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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

~ Nikki Baughan

A whole lot of bot…

If you showed Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to the pioneers of the motion picture, those visionaries who first thought to splice images together to make them come alive, they would most likely be overcome with shock. It’s a testament to how far cinematic technology has come that modern audiences take such spectacle for granted – to the extent that the mind begins to wander and we begin hypothesising about how early cinema-goers would react to the film that is still playing on screen in front of us. Ok, so that might be just me, but the fact remains that, however awesome the visuals might be, Transformers 2 ‘aint got a whole lot of soul. And, despite all that technology, soul still remains the heart of great cinema.

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Terminator Salvation (2009)

~ Nikki Baughan

Long bot summer…

Reading the Internet buzz about Terminator Salvation – which, if you’re a film fan of any degree, has been impossible to ignore – it seems that the movie has been inviting popular enthusiasm but critical apathy. McG’s bold, brash addition to the seminal sci-fi franchise is one of those films that appeals to the masses, but leaves the professional reviewers cold; that it’s both described as a ‘confused, humourless grind’ by Anthony Lane of the New Yorker and an ‘awesome movie’ by filmgoer Philip P on reviews website Metacritic highlights this massive gulf. Of course, it’s all a matter of opinion, and in the opinion of this reviewer Terminator Salvation is neither a grind nor awesome. Instead, as a bombastic big-budget blockbuster it does exactly what it says on the tin

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Night at the Museum 2 (2009)

~ Nikki Baughan

House of wax…

Two years after his eye-opening stint as a night guard at New York’s Natural History Museum, where he had his hands full with exhibits that come alive at night, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) has made his fortune as an inventor. But when he discovers that his old pals, including Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) and Jedediah Smith (Owen Wilson), are being shipped off to the Federal Archives at Washington’s sprawling Smithsonian Museum, Larry realises they need his help; particularly as ancient Egyptian king Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) has his mind set on taking over the world.  Arriving at the Smithsonian, Larry – helped by feisty female pilot Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) – must take on a mind-blowing array of exhibits, some friend and some foe, if he is to save the day.

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