down all the money for it. They didn't.

2. Not Oscar winning. In terms of recreating the box office formula. A lot of people assumed the love story was shoehorned into Titanic, when it was about having the breadth of the ship from the experience of those two, while not using loads of B an C plots among different groups, that previous such films did. But since it was believed the love story sold the film, this had one shoehorned in.

Everyone has opinions of course, but with films there are accepted critical standards for script, cinematography, etc.  Those can be judged whether you like the film or not.

Transformers 2 comes up short when judged critically against many of those standards.  It's as simple as that, and that's why, completely fairly, it can be critized on that basis.

BTW I don't mean comparing it to say Citizen Kane, I'm talking about something like Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Raiders had a fantastic script compared to Transformers 2, I would argue better cinematography and composition and even better action scenes.  The fight around the Germay Plane is massively superior to the forest battle or any similar 'slug fest' moment in Transformers 2.

BTW in my view the difference between a personal opinion and a true critical review is the ability to disconnect personal taste and focus on the quality of the film.  That's why professional reviews can give a film they may pesonally not like a praiseworthy review because they have the skill to see the script quality, composition, etc. seperate from their own enjoyment.

I meant those who write things like the film is retarded, and Bay can't film anything with explosions. Those are not helpfull comments, as they speak nothing of the actual quality of his work, and are just attacks.

And I don't think the reviewers did their job with this movie, as they did the same thing, just with "nicer" words. Ebert even wrote this ridiculous article about how the movie is so overblown, it's somehow going to kill the blockbuster, even though the film made money.

How does that make sense? It seems like just wishful thinking from critical snobbery.

Totally agree on the retarded stuff, etc.  That's just people pushing their opinion rather than meaningful criticism and should be ignored.

As for the critics, there's no doubt that while some reviewed the film fairly (at least I think they did) others couldn't resist reaching for their 'snobbery' button - also the big critics do not like the perceived trend of 'dumbness' in movies such as Transformers 2 nor their commercial success, therefore they do tend to go for the jugular.

Someone like Ebert genuinely sees Trasnformers 2 as damaging the quality level of movies.  In truth I'd tend to agree with him.  The point being Transformers 2 shows you can make a lot of money by focusing on individual action sequences and some broad humour while ignoring the script, narrative, coherency, etc.  The concern is that we get more movies as poorly developed in those areas vs movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark which was wonderfully developed in those areas.

It makes sense if you're putting artistic merit above commercial terms - i.e. its not about making money, but making something good that then makes money.  I guess with many critics I'm in the latter camp, while the concern with Transformers 2 (and similar movies) is that it pushes Hollywood in the direction of the former camp - put money over quality.

For myself I thought the script, etc. was terrible however the film wasn't without memorable moments and was entertaining in many sequences. My own main objection was the twins, not so much on the racial front, it was more that they jarred with the 'feel' of the Autobots from the first film and the others in this film.  They even looked like designs from another film entirely.  I just felt they didn't fit in at all and were superflous.  Certainly I'd have like the film better without them and their 'moments' given to Bumblebee or another character already developed in the first film.

There is some hope for those worried. Bay admitted during the writers strike he was going to have to rush some parts (mudflap and skids were almost entirely ad-libbed). Furthermore, he's insisted that the third film take another year so the script has more time.

Yeah, the third Transformers is expected to come out in 2012, with Bay taking a year off from it. He said he wants to do a more down to earth film in that time-frame. Bay doing a film like that sounds unrealistic, but I'm open to anything, and I wish him the best.

The Rock was just on FX. What is it about watching a movie on TV when you have it on DVD anyway?

Transformers, the first one.

Well the only good one on that list is The Rock.

(Armageddon was ok....)