a popcorn movie can be just a popcorn movie, brain candy, escapism, whatever, and that's fine. it's fun!
of course, it's possible to be a popcorn movie and also be intelligent, and interesting, and have great character development, and a story that holds together, AND be lots of fun. as in, Raiders of the Lost Ark or Batman Begins or Titanic or Notting Hill or 3:10 to Yuma or Amelie or Pirates of the Caribbean [only the first one] or ...
here's what i want to note about Transformers 2.
1. there are no strong female characters in it. at all. Megan Fox plays the bimbo hot girlfriend ho-bag. there's the mother, who's ditzy and funny and looks crazy most of the movie, and she's endearing, like a 21st century Lucille Ball. so, she's not powerful. there's the temptress girl at college who is, of course, another ho-bag.
that's it. no women in leadership in the military or in politics. no female autobots that i saw, and if there are any, who can tell? no women professors at college. no women soldiers. (well, i did see one. she has one line.)
2. there are virtually no people of color who are strong. there's the african-american solider played by Tyrese. but no leaders in the military or politics. no one powerful enough to serve as a significant presence. there's the college roommate, who's hispanic, but he turns out to be a goofball.
there ARE two autobots who are ostensibly african-american. what's their job? comic relief. one is step-it and the other is fetch-it. or, one is amos and the other is andy. they're hollywood stereotypes of the silly, dumb black guy.
3. it's all about dicks. what are robots' giant arms and legs and rockets and missiles and lasers and swords and cars and trucks and jets and helicopters? what are the giant guns of the soldiers? what is the car that turns into a weapon? they're all phallic symbols, all the young-man's-disease of 21st-century hollywood showing off its adolescent culture's desire for empowerment. like teenage boys (and lots of grown men who are still just teenage boys inside) who are constantly swinging their machismo around, and engaging in the ancient ritual known as dick-stomping (mine's bigger! look at this stick/staff/sword/gun i carry! look at this car/jet/truck/boat i drive! look how far i can hit/throw/kick this ball! look how fast i can run/drive/aim and shoot! i'm bigger than you are! you're a jerk/nerd/loser! look at me! i'm a big boy!)
and that's why there are no strong women in the movie. the energy of the boy is intimidated by the energy of the strong woman. and, sadly, that's why the men of color are reduced to stereotypes and stooges: it's all about white adolescent boy energy. which, when the game is for white boys only, is wrong and anti-american.
i am all for good masculine running and playing ball and driving. i, in fact, drive a truck. and i love fishing and shooting guns and playing softball and golf and poker. those things of themselves are not the point.
the point is, this is a movie that has nothing to offer but adolescent white boys dick-stomping vicariously through gigantic toys. and it's not exactly what i hope 21st century culture is learning about what really matters, and what is worth living for.
however, if that's what you're into, go for it.
my wife and i saw it yesterday afternoon and it was fun. a little boring, but the robots were cool. and lots of shit blew up. so that's entertaining. although, after the hundredth explosion, which in this case would be the first five or six minutes, it can get a little old. and the movie is 2 1/2 hours long. just fyi.
