Having seen the originial, I honestly wasn't expecting much and I was right. While the special effects and action sequences were decent, many of the Transformers abilities were lifted from other places. Can you say Metal Gear Solid?
The story was hokey and the acting was mediocre. Perhaps if the actors had decent dialogue to deliver they might have stepped up to the plate and turned in an actual performance. Since the characters were one dimensional, I never felt vested in their journey, so I didn't care if they lived or died.
This film started off fine and went downhill both literally and figuratively. What should have been a campy, fun movie started to take itself too seriously once they hit the center of the earth. If the action sequences hadn't been enhanced by the fabulous 3D I would have fallen asleep. The director of this movie needed to have a consultation to Bruce Campbell who could have turned this into a fun film. Instead the story comes off hokey and corny. Wait for the video unless you are seeing it in 3D -- but definitely see the matinee. I paid full price and I'm embarrassed to say it.