Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fictionaction film directed by Michael Bay and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, based on the Transformers toy line created by Hasbro. It is the sequel to 2007's Transformers, as well as the second installment in the live-action Transformers film series. Taking place two years after its predecessor, the plot revolves around Sam Witwicky, who is caught in the war between two factions of alien robots, the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons, led by Megatron. Sam is having strange visions of Cybertronian symbols, and being hunted by the Decepticons under the orders of an ancient Decepticon named The Fallen, who seeks to get revenge on Earth by finding and activating a machine that would provide the Decepticons with an energonsource, destroying the Sun and all life on Earth in the process. Returning Transformers include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet, Megatron, Starscream, and Scorponok.

With deadlines jeopardized by possible strikes by the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, Bay managed to finish the production on time with the help of previsualization and a scriptment by his writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and series newcomer Ehren Kruger. Shooting took place from May to November 2008, with locations in Egypt, Jordan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California, as well as air bases in New Mexico and Arizona. This was the last film in the series to star Megan Fox, and was also the last film in the series to be co-produced by DreamWorks Pictures, leaving Paramount Pictures as the sole distributor of its future films.

Revenge of the Fallen premiered on June 8, 2009 in Tokyo and was released on June 24, 2009 in the United States. Metacritic said the film received "generally unfavorable reviews"; criticism was directed at its bland story, acting, crude humor, overall length, and abrupt ending. However, critics praised the visual effects, music, action sequences, and the voice performances of Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving. The film won three Golden Raspberry Awardsat the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony and became the highest-grossing film to win the Worst Picture award. The film grossed a total of $402.1 million in the US and Canada and $434.2 million in other territories, for a total of $836.3 million worldwide. It was the second highest-grossing film of 2009 in the US and Canada, 26th domestically, the 60th highest-grossing film of all time and fourth highest of the year worldwide. With over 11 million home media sales in 2009, it was also the top-selling film of the year in the United States. It was followed by Dark of the Moon in 2011, Age of Extinction in 2014, and The Last Knight in 2017.

Plot

In 17,000 B.C., the Seven Primes travel across the galaxy to create Energon with star-absorbing machines named Sun Harvesters. One of them, later known as The Fallen, defies their sole rule to never destroy planets hosting life by establishing a Sun Harvester on Earth. He is confronted by the other Primes, who imprison him before he can harvest the planet's Sun using the Matrix of Leadership. The Primes then sacrifice themselves to hide the Matrix in an unknown location.

In the present day, two years after Megatron's defeat, the Autobots and the U.S. military have formed the Non-Biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty (NEST), a classified international task force, to eliminate the surviving Decepticons. In Shanghai, the Autobots intercept two Decepticons, Demolisher and Sideways. Sideways is killed by the Autobot Sideswipe, while Optimus Prime kills Demolisher, but not before he warns them of the Fallen's return. At NEST's secure headquarters in Diego Garcia, National Security Adviser Theodore Galloway concludes the Decepticons are still on Earth to hunt the Autobots, since Megatron's corpse is at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss and the last known AllSpark shard is secured in the base. Soundwave hacks into a military satellite, overhears the information, and sends Ravage to retrieve the shard.

Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky is preparing to attend college, leaving his girlfriend Mikaela Banes and guardian Bumblebeebehind. He finds a smaller AllSpark shard and picks it up, causing him to start seeing Cybertronian symbols. The shard's energy pulse turns the appliances in the kitchen into murderous Transformers, who attack Sam and his family. After Bumblebee destroys the rampaging appliances, Sam gives the shard to Mikaela, who later captures the Decepticon Wheeliewhen he attempts to steal it. The Constructicons, upon discovering Megatron's location, travel to the Laurentian Abyss and resurrect Megatron using the stolen shard and parts torn off from one of their own allies. Megatron then travels to one of Saturn's moons, where he reunites with his master, the Fallen, who orders him to capture Sam alive and kill Optimus, the only Transformer who can defeat the Fallen.

Sam, Mikaela, and his college roommate Leo are attacked by Alice, a Decepticon Pretender posing as a college student. After killing her, they are captured by Megatron, Starscream, and the Decepticon Grindor, but Optimus and Bumblebee arrive and rescue the humans. Optimus fights Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor alone as Megatron reveals that the symbols in Sam's mind will lead the Decepticons to a new Energon source. After killing Grindor, Optimus is killed by Megatron. The other Autobots arrive and repel Megatron and Starscream before they could recapture Sam. As Sam goes into hiding with Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee, Wheelie, and the Autobot twins Skids and Mudflap, the Decepticons launch devastating simultaneous attacks around the world, destroying ships in the Second Fleet and damaging Paris. The Fallen hijacks Earth's telecommunications systems, demanding that Sam be handed to him.

Sam, Mikaela, and Leo enlist the help of former Sector Seven agent, Seymour Simmons, who reveals that the Transformers visited Earth eons ago and the most ancient, known as Seekers, remained on Earth, hiding in secret. With help from Wheelie, they track down a Decepticon Seeker named Jetfire at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. They use their shard to revive Jetfire, who teleports the group to Egypt and explains the story of the Fallen. Jetfire and Wheelie turn against the Decepticons, and order them to locate the Matrix, which could revive Optimus. Sam's group finds the Matrix in Petra, but it disintegrates into dust in Sam's hands. Undeterred, Sam stuffs the Matrix's remains into his sock.

Meanwhile, NEST forces and the Autobots land near the Giza pyramid complex but are attacked by a large force of Decepticons. During the battle, many Constructicons combine to form Devastator, who destroys one of the pyramids to reveal the Sun Harvester inside, before he is killed by a destroyer's railgun called in by Simmons. Ravage and the Decepticon Rampage attempt to spring a trap with Sam's captured parents as bait, in order to force Sam to give them the Matrix, but Bumblebee interferes and kills them both. Major William Lennox and Master Sergeant Robert Epps call in an airstrike, which kills a majority of the Decepticon ground forces. However, Megatron manages to shoot Sam, seemingly killing him, before retreating upon getting attacked. Nearing his death, the Primes contact Sam through a vision, telling him the Matrix is earned, not found, and that he earned the right to bear it. They restore Sam's life and the Matrix, which he uses to revive Optimus.

The Fallen teleports to their location and steals the Matrix from Optimus, then returns to the pyramid with Megatron and activates the Sun Harvester. Jetfire, who was gravely wounded during the battle by Scorponok but did manage to kill his attacker, sacrifices himself in order to transplant his parts to Optimus, which give him immense strength and the ability to fly. Optimus knocks the Fallen and Megatron off the pyramid, destroying the Sun Harvester in the process. In the battle, Optimus disables Megatron and kills the Fallen; vowing vengeance, Megatron retreats with Starscream. The victorious Autobots and their allies then return to the United States.