Michael Joseph Jackson’s untimely death on June 25, 2009 shocked the world. The world’s greatest entertainer had died and far too soon at that. MJ still had work to complete. There was the long rumored new album to launch his “comeback,” which I was anticipating. There was the record-setting 50 sold out shows in London, which he was to perform at the O2 arena. MJ seemed to be laying the groundwork for re-entry into the public music scene again. No one was more excited by this than I was – a loyal fan who’d been following his career since the age of six.

As a child, I had two huge musical influences that played a huge role in my life – Prince & The Revolution and Michael Jackson. MJ’s music first connected with me as a child with his Motown 25 performance. I remember being bedazzled with his performance of “Billie Jean” and of course, the moonwalk. After that performance, I became a fan for life, and I always stayed loyal to him. My faith in MJ as a human being, entertainer, and musical genius never wavered. Where many doubted he could perform the 50 This Is It shows, I never did. After viewing the This Is It film on opening day, it only reaffirmed what I always believed – that MJ still had it.

Note: Some portions of this review contain excerpts from my Twitter film review of This Is It.

When the beginning credits for This Is It rolled, you could feel the reverence, respect, and calm in the crowd. Never felt anything like it.

I actually saw This Is It twice before writing my review. At both showings, I was very much aware that I was amongst MJ fans. For both showings, there was such a respectful tone in the audience, and I really could feel the love and yes, even somberness of the others in the theater. It was definitely an interesting in-theater experience, which I will describe in further detail later.

I could feel the emotion welling up in me within the first two minutes of This Is It. Then the music started, and I was smiling big time!

After the beginning credits rolled, I had a moment where I wondered if the film was going to be sad. The footage of MJ’s background dancers expressing their love and gratitude was touching. To say that the dancers were appreciative of being chosen was an understatement. It was a great way to open up the film, but it also made me a bit emotional. Fortunately, director Kenny Ortega brought the mood up very quickly by cutting to MJ’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” Within the first few notes of the music, I was wearing a huge smile on my face and head bopping with many other fans in the theater.

This Is It gave me the urge to break out my MJ moves right there in the aisle. Seriously. I was definitely head boppin a lot during the film. For whatever reason, MJ’s music really connected with me in a different way when I watched This Is It. I was really into it.

I’m not one of those people who have the urge to dance when viewing dance/concert films; however, This Is It definitely tempted me to do just that. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who had that same urge. I watched the audience at both screenings, and many were waving their hands to the music and just “feeling it” as much as I was. There were moments where I was expecting other fans to break out their MJ moves in the aisle as well.

Maybe it was the Dolby Surround Sound. Maybe it was the love amongst the audience for MJ. Or perhaps I just have to “blame it on the boogie,” but the music sounded extra good to me. MJ’s new touring band really had his songs nailed down, and I appreciated their attention to detail (guided by MJ of course). I personally wouldn’t have minded if Sony laced MJ’s recorded vocals on top of the touring band’s live performance of his songs. That would be an album worth adding to my collection for sure. The music sounded just that good to me.

For all of the performances, I was recalling all of the MJ choreography and doing it in my head right along with Michael and the dancers.

As a child, I took professional dance classes and thought I would grow up to become a dancer one day. Since I was a MJ fan, I studied his moves as a dancer and learned many of them – “Thriller,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Billie Jean,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” etc. Although I hadn’t done much of the choreography in a while, it’s not something I really forgot. I recognized the familiar steps when MJ preformed his signature songs, and I was right there with him (in my head) doing the choreography.

While I watched MJ with his dancers, I noticed he wasn’t extending himself at rehearsals at times; nevertheless, he still had the smooth moves. When he was going full throttle on the dancing, MJ was keeping up with his 20-year-old background dancers with ease. I can only hope I’ll be able to move like that when I turn 50.

As I watched This Is It, I studied MJ. He was a bit smaller than normal, but this man was healthy and vibrant. He still had it!

I couldn’t help but watch for signs that would indicate if something wrong with MJ while he performed. I saw nothing wrong with him, other than him being smaller than I remembered. Everything I saw in the rehearsal footage leads me to believe MJ could have indeed pulled off all 50 concerts without any problems. Of course, I never doubted that he could.

If you didn’t know before, This Is It showed you that MJ was a musical genius! This man’s musicology was amazing. Mad respect for that.

Some scenes I really enjoyed watching involved MJ’s interactions with his touring band. Unsurprisingly, MJ was very involved in how his music sounded and how it would be presented to his fans. As his music director Michael Bearden said, MJ knew his music better than anyone did. That was evident when MJ was working with Bearden on the presentation of the music and challenging lead guitarist, Orianthi Panagaris, to hit certain high notes on her guitar that he sang. MJ would relay exactly how he wanted the music to sound. Not only that, but MJ said something in This Is It that should be the golden standard of all bands and touring bands. MJ informed Bearden during a rehearsal that he wanted his music to sound like how he recorded it. When I heard that, I said, “Thank you!” aloud. MJ wanted his fans to hear his music like the records, and I have a deep appreciation for him caring that we did hear it that way. Other touring bands have played songs for the artist they backed, and I sometimes had no clue what the song was until the artist starting singing it. In other instances, some touring bands were close to how the music sounded but not like the artist’s records. MJ was indeed a perfectionist who cared about the tiniest attention to detail in the music. He wanted it right, not just for himself but also for the fans.

Additionally, I noted there were times when the music just oozed through his soul. It was during those moments when MJ couldn’t help but break out into dance moves when guiding his music director on finely tuned touches he wanted in the music. This man felt his music within every fiber of his being. You could just see it when you watched him. MJ wasn’t shy about expressing how much his music ran through his blood. The spontaneous singing and dancing during the rehearsals clearly showed the love he had for his music. As a fan, I found that extremely enjoyable to experience.

I will note one standout in This Is It and that’s MJ’s female guitarist: Orianthi Panagaris. She was fire! Just as awesome as Jennifer Batten.

Shortly after MJ passed away, I caught a short clip of him performing next to a blonde female guitarist. For a second, I thought MJ had brought back Jennifer Batten, his former lead guitarist for the Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory tours. However, I later learned that it wasn’t Batten but a new face named Orianthi Panagaris. Before the film premiered, I had done a bit of research on Orianthi. I knew she’d played for Carrie Underwood at the 51^st annual Grammy Awards. I also had heard a bit of her guitar playing, and I was quite impressed. Still, I mostly stayed away from too many clips of Orianthi’s guitar playing because I wanted to hear her shine in This Is It. And my goodness, shine, did she ever! I knew that like Batten before her, Orianthi played the “Beat It” solo when auditioning for MJ’s touring band. The “Beat It” solo was one moment that I was looking forward to since I know exactly how it’s supposed to sound. When Orianthi started playing the “Beat It” solo, I couldn’t help but be wowed. When she was done playing, I glanced at my youngest brother (who saw the film with me), and he was wearing that same expression of astonishment. She was just as amazing of a guitar player as Batten – both whom is head and shoulders above many of their male counterparts. From that moment forward in This Is It, I kept my eye on Orianthi, even drifting away from MJ at times to study her. She had this cool, funky swagger as a player that I just enjoyed watching, especially during “Black or White.” Similar to my admiration of Batten, I became a fan of Orianthi’s very impressive guitar work.

As for MJ himself, you saw a different side of the icon that you’ve never seen before. He was funny, charming, humble, and into the music.

Over the years, I’d heard MJ’s former backup dancers, background singers, and touring band express their sentiments about the icon. To them, he wasn’t just an icon; MJ was very much a human being. When I watched This Is It, I saw exactly what the people who worked with him saw. The “icon barrier” was down while MJ was rehearsing, and I truly got a peek into the beautiful soul this man had. MJ was patient with his touring band when they made mistakes, and he often ended his “constructive criticism” (more like a gentle please fix this) with a “God bless you” or “that’s with L.O.V.E.” I was touched hearing him say that, so I can only imagine how his touring band felt when he punctuated his “constructive criticism” with loving words at the end.

When he wasn’t being humble and caring towards his band and crew, MJ was quite the charmer and often humorous. I watched him during a couple of songs – “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” – and he was being quite charming towards his female leads. It was there in the way he smiled, moved, and interacted with them on stage. Additionally, I noticed something else during these interactions with his female leads. There have been longstanding rumors that MJ wasn’t really into women (never believed that) and was even perhaps asexual (ridiculous). When I watched MJ and his female leads, I felt he was being a bit flirty (in addition to humorous and charming) when they were rehearsing. Of course, I’ve seen MJ interact with female leads dozens of times in videos and concert footage; however, this was different. I felt like MJ was being his true, everyday self during the This Is It rehearsals. He definitely wasn’t wearing that “King of Pop” persona that he presented to the public. He was just being a flirtatious, charming, and humorous man with his female leads. He also expressed that sense of humor and charm with the band and crew. I found that most interesting to see because it definitely gave me a glimpse into the man, not the musical legend.

This Is It is rehearsals. Anyone who has ever been a musician (me) and dancer (me, too), then you know it’s not polished like a full show. Nevertheless, This Is It gave you an awesome look behind the magic of MJ’s show. It is one of the best concert films I’ve ever seen.

I knew what to expect when I watched This Is It – rehearsals. I knew that I wasn’t going to see MJ at full throttle the entire time. From what I understand, he was told to conserve his voice (something he stated in the film), so there were moments where he didn’t sing during songs. There were also times where he wasn’t dancing during songs, but I knew he would have been had it been the actual concert. Still, I knew these are the kind of things that occur in rehearsals. I felt This Is It was an honest look at how rehearsals run prior to the actual concert. This Is It is not something similar to the Live Concert in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour concert film. As a result, viewers should have the expectation that rehearsals and concerts are different entities.

I have seen several concert films throughout the years. This Is It achieves a standard that other concert films should aim towards in the future. Director Kenny Ortega did an outstanding job editing the footage together to create This Is It. Ortega gave me a glimpse of sound checks, a behind the scenes look at the visual effects/footage for the concert, and interviews with many personalities who were a part of This Is It. Other than one brief clip of “MJ mania” at the beginning, Ortega kept the film very intimate.

The visuals for MJ’s This Is It concert series were stunning. He was going to put on a bloody fantastic show. You could see it.

MJ and Ortega crafted some pretty remarkable ideas and visuals for the This Is It concert series. They were really pushing the boundaries in terms of spectacle. There really was a Hollywood production touch to the new footage shot for “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal,” and other songs. It was going to be an astonishing experience for fans that would have been fortunate to see it. It would have been well worth the money to see these MJ shows.

This Is It did put me on an emotional roller coaster. I felt joy, sadness, anger (at an irresponsible doctor), and humor.

I was a bit worried how This Is It would make me feel when I watched it. I didn’t want to be sad when I saw him, and I was concerned I would be. I have stayed away from a lot of MJ footage since he died, which includes the memorial that I can’t bear to watch. Many of MJ’s videos, interviews, and concert footage was entirely too painful to watch early on, and it still brings a touch of pain to my heart when I see footage now. Fortunately, I didn’t have that many moments of sadness during This Is It. While I did swing like a pendulum between certain emotions, I would have to say I felt joy and humor the most. I also would experience a touch of anger at the doctor who is allegedly responsible for MJ’s death. When I watched MJ in This Is It, he was so alive and vibrant, and it made me angry that the incandescent fire in the physical form of MJ is dead. His death still makes no sense to me, and after watching This Is It, I really felt that he was gone far too soon. As I stated previously, MJ still had work to complete.

I have to say I held up well until “Man in the Mirror” in This Is It. I have not been able to listen to that song since MJ died. When MJ performed “Man in the Mirror” in This Is It, I was crying. For me, MJ was one of two of the most important music icons to me.

MJ’s performance of “Man in the Mirror” was the one truly saddening moment for me during This Is It. I knew the song was going to be in the film, and I thought I would be prepared for it. I thought I would be able to get through it without crying but I couldn’t. When I watched him perform “Man in the Mirror” and sing it with passion, it just got to me emotionally. The tears flowed silently the both times I saw This Is It during “Man in the Mirror.” I had that gut clenching moment where I knew there was never going to be another human being like MJ. I knew there was no one who was going to touch the legacy of artistry, music, and creative genius that MJ left behind.

After This Is It ended, the audience clapped, and no one moved during the credits. People stayed to finish watching more footage. Awesome.

I have been to the theater often enough to know that the majority of people leave as soon as the credits roll. No one did during the two times I saw This Is It in theaters. Once again, I knew I was amongst fans, and like me, they wanted to see every drop of MJ footage. Watching This Is It with other fans was truly an amazing experience for me. It is the best in-theater experience I’ve ever had…hands down. If you have the opportunity to see This Is It in theaters and you’re a fan, please do so. For me, there was no other film experience like it.

If you are a MJ fan, I highly recommend you see This Is It. I’m seeing it at least twice more. I want more. It’s an A+!

To add onto this, I just want to say that This Is It is definitely one of my favorite films of 2009. I’m aware that Sony will submit it for Academy Awards consideration. I think it should be an Academy Award nominee, and I’m not just saying that simply because I’m a major MJ fan. The film was well crafted in its entirety. Director Kenny Ortega put his heart and soul into constructing this film. Not only did he give the fans a wonderful experience, but I also believe he gave non-fans an appreciation for MJ’s humanity and showmanship. It really was a beautiful work of art, and I applaud Ortega’s efforts in giving the fans something wonderful to remember MJ by – a performer, artist, and genius…a human being.

Author’s Note: When I watch movies, I usually send out a tweet review on Twitter after the film. I have wanted to follow up my tweet reviews with an actual movie review on my site, but due to other writing projects, my time is limited. However, after my tweet review for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (aka Transformers 2), I decided to make the time. I felt like my tweets weren’t enough because I wanted to expand on some things about the movie. Additionally, I also realize that not all of my readers follow me or use Twitter. I wanted to share my thoughts and impressions of the film for everyone. Considering everything, I will say this will not be your typical movie review by any means. I am going to be experimental by incorporating my tweet review with an expanded movie review. I will also clearly indicate the beginning and ending of movie spoilers as best as I can. Finally, other than cleaning up typos, and formatting the things I said on Twitter (because there are no italics/bold and editing options), my tweet quotes shall remain as I originally tweeted them (on June 24, 2009). Thanks.

Two years ago, Michael Bay’s Transformers hit theaters. I remember being very excited for the live action adaption of the cartoon and successful toy line. I grew up as a child of the 80s, and I was a faithful Transformers cartoon watcher. I was such a fan that I begged my parents to take me to the movies to see the Transformers: The Movie cartoon film. So when the live action version hit theaters in 2007, I knew I would be viewing the film. Even though my movie tastes were shifting in 2007, I really enjoyed Transformers a great deal and looked forward to the sequel.

Fast-forwarding to present day, I wasn’t anticipating Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as much as I did the first film. I am definitely a different movie watcher than I was in 2007, and my enjoyment level for summer popcorn movies has waned. Nonetheless, I was committed to watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen because I still have that childhood love for the cartoon. Additionally, I really liked the first live action film. I decided to watch the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Wednesday, June 24 right after work.

Note: The following quoted references for the remainder of this movie review come from my tweet review, which I will expand upon in my film review for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

“So I had low expectations for Transformers 2 based on all the bad buzz, and I was going in expecting a D movie at best. I didn’t get that.”

I started hearing bad buzz about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as soon as I woke up on June 24, 2009. The critics’ reviews were coming in from midnight screenings. Sometimes reviews determine if I will watch a film, but most of the time, reviews have no factor in my watching a film. I expected some critics to be harsh on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, so I didn’t necessarily lower my expectations. I’ve seen other movies that critics panned and I loved it. Therefore, I was still planning to watch it for myself. However, that all changed as I went to work and started seeing a flood of tweets on Twitter from regular moviegoers and Twitterers I trust.

The buzz surrounding Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was overwhelmingly bad. I knew then that my expectations for a C movie (at best) were optimistic. As the day wore on, I kept hearing and reading about the bad buzz. I lowered my expectations more and hoped for a D movie at best.

As I lined up to buy my ticket for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I noted an interesting conversation at the box office. A couple in front of me was deciding between watching The Proposal or Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. They asked the box office attendant how she felt about both movies. I tweaked my ears when she discussed Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. She asked the couple if they’d seen and enjoyed the first Transformers film, which the couple liked. The box office attendant then told the couple they would like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. My brain was screaming, “Are you sure about that?” when I heard those words. Yes, I knew I hadn’t seen the movie yet, but I was going with my gut instincts (and remembering the buzz from regular movie watchers) when that thought popped into my head. The box office attendant could have been telling the truth; however, I also realize she’s there to sell tickets, so a little white lie won’t hurt (if she truly didn’t like it). The couple decided to go with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

After I was sitting in the theater (middle seat, middle of the theater), I observed the type of crowd coming to view Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. As I anticipated, the males outnumbered the females by far. Parents brought their kids as young as age five (give or take). The audience was a mostly Generation X and Generation Y audience from what I observed. I didn’t see many teenagers, but since I went to a 6:30 p.m. showing, I didn’t necessarily expect that. People seemed excited for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen based on the discussion going on around me.

Once the endless round of commercials and trailers ended, I breathed deeply and prepared myself for what was sure to be an interesting movie experience. Unfortunately, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen gave me a different meaning for “interesting” within 20 minutes.

“What I got with Transformers 2 was another epic bullshit film fail of a movie! Oh my God! This movie was frakin terrible! I didn’t expect an epic story by any means, but I expected some semblance of a story in Transformers 2. This film was thrown together.”

I knew this film was not going to be good early into the movie, but I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it turned out. As I watched the film, I realized that the story was pretty much non-existent. I know a Michael Bay film involves action taking precedence over story; however, the first Transformers made an attempt at a story that I could follow and liked. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen didn’t, and it definitely showed. I realized early on that this film was going to be “action porn” to the extreme; you wait for the action sequences and fast-forward through everything else. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a fast-forward button on hand.

“I swear. I truly believe the scriptwriters sat down and watched every successful sci-fi film made to make Transformer 2. I saw elements of Aliens, The Matrix, The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator, and even frakin Battlestar Galactica in Transformers 2. What the f*ck was that all about? It’s like the scriptwriters for Transformers 2 said, ‘Hey, let’s just throw in all this cool shit from these films and make a movie.’”

I sighed heavily when I noticed the references to other sci-fi properties in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. My mind was going a 100 miles per hour as I started identifying those references, and I actually got annoyed that the scriptwriters were so lazy. I heard unconfirmed rumors that the script for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was rushed to completion before the writer’s strike. If that’s true, it definitely showed.

*Begin spoiler alert*

Aliens Reference in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The Fallen, which apparently visited Earth in 17,000 BC with the original Transformers, magically appeared without any explanation or introduction. I noticed that The Fallen also came in the similar, physical form of the Alien Queen in the Aliens films. When the Fallen makes his appearance on the Decepticon base (somewhere in the Milky Way presumably), I immediately noticed the glaring similarities with the Alien Queen in the look and feel. My mind was screaming, “Oh come on!” It was a blatant rip off in my mind.

The Matrix & Aliens References in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

In the scenes where The Fallen makes his appearance, I noticed the egg-shaped looking objects on the Decepticon base. I noticed both Aliens and The Matrix references with the eggs. For those who have never seen the Aliens franchise, baby aliens hatch from egg-like pods before facehugging humans. This was very fitting considering The Fallen looked like the Alien Queen. Apparently, the Decepticons were trying to grow new Transformers from these eggs, but they were unsuccessful in their efforts.

The Matrix references were also present with the egg-shaped objects. The scene where Morpheus reveals to Neo that humans are grown in fields come to mind. Another scene, of course, is where Neo is “flushed” from the field of human pods and retrieved by Morpheus and his crew. The pods where humans were grown were red. The pods where the Decepticons were growing robots were blue. Otherwise, they were extremely similar.

The Empire Strikes Back References in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

After Megatron was resurrected from the bottom of the ocean, he returned to the Decepticon base to meet up with The Fallen. There was a scene where The Fallen referred to Megatron as his “apprentice,” and I rolled my eyes in disbelief. I couldn’t believe the scriptwriters ripped off from one of the most epic sci-fi films of all time, The Empire Strikes Back. As nearly everyone is aware, the Emperor refers to Darth Vader as his apprentice. When I watched the interaction with Megatron and The Fallen, it was glaringly obvious. The Fallen was sitting on his throne – that definitely gave me more Aliens references – while talking with Megatron during these scenes. All they needed was a Death Star to make the Empire Strikes Back reference complete.

Terminator & Battlestar Galactica References in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Note: While I’m aware there is a Pretender toy line now, I’m basing my thoughts on the Pretender character on my memories.

Based on my research, a Pretender has the ability to cover their robotic shell with organic tissue. In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the Pretender looked like a human in every way. The Pretender was a supposed new “love interest” for Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), which I never bought for a second. As I watched the movie, I started getting a vibe that the Pretender was a Decepticon in human form. At the time, I knew nothing about the Pretender or that it existed, but I was going on my instincts while watching the film. I sighed heavily again when I watched a Decepticon Pretender transition from Terminator mode and Cylon mode within minutes.

The actress portraying the Pretender was attempting to channel Cameron (Summer Glau) from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles but barely gave me the T-X (Kristanna Loken) from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. She had that Terminator cold stare on her face for a few moments and was walking the walk of a Terminator, too. At this point, I sunk down in my theater chair, but it was about to get a lot worse. Why? I realized that there were definitely some Battlestar Galactica Cylon references there, too.

The Pretender was in the form of a beautiful young woman Sam’s age, and her goal was to get next to him in the film. When she started coming on to him, I saw a metal tale sneak out from beneath her dress. The Cylon alarms started going off in my head at this point, and I sunk even lower in my theater chair and groaned silently. At this point, all the Pretender needed was a glowing red spine to make the transformation to Cylon complete.

When this scene played out, I had one of my many “What the f*ck?” moments with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Why add a Pretender to this film? Seriously. Why? Since the Decepticons have the ability to make Pretenders in human form, wouldn’t this be a better disguise than cars, planes, and other objects? Additionally, Starscream discussed their failures at trying to hatch new Decepticons, so where did this Pretender come from? I assume it existed after the Transformers left Cybertron.

I discovered that the Pretender toy line existed after I watched the movie, but I still felt adding this element to the film made no sense. It was confusing to me as a fan of the cartoon series (never owned the toys), so I wondered if it was more confusing to viewers who aren’t longtime fans. It definitely made me think of Terminators and Cylons. Adding the Pretender was a bad choice considering the horribly bad Terminator Salvation came out right before this film.

*End spoiler alert*

Overall, these elements from other sci-fi properties made me feel like there was no originality in preparing the script and conceptual production design/art. I know films borrow from the best, but in the case of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it came off as just plain laziness and completely unoriginal.

“Character development: non-existent and that goes for the humans and the Autobots and Decepticons. Why the f*ck are you going to introduce new Autobots and never them speak? I don’t know who the frak they are, so why put them in the movie?”

There was no progression of character development for Sam, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox), Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, or any of the other characters introduced in Transformers. I felt like the Mikeaela character suffered the most because she was just there to look good (more on that later).

The newcomers to the Autobot clan involved the addition of Arcee, Sideswipe, and Jolt. I vaguely remember Sideswipe, and I had to look it up online to remember this Autobot from my childhood. From what I recall, these Autobots never spoke in the film. I saw them on my screen fighting alongside the others, but I mostly forgot they were in the film until they the camera pointed them out as Autobots. I felt there was no point to them being in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and they could have been left out of the movie. Other than to show visually, “we’ve got more Autobots to fight Decepticons,” their presence was largely ignored.

“Oh and the racist undertones I heard about in Transformers 2, they were definitely there. Two Jar Jar Binx characters for sure. Those two minstrel robots served no purpose. They did not advance the ‘plot’ and did not need to be in Transformers 2…at all.”

The loudest of the negative buzz about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen concerned the racist undertones with the Skids and Mudflap robots, which fought with the Autobots (but weren’t really one of them). Mentally, I was prepared for it, and I’m glad I was when they appeared on my screen for the first time.

Supposedly, Michael Bay was going for comic relief by adding these two characters. Well, he failed on execution. To say that Bay utilized negative stereotypes of African-American males is a huge understatement. Allow me to point them out.

The Use of Ebonics

Unlike any of the Decepticons and Autobots, Skids and Mudflap are the only robots who used ebonics (aka a lot of street slang), which is commonly attributed to some African-Americans who live in certain areas. It was glaringly obvious that Bay wanted these characters to stand out and they did. Granted, Skids and Mudflap weren’t the only robots to curse and say sexually suggestive things. They just provided the overwhelming majority of it.

Michael Bay…it’s 2009! I get that many people attribute their images of African-Americans based on hip-hop culture and one-sided TV images, but come on! We have an African-American president, and President Obama doesn’t speak that way. All African-Americans do not utilize ebonics or drop foul/sexually suggestive language in nearly every sentence. Bay’s usage of this linguistic stereotype is equivalent to saying that all Latinos or Asians speak with an accent or in a certain way.

The Gold Tooth

If Skids had a mouthful of bling in the form of grillz, it would have at least looked less racist…though not by much. There are some Caucasians, Latinos, etc. who have grillz on their teeth – I live in the South – and that this isn’t just a trend with African-Americans. However, Bay decided to go with one gold tooth for Skids. This is once again an old stereotype of African-Americans, and it was extremely unnecessary. I have no idea why Skids had a gold tooth. None of the other robots had one, so why is it necessary for him to have it? I found Bay’s usage of the single gold tooth very telling.

Disinterest in Reading & Illiteracy

Bay’s use of the “we don’t read” stereotype deeply disturbed me in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I found it entirely implausible that an Autobot is not educated, much less don’t read much or at all. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do recall Optimus Prime saying they learned Earth’s language through the usage of the Internet in Transformers. To use the Internet, you have to be able to read. In order for Skids and Mudflap to speak “human,” they would have had to read the language online, right? They can’t learn everything through YouTube or other web videos. I would think they have to read to know what they’re looking at. So if they can’t read, how can they speak “human” language? Unless the Autobots are jacking into the Internet Matrix style, I don’t get this at all. When I heard Skids (or either Mudflap) admit they don’t read, I just shook my head in sadness and anger. Aside from the plot hole from the first film, how can you justify an advanced life form who doesn’t even read? It was just plain sad and a turn off for me. I couldn’t believe how deep Bay went into the negative stereotypes of African-Americans, but unfortunately, there’s more.

Behavior & Appearance

Skids and Mudflap’s behavior in the film was pretty much “comical” the entire time. When they weren’t attempting to be “comical,” Skids and Mudflap argued and got into fights with each other. It came off as if they had an inability to be serious unless they were fighting with the Autobots. This is another stereotype of African-Americans in that they are more interested in joking around and arguing/fighting than being serious.

As for their appearances, Skids and Mudflap looked like apes. There’s no getting around that because they did. I noticed they were the only robots who looked like apes when they were in robot form. Of course, apes or monkeys are another very negative and racist image of African-Americans. This image disturbed me the most when I saw them for the first time because I recognized the blatant racism. I couldn’t believe Bay stooped to this level, and it deeply disappointed and angered me. Once again, this is 2009, and I’m seeing minstrel figures on the theater screen…in 2009.

I don’t like to see any ethnic group stereotyped or referred to in a racist manner. I know it happens in films/TV no matter what I want, but I haven’t seen such a negative and blatant stereotype and image of racism in a while. The portrayal of Skids and Mudflap in this film should be a slap in the face to everyone. These characters are modern day minstrels, and Bay’s defense that they were added for comical relief is total and complete bullshit. I’m sorry but it is. Skids and Mudflap are racist representations of African-Americans that had to be purposeful. How can it not be? There were too many stereotypical and racist elements for it not to be purposeful. I’m sorry, but Bay’s “good clean fun” comment regarding Skids and Mudflap is the weakest thing I’ve ever heard. As far as I’m concerned, Skids and Mudflap are far worse than Jar Jar Binx.

As the film wore on, I could barely watch those two without growing angrier. These characters served no purpose other than enforcing racist and stereotypical images. They absolutely did not need to be in the film. Bay already had introduced other Autobots that weren’t speaking. Why not use those Autobots and leave Skids and Mudflap completely out of the movie? I found it very ironic that Arcee, Sideswipe, and Jolt didn’t speak, but Skids and Mudflap had a lot to say – using slang of course.

Unfortunately, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen didn’t limit racist, minstrel characters to robots. There is an African-American human character with over-exaggerated buckteeth. While this human character is limited to a few seconds of screen time, but the damage was done. It was too late. I knew exactly what was going on here. This human character was nothing more than another minstrel reference to the minstrel non-Autobots, Skids and Mudflap. He served no purpose to the “plot” other than to provide that reinforcement.

With all of these stereotype and racist images, I wonder why no one at DreamWorks said these simple words: “This is wrong. What we are doing is wrong and offensive. We should not put these representations in the film.” Someone should have stepped in and demanded cuts and/or reworks. There is no way this minstrel mess should have made it to the theatrical release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I’m looking all the way to the top at Steven Spielberg, too.

“Shia LaBeouf…I’m sick and frakin tired of his fast talking shtick now. I do not want to see him do the same type of role anymore.”

My youngest brother noticed a pattern in the roles Shia LaBeouf takes long before I did. Essentially, LaBeouf is playing the same type of character repeatedly – I Robot, Disturbia, Transformers, and Constantine for example. LaBeouf is good with the fast talking shtick, and I have enjoyed it in the past before it recently started to grow old. With Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I realized that I have had enough of these roles with him. I definitely do not want to see it anymore. It makes him look like a one-dimensional actor, and he’s gone down a path of typecasting doing this fast-talking, geeky, awkward kid shtick. As I watched the movie, I found myself shaking my head several times during his scenes. I realized that I reached my breaking point with his patented shtick. I’m done with it.

Aside from his tired shtick, I want to take a moment to mention LaBeouf’s interesting acting style. When the character of Sam started seeing symbols in his head, LaBeouf had an interesting way of portraying this. It was a cross between an epileptic seizure and some yet to be identified mental condition with the way his eyes danced up and down in his sockets. When I watched him do this several times throughout the film, I realized he made himself look bad as an actor…really bad. Those scenes weren’t the only thing that made him look bad, but it was the most obvious.

“Megan Fox…if her only purpose in Transformers 2 was to look hot in every scene, then she succeeded. Good job, Megan. Good job.”

I remember watching Megan Fox on the cancelled ABC show, Hope & Faith. I remember her doing a competent job on the series, but nothing about her acting that stood out. The same could be said in Transformers; however, I actually felt she was better in Hope & Faith. In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it seemed like her acting was reduced to looking hot and saying very little.

Can Megan Fox pull off looking hot? Of course. Can Megan Fox pull of sexy wearing skimpy outfits? Yes. Can Megan Fox pose like a Playboy cover girl on a motorcycle? Definitely. Can Megan Fox act? You can’t tell from looking at her performance in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Bay reduced her to nothing more than the “hot, sexy chick” in every single scene. The camera loved her body and face, and she definitely looked good in the film. However, every shot reminded me that Megan Fox was just there for sex appeal. It would have been nice to for her to have something to do other than look hot but whatever.

“I figured out every significant ‘plot’ moment along the way in Transformers 2. I guessed what would happen, and I was right every time. “

I wasn’t surprised by a single significant “plot” moment in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Again, I didn’t expect a smart action film that makes me think along the way, but it would have been nice not to guess the plot with alarming accuracy before it happened. It would have also been nice for the film to provide significant, climatic moments that were believable. There were many plot moments that I saw coming, but for the purpose of this review, I will cover the major events.

Note: Before I continue, I want to state that I avoided Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen trailers. I have a growing habit of avoiding trailers because I often guess (correctly) the ending of films from the footage. Considering that, I might have seen a teaser trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen less than five times, and I probably saw a full trailer once or twice. I knew nothing about the plot other than what I saw in the teaser trailers and one version of the full trailer.

*Begin spoiler alert*

The Optimus Prime Plot Moment

When Optimus Prime was fighting the Decepticons in the very awesome forest scene, I started to wonder if he would die. I wondered this based on things Optimus Prime had said earlier (about Sam being more important than he realized) among dialog spoken by the characters. I also was wondering if Bay would resurrect the “Optimus Prime dies” scene from the Transformers: The Movie cartoon film. As I correctly guessed, I was right because Optimus Prime “died” during the fight scene in the forest. The minute he fell “dead” to the ground, I rolled my eyes because of course he wasn’t dead. How can Optimus Prime be dead? Bay has another Transformers film to plan, so Optimus Prime will live! How would he live? As I correctly guessed, he would live again through the object the Decepticons had been seeking – a device oddly called The Matrix of Leadership. After the movie, I realize that the Matrix of Leadership existed long before The Matrix films; however, during the film, my mind experienced another Matrix movie reference.

For the fans that saw the Transformers: The Movie cartoon film, this scene might have been a throwback to Optimus Prime’s death. I believe its intent was to make true fans have an emotional response and remember the cartoon film. I was a fan who saw the cartoon film, but there is a difference. Optimus Prime’s death in the Transformers: The Movie cartoon film was very unexpected. No one could have seen that coming, so it generated genuine surprise…at least it did for me as a kid. Optimus Prime’s death in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen generated nothing but a sigh of disbelief from me. I felt nothing because I knew he wasn’t dead. It occurred too early in the film. Additionally, with the (lack of) plot provided, I just felt like there was no build up to this death scene to make me believe it. Again, there was another Transformers film to plan, so Optimus Prime would generate diesel fumes again.

The Symbols Plot Moment

Since the Decepticons were already after Sam’s knowledge of the symbols, I figured this would tie into Optimus Prime in some way. I noticed this, once again, when Optimus Prime stated that Sam was more important than he realized. I was making all of the connections to that statement. After Sam started seeing the symbols in his head, I had a feeling his knowledge would involve bringing Optimus Prime back to life once he “died.” Of course, I was 100% correct in my guess.

As for the origin of the symbols, I also figured that it would involve ancient human civilization in some form. While the symbols Sam saw in his head were imbedded in other areas of the world, Bay took the viewers to a very predictable and overused ancient civilization. The most popular ancient human civilization, of course, is ancient Egypt and the Pyramids of Giza. I sighed again when I got the Aliens reference again, but this time, I received it in the form of the not so good, Alien vs. Predator film. In Alien vs. Predator, the pyramid reference was used in that film. Specifically, the Predator had a hidden pyramid Antarctica. For me, it was another, unwanted movie reference to Aliens, and I was getting tired of it at this point of the film.

While I watched the symbols plot unfold, I also realized something very familiar. As Sam and his group of cohorts searched for The Matrix of Leadership, I spotted the ruins of Petra. I realized that this was the setting used in Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade. This reference gave me several more unwanted movie links. The links that started connecting while I watched the film included the following:

• George Lucas is the creator behind the Star Wars franchise, which Michael Bay borrowed from in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
• George Lucas served as executive producer on the Indiana Jones franchise, which Stephen Spielberg directed.
• Stephen Spielberg’s DreamWorks studio developed Disturbia and Eagle Eye, which both featured Shia LaBeouf in a starring role.
• Stephen Spielberg produced Transformers, which of course was directed by Michael Bay and starred Shia LaBeouf. DreamWorks also developed the film.
• Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas reunited for Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which featured Shia LaBeouf.
• Stephen Spielberg produced Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which again featured Michael Bay as director and starred Shia LaBeouf. Like the first film, DreamWorks also developed this film.

Considering all of the movie linkage I outlined, I suppose I wasn’t surprised that there was another famous film franchise reference in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. When I had this revelation, it temporarily took me mentally out of the film. Suddenly, the Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones movie reference started to make a little more sense in a weird way. Ultimately, I just didn’t need another big movie franchise reminder in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It was the last and final straw for me.

The Matrix of Leadership Plot Moment

Once Sam got his hands on The Matrix of Leadership, it turned to dust in his hands. As soon as I saw that, I knew Sam was the key to restoring The Matrix of Leadership, thus restoring Optimus Prime back to life. He didn’t see those symbols in his head without a reason. To reiterate, I was also remembering Optimus Prime’s words that Sam was important, which was foreshadowing dialog for the film. Well, this was Sam’s defining moment in the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He became the “Transformer God” who could restore life to Optimus Prime.

*End spoiler alert*

“I had many what the f*ck moments watching the illogical mess that was thrown together for a script for Transformers 2. It was epic bullshit film fail.”

As I stated earlier, I didn’t expect a great story, but I expected a good story with some sort of logic. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had several illogical moments where things were unexplained or made no sense. I’ll briefly describe some of those moments among the several.

Illogical Film Moment #1

Why show the Decepticon base once and only once in the film? Despite the fact that it ripped off Aliens and The Matrix in its look, it did look cool. I wanted to see and know more about it. I wanted to know how it got there. I wanted to know what else the Decepticons were up to on their base. A line or two in the dialog could have helped explain some of that for me.

Illogical Film Moment #2

As a kid, I always remember Megatron being the leader of the Decepticons – no questions asked. When The Fallen appeared in the film, Megatron looked at him as his master. The first Transformers film firmly established that Megatron was leader of the Decepticons. It gave an impression that no one was greater than he was. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen didn’t bother to explain why Megatron was in the role of Starscream (as second in command) and The Fallen was in the role of Megatron (as the leader). Not everyone is that deep into Transformers fandom, and the scriptwriters could have explained this a little. Even I didn’t know why they were acting this way. I had to go home and look up Transformers history online to understand their behavior.

Illogical Film Moment #3

Soundwave apparently had an “upgrade” from a small boom box in Transformers into some Matrix like-Sentinel creature in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It took me a while to figure out that I was seeing Soundwave when he was in the film because the story provided no explanation for his upgrade.

“Okay, so there was some good in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The effects looked stunning, but I expected that from Industrial Light & Magic. The explosions looked good. The robot fight scenes (especially the forest one) in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen were good. Other than effects and fight scenes, there is nothing else good about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Honestly, I was frakin bored through a lot of it.”

The special effects in the film were the star of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I didn’t experience the awe I felt when I saw an Autobot transform for the first time in Transformers, but I was still impressed. Everything looked extremely good in terms of the transformations and other special effects. However, as I said in tweet review, I expected nothing but stellar effects from Industrial Light & Magic. I got what I expected because they are the best in the business. While I felt one transformation effect went on several seconds too long (with Optimus Prime’s first appearance), it was still impressive to watch. The look of the Transformers and other special effects looked realistic.

Michael Bay is an action film director, and when it came to the action sequences, he did what he knows best. I was fine with that. I actually have enjoyed several Bay films – Bad Boys and Bad Boys II for example – because of the good action sequences. There were plenty of explosions, gunfire, and robot fights. For the most part, it all came together well in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The highlight of this film involved the robot fights between Autobots and Decepticons. These fight scenes were done very well, and my absolute favorite action sequence involved a Transformers fight scene in the forest. For whatever reason, the combination of giant robots fighting against lush green scenery worked well. It provided a different backdrop from the typical cityscape fights the Transformers have engaged in. I thought this was a nice choice by Bay in changing the surroundings of the Transformers into an unexpected environment.

The problem was that the lack of story highlighted the fact that this film was an “action porn” movie. Out of all the Michael Bay films I have seen, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen showed the weakness in an overabundance of good action vs. no story. When I watched the human and robots talk, I found myself bored because there was nothing significant being revealed. I was shifting in my theater seat and sighing, waiting for the next action sequence because the plot was thinner than a sheet of paper. While I do like smart action films with a good plot (at the least), I knew that I wasn’t getting that with this film within the first hour. Therefore, I was just waiting for the next great action sequence. I realized I had to transition mentally into that kind of mode when watching this movie.

“I found myself butt shifting (a lot) in Transformers 2 cause it was too long. I actually had a moment where I wanted to get up and leave.”

The running time of 2 hours, 30 minutes could have been trimmed down by at least 45 minutes-1 hour. The lack of plot highlighted this fact, and towards the end of the film, I felt like some action sequences were just being thrown in…just because. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen started to drag at the end, and I was getting restless and waiting impatiently for the “big climatic moment.” Towards the end of the film, I felt like some of those action sequences weren’t needed and could have been cut. There was too much fat in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (in the middle and end), and I found myself bored, agitated, and ready to leave. On top of everything I’d already experienced, I was just beat down towards the end of the film. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen grew to be excruciatingly bad as it wore on, and I didn’t know if I could take the pain anymore. At that point, I’d had enough “action porn” for 90 minutes; however, I managed to suffer through it and finish the film without leaving.

“I enjoyed the first Transformers. I didn’t expect this one to be as good, but I expected better at first. This movie failed badly! I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but I felt Terminator Salvation was better than Transformers 2. At least I had more (barely) to like.”

To say I was disappointed for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an understatement. I didn’t think it was going to be such a terrible film experience. It is definitely the worst in-theater, film experience I’ve had. Before that, Terminator Salvation held that honor.

I never expected that Terminator Salvation would be a better film than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but it was. Yes, Terminator Salvation was an epic bullshit film fail, too, but I did actually like the Marcus Wright character, his story, Kyle Reese’s character, and even the little girl, Star. That’s far more than I liked in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which essentially boiled down to the action sequences and effects.

“To Shia LaBeouf, I want to say that you are better than this. I saw shades of that in the really bad Eagle Eye. You can act. Stop this madness. Shia, if you aren’t signed up for Transformers 3 and Michael Bay approaches you, just say no! ‘DARE to keep a kid off crap!’”

Despite how some of his films make him look, I do believe LaBeouf is a good actor. He showed me that there is some depth there and that he can act in one significant scene in Eagle Eye. When I watched that scene, I knew then that he was capable of far more than the roles he’s had. I wish LaBeouf would take a detour from the big budget mainstream franchises and follow the path for smaller films sometimes. A good example of a young actor who is taking on small films but making big waves is Emile Hirsch. I think LaBeouf couldn’t do any wrong by following Hirsch’s career path with similar film choices. However, I predict more big budget pictures for LaBeouf with the same shtick and another Transformers film.

“To Megan Fox, honey, I know you look like a younger Angelina Jolie, but at least she proved she can act. Transformers isn’t helping you.”

As it stands, Fox looks like another Hollywood star rather than an actress. I don’t know if she wants to be a star or an actress, but if she wants to be an actress, she’s got to take a different career path. Maybe she needs to follow Charlize Theron’s lead (in Monster) by getting ugly for her next film. Perhaps I’m naïve, but I want to believe Fox wants to be an actress and not just a star.

“The juvenile sex jokes and references in Transformers 2 were overwhelmingly stupid. Robots humping legs. Dogs humping. And more! Sam’s (Shia) parents were terrible! His mother made me wanna slap some good sense into her. I was like what the f*ck is wrong with you?”

Other than juvenile sex jokes and constant sexual references, there were too many “cheap, just for laughs” humor attempts. These things were distractions from the fact that this movie had no real story. 99% of the time, I didn’t fall for the distractions. I might have laughed three times during this film; otherwise, I was shaking my head at the stupidity of these scenes and the humor. I think I clearly got that sex was on the scriptwriter’s minds when this film ended. Awesome job on conveying that thought. They only beat it into my head with baseball bat.

“Oh and let me say, there was a ‘Thong Song’ moment that freaked the frak outta me. Seriously, I was waiting for Sisqo’s song to break out. Hint: that ‘Thong Song’ moment in Transformers 2 is not from who you’d expect either. I needed brain bleach after that. Holy jeebus!”

Seriously, the scriptwriters went for toilet humor at this point. It was a disgusting humor moment that made everyone in the theater groan more than laugh. I don’t want to spoil it, but if you’ve seen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

“And speaking of sex references…why the f*ck were there testicles on a Decepticon! Seriously? I saw frakin dangling nuts! Frak, if you’re gonna give a Decepticon balls, go all the frakin way. Give him a magic stick, too! I can’t believe I saw elephantitis testicles hanging on a Decepticon. That’s when I knew Michael Bay lost his ever loving mind! If Michael Bay gave a Decepticon nuts, I’m really scared to see um, ‘rose petals’ for robots in disguise.”

I don’t think there is anything else for me to add to my tweet review here. Do you?

“Transformers 2 deserves the scathing reviews it’s getting because it’s frakin hot poop on a stick. It’s epic bullshit film fail. Special effects, explosions, and hot looking people are not enough to make a film, Michael Bay. I hoped you would do better. This was fail! The BSG, Terminator, Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, and The Matrix movie references in Transformers 2 made my head spin. I was like, what the f*ck?”

To reiterate, I didn’t expect to see a smart action film in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Out of the Michael Bay films I’ve seen, I have enjoyed them. Of course, I’ve enjoyed some more than others, but I have never outright hated a film of his…until now.

For me, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was his worst effort by far. Bay and the scriptwriters could have at least given me a story on the first Transformers film level. At least that would have been better than no story. I don’t have high expectations from a Bay film, but I do expect to be entertained. Other than a few action scenes, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen definitely didn’t entertain me – far, far from it. My painful movie experience level outweighed my level of enjoyment by wide margins.

“Ya’ll can watch Transformers 2 at your own risk, but don’t say I didn’t warn you that it was an epic bullshit film fail. I don’t always listen to critic reviews, but the 22% for Transformers 2 at Rotten Tomatoes is too high! The sad thing is that there were some people enjoying Transformers 2 in the theater. I was like, are you watching the same movie as me?”

I will say that if you still want to watch this film, then be wary and realize what you’re walking into with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. As I wrote earlier in my review, the box office attendant stated that people who liked the first Transformers would like the sequel. I really liked the first film, but I detested the second film. I feel there are better ways to spend 2 hours and 30 minutes of your life that you will never get back watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. However, you can judge it for yourselves if you really, really want to sit through this movie. It’s possible you will like it as much as the first film…it’s possible.

“When the credits rolled for Transformers 2, I felt hoodwinked, bamboozled. This film gets a huge frakin F!!”

That’s all.

Warning: This review contains spoilers. Since it’s been a number of years since I wrote a movie review, it’s going to take me some practice not to be so spoilerish. Thanks.

Director David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac) is one of my favorite directors. His movies are the epitome of perfection and passion for filmmaking, which seems to be rare in mainstream Hollywood these days. Fincher has the ability to drive the actors in his films to reach down deep and pull out performances that often leave you awed and amazed. He also has the ability to make a good story great with his vision as a director. So, as soon as I saw the teaser trailer (best…trailer…ever) for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and realized that Fincher was attached, I was determined to see this film opening day. I was ready to be awed and amazed again.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film centers around the story of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) who is born as an elderly infant (with some of the symptoms of old age) that ages backwards while everyone else ages forward. This theme remains a central plot point throughout the remainder of the film, and it’s relatively easy to figure out the ending. However, it’s all about the journey and life experiences of Benjamin Button, and what an interesting journey it is.

The story of Benjamin Button is told through entries in a diary belonging to Benjamin. As an elderly Daisy (Cate Blanchet) lies in her hospital sickbed, she is near death’s door and asks her daughter Caroline (Julia Ormond) to read Benjamin’s diary. As Caroline reads the diary, Benjamin’s story is shown in flashback mode in the city of New Orleans (1918 to late 20th century). An explanation is presented to the audience as to why Benjamin may have been born elderly in appearance before the film largely centers on the lives Benjamin encounters. As the film trailer shows, Benjamin’s father leaves him on the doorstep of a home, which happens to be a nursing home for the elderly. This is where Fincher introduces audiences to Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) and Tizzy (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) who nearly step on a bundled Benjamin (along with $18.00) while leaving the nursing home. Although startled by Benjamin’s elderly appearance, Queenie takes him into the home and into her life, vowing to raise him until he dies (according to a doctor that examines him).

As the film progresses and Benjamin’s extended life continues to be a “miracle,” he meets Daisy for the first time, who is visiting her grandmother at the nursing home where Benjamin lives. As expected, it’s love at first sight for Benjamin when he spots Daisy. However, his burgeoning friendship with Daisy is cut short when Daisy’s grandmother forbids them from seeing or playing with each other. Although Queenie and Tizzy are aware that Benjamin is a special child who just appears elderly in appearance, viewers are left with the impression that Daisy’s grandmother may not know this about Benjamin and that he’s actually closer in age to Daisy.

While Benjamin grows younger in appearance and grows up in terms of age, Fincher plays on Benjamin’s elderly appearance by allowing him to have adult experiences at a young age. These experiences include drinking, bedding prostitutes with a randy hunger and readiness that a younger man would have, and landing his first job on a tugboat for Captain Mike (Jared Harris) – all of which occur while Benjamin is roughly a young teen. I know some reviewers reference the tugboat experiences as Forrest Gump redux (while Forrest works the shrimp boat), but I didn’t notice this while watching the film. I was too busy, along with the audience, laughing at Benjamin’s interactions with Captain Mike. During this period, Benjamin’s real father also reconnects with the son he left to strangers and of course, doesn’t reveal who he is to Benjamin until much later in the film. Although Benjamin interacts sparingly with an older Daisy again, his job as a shipmate eventually takes him away from his life in New Orleans and leads him all around the world.

After Benjamin globetrots, experiences his first real adult love affair (with Elizabeth Abbot played by Tilda Swinton), and experiences gun battles in World War II, he finally returns home to New Orleans. While I enjoyed the previous parts of the film, the real meat of the film is his roller coaster relationship with Daisy. Throughout the film, the audience learns that Daisy grows up to become a successful ballet dancer who is busy living the high-life in New York. Even though Benjamin is ready to advance their friendship into a more meaningful romantic relationship, it’s clear that Daisy is not. She’s young, high off of her success, and too immature to accept the love Benjamin clearly has for her until many, many years later – when they “meet in the middle” in terms of age. Despite their happiness together, age eventually becomes an issue, primarily from Daisy’s side as she grows older in appearance and Benjamin grows younger in appearance. A further complication that’s relatively easy to figure out as you watch the film also occurs, and from that moment, the writing is clearly on the wall on what happens with their relationship. However, I did appreciate how Fincher showed that when you have true love, age does not matter in terms of feeling passion for the one you love. This truth was especially important when a much younger Benjamin shows his desire for an elderly Daisy later in the story.

I must say that Fincher’s uncanny ability to draw great performances from the actors in his films does not disappoint in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Everyone from the major roles played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett to the supporting roles of Tilda Swinton, Taraji P. Henson, and even Jared Harris are on point. For me, there wasn’t a weak link in terms of acting in this film. I also must give special kudos to Elle Fanning (young Daisy) who shows that her older sister isn’t the only talent in the household. Her ability to nail the Louisiana accent should shame much older actors (mostly American ones) into preparing for films where they must adopt accents. I don’t want to call out any names, but these people know who they are. Standout performances go to Tilda Swinton and Taraji P. Henson. When these two actresses were on screen, they shined, especially Henson (who should get an Academy nod for best supporting actress).

The cinematography, directing, and special effects were also top notch in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I loved the tiny “old projection film” touches to certain scenes, and the use of certain lighting made this film beautiful to look at. The special effects were believable and didn’t come across as “way too CG” in appearance. Sometimes the look of special effects in films snaps me out of believing what I’m seeing, and that didn’t happen with this film.

As perfect as this film was, it had some flaws, albeit minor ones. I felt that the “lightning man” stuff played out several scenes longer than was needed. This was funny the first couple of times but grew a little annoying when the same joke kept being replayed. I also didn’t like the present day setting of Hurricane Katrina and felt this was unnecessary to the movie. I wonder if the Hurricane Katrina references were Brad Pitt’s idea since rebuilding New Orleans is one of his man philanthropic causes. Part of me suspects that it was and that Fincher agreed to set the present day part of the movie in 2005 when Katrina hit. For me, it just didn’t belong, and I could have settled for any generic day and year from the calendar. Additionally, there were a couple of over the top moments (even though this movie is slightly sci-fi in nature). A perfect example is the sinking of a German U-Boat by the tugboat Benjamin served on during the war. Again, these are minor things I didn’t like in an otherwise nearly flawless film.

In a year where I saw more bad movies than good movies in theaters, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a breath of fresh air. Yes, I guess you could say this film gave you some Forrest Gump upon further thought; however, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button primarily reminded me of Fried Green Tomatoes at times, which is not a bad reminder by any means. This film was an enjoyable journey that was thoroughly entertaining, breathtaking, funny, and emotional. For me, it definitely passed the “butt shifter” test as I didn’t squirm in my theater seat once, get distracted, or check the time. However, I will say that since The Curious Case of Benjamin Button clocks in at 159 minutes, I advise you to take a bathroom break before the film starts. You won’t want to miss a single frame of this film.

My Rating: A+