Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Shia LeBeouf, Megan Fox and Hasbro's robots in disguise return to do battle in Michael Bay's sequel to his 2007 blockbuster. The evil Decepticons are back on earth, lead by the dastardly Megatron, to achieve world domination and pursue college student Sam Witwicky (LeBeouf), who possesses vital information about their origins.

Nick de Semlyen, Empire: [Michael Bay's] first and only sequel since Bad Boys 2 is, like that film, marked by swaggering confidence, wild excess and a string of bad-taste jokes. It's a case of same meal, bigger portion, with the flaws of the first Transformers not only present but accentuated. You'll be even more hard pressed at the end of this one to remember which robot's which... What saves it, just about, are the effects. (Verdict: 3 stars out of 5)

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: Somehow, a total absence of narrative logic doesn't feel like an insult to the viewers' intelligence: it's not that the writers believe their audience are too stupid to notice the gaping holes in the plot; it's just that they know they don't give a damn. And Bay's direction offers sparks of genuine invention, including a stunning break-in involving a metallic cougar and a herd of smart ball bearings. (Verdict: 3 stars out of 5)

Ed Potton, the Times: The transformations are even more impressive than those in the first film. Once the wow factor begins to dim, however, we are left with playground-level cowboys and Indians, as legions of nameless behemoths batter seven shades of rust out of each other, with pyrotechnic support from the US Army. It's like being hit over the head repeatedly with a very expensive, very loud train set. (Verdict: 2 stars out of 5) ·