Ioanes Resl

There are little ways not to know Michael Bay when you are into mainstream Hollywood blockbusters. You may not remember his name but you definitely have seen at least some of the cinematographic sceneries he created for various movies – all of which are prone to a certain bellicose tendency.
His newest brainchild is part two in the Transformer franchise: Revenge of the Fallen. The story behind it is told fast. After the AllSpark is destroyed an alliance of Transformers and men battle against the last pockets of resistance of Decepticons who hide on Earth. But not everybody in the government seems happy about the new allies and when Sam Witwicky and his girlfriend Mikaela discover that a part of the AllSpark somehow has survived, their journey starts yet again.
What follows are 2 ½ hours action packed propaganda for the US military. One may imagine George W. sitting in the living room of this ranch, with a silent tear of sweet “mission accomplished” memories running down his face. No one talks about human allies, no general mentions NATO or any other country. There is no place for a coalition of the willing but the USA once again will help to protect the world from all evil that lies beyond, somewhere out in space.
The virtual battlefields stretch from China to Egypt. US Marines standing in front of bombed houses in the desert sand while Hans Zimmer provides as usual the Wagnereske sound wall that engulfs every single pixel on the screen. But yet not a single dialog line connects Iraq or Afghanistan with the story. No captives, you are with them or against them and while the pyramids are deliciously torn apart we are waiting to see with which new super weapon we will be saved this time.
Figures like Captain William Lennox, a brave and responsible US Army Ranger are the reasons why this kind of unreflected demonstration of military power is the perfect recruiting material. Loving father, husband, great American. And when his time has come to make a decision against the President’s direct order, he knows what to do.
There is no blood, no casualties, no harm done, no friendly fire – according to Bay of course. And just before the credits start rolling we see Witwicky and Optimus standing on the edge of the aircraft carrier deck, staring at the sky with a deep, meaningful posture. I think it’s the moment where good old George starts shedding tears like a broken water pipe.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 23:15 and is filed under the world is evil. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.