Like its 2007 predecessor, the soundtrack to 2009's second blockbuster live action rendering of the '80s animated cartoon legend Transformers is peppered with enough MTV-approved post-grunge/emo-metal (
Nickelback,
the Fray,
Taking Back Sunday,
Linkin Park,
Staind,
Hoobastank) to warrant its own stage on the Warped Tour. Director
Michael Bay's fetish for expertly crafted clichéd explosions, high-school-level social drama, and over the top military machismo obviously extends to his record collection, as the 14 tracks that make up the non-orchestral version of
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (especially
Cheap Trick's wonderful and cheeky "Surrender"-esque title track) are as fun and forgettable as the actual plots to his films. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide