ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
Andrews Airmen can see their comrades battle giant-evil-alien robots in what could be the biggest blockbuster of 2009 at the "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" free screening at the base theater 8 p.m. June 27.
The U.S. Air Force, along with the Army, Navy and Marines, officially supported the movie as a public affairs initiative to affect accurate and positive depiction of the military in this universally popular franchise.
"The Air Force formally supported 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' because it afforded us the unique opportunity to showcase America's Airmen and air power in a positive light to millions worldwide," said Capt. Bryon McGarry, U.S. Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office deputy director. "Outreach through entertainment media enables the DoD to communicate respective visions and highlight our people to a much broader audience than by just engaging traditional news media."
The Dreamworks and Paramount Studios production is a live-action, sci-fi film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Steven Spielberg, and is the second movie based on the "Transformers" toys franchise. "It is imperative that we engage Hollywood and the entertainment industry because Americans' perceptions of the military are greatly influenced by what they see in film and television," said Wendy Varhegyi, director of the Secretary of the Air Force's Public Affairs Engagement Division, located in the Pentagon.
The Air Force provided support in the form of script notes, research trips, on-set technical advisors, more than 300 uniformed Airmen as extras, shooting locations and military aircraft. The majority of the military scenes were filmed at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., Edwards AFB, Calif. and the Army's White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
Air Force static ground and aerial support for the film included the F-22, F-16, A-10, B-1B, C-17, T-38, E-3 and Predator.
"The Air Force had significant involvement in how the aircraft were represented from a technical standpoint ... we provided unclassified technological specs and coordinated art department trips to Air Force bases," said Mrs. Varhegyi. "From a character standpoint, we provided principal actors portraying Airmen the opportunity to meet with their Active Duty counterparts to aid in their role research."
In the film, actor Tyrese Gibson again plays "Epps," a combat controller who is part of a special ops team that takes on the evil Decepticons. One of the more prominent Decepticons is "Starscream," a robot that takes the alternate form of an F-22 Raptor.
For one particular real-life Airman, working on this project was a blast.
"As a huge childhood "Transformers" fan, it was a surreal and fantastic experience merging my Air Force expertise with this creative process," said Captain McGarry, who is based in Los Angeles and served as the Air Force's overall project lead. "Helping showcase Airmen side-by-side working with the Autobots to defeat the Decepticons is an experience I'll never forget!" - Editors note: the screening is open to all personnel with base access.