Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen Movie

Director Michael Bay has never been a critics' favorite, but the thrashing he received for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was the worst of his eight-film career. Reviewers ridiculed the new sequel about battling robots as "beyond bad" (Rolling Stone), "bewildering" and "sloppy" (the Village Voice) and "a great grinding garbage disposal of a movie" (the Detroit News).

It turns out that Michael Bay runs an audition a lot like he makes movies. Last year, Ramon Rodriguez visited Bay's Santa Monica offices seeking a key role in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and, instead of a sedate line reading, the young actor was basically told to run for his life.

In "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," motorcycles, bulldozers and toasters transform into a menacing militia, but it's the robot with a more feminine side that stands out among the heavy metal soldiers. Alice, a "pretender" Decepticon, emerges in the form of a sexy coed who shares a near-fatal kiss with Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) via her titanium tongue.

The "Transformers" sequel has become China's biggest box office hit ever by earning $59 million, a publicist for the country's leading state-run film company said Friday. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" surpassed the 11-year-old record set by "Titanic," said spokesman Weng Li at the China Film Group, one of the country's two film importers. "Titanic" made about $43 million based on exchange rates in 1998, the year it was released. "This is a tremendous achievement for the market in China and clearly shows that there is a strong growing demand for international films," said Mike Ellis, Asia-Pacific managing director of the Motion Picture Assn.