The Transformers Return with a Vengeance

Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) is once again caught up in a battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

In the summer of 2007, robots ruled the big screen. Transformers, the cartoon-turned-movie directed by Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor), was one of the top 10 highest grossing films that year, earning over $700 million worldwide. It even beat out the much-anticipated Simpsons Movie as the top pick for theatre-goers everywhere.

Now, Transformers is back – and the sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, will be competing for summer box office numbers against much-anticipated films like the sixth installment of the Harry Potter saga. So what gives Revenge of the Fallen a leg up on the competition? “It’s bigger, badder and better than the first one,” declares Ramon Rodriguez who plays Leo Spitz, protagonist Sam Witwicky’s roommate. “It’s really huge, it’s epic – it’s kind of like the scope of it just got a lot wider.”

Although few plot details have been revealed, the basic premise of Revenge of the Fallen is that Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is taken prisoner by Decepticons after discovering crucial information surrounding the Transformers. This climaxes into a bigger and fiercer good-versus-evil battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. Beyond that, mum’s the word: “I can’t say very much about the movie because it’s under serious wraps, but from what I’ve seen, it looks incredible,” divulges Rodriguez. “I can’t really say much more. I’ve got a gun to my head.”

Rodriguez is of course joking about the gun to his head, but filming for this action-packed movie did have its fair share of danger, namely during one stunt which nearly gave him a dislocated shoulder! “It seemed like [my shoulder] got popped and came out for a little bit and was sore for a very long time. We were filming at a quarry in Northern California during a hot day in the summer and I was doing a pretty gruelling stunt. That’s when Michael Bay brought out these two huge fans that blow 100 mph winds, and he had them face straight towards me as I was holding onto this pole. He had two gentlemen behind me with wires that were attached to my ankles and they were pulling on them so I could look elevated. So, when they were pulling on them, the pressure caused my shoulder to pop a little bit. But we kept going, and I kept filming, while I had all this stuff going in my eyes and in my face. I couldn’t see anything and I could barely hear Michael Bay just yelling ‘Open your eyes! Open your eyes!’ Gruelling, but it was an awesome shot and I nearly lost my eyesight honestly.”

Going to extremes to get those awesome shots seems to be director Michael Bay’s modus operandi. Remember his work in Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and Bad Boys? But, according to Rodriguez, Bay provides his actors with lots of support. “Working with Michael, the environment was intense,” says Rodriguez. “He is really fast and he likes to get things done. He likes to work in a frenetic kind of insane manner, but it works. The cool part about it is that Michael actually supplies a lot of stimulus so you are actually reacting to what’s going on, and think like you’re really being in the moment and all.”

Even with injuries and intense working conditions, Rodriguez was thrilled to be a part of Revenge of the Fallen. “I was a huge fan of the cartoon series, and grew up watching it. I remember watching the Transformers movie in Puerto Rico with my cousins, and I was completely impressed. At the end of the film, I literally said to them ‘I want to do something like that,’” recounts Rodriguez. “Doing this was a crazy experience, but it was fun!”

Only box office numbers will tell whether Revenge of the Fallen will live up to the standard set by its predecessor. Find out yourself when Transformers 2 opens in theatres on June 24th.