BEVERLY HILLS, California — On Sunday, at the MTV Movie Awards, invited guests include Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and director Michael Bay. But even those high-wattage talents might not be the most exciting "Transformers" star you'll see this weekend.
"He is the king bee," LaBeouf told us recently as he discussed the Fallen, unveiling him to "Transformers" fans for the first time anywhere. "He's the patriarchal figure, he's the main dude. He's what all of this came from."
Feast your eyes on the previously top-secret villain of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," as the evil Transformer will be dominating screens everywhere when the film opens June 20. "Basically, the Fallen is to them what cavemen, Neanderthals were to us," LaBeouf revealed. "He's the ancestor, the first version of this exoskeleton. He's the first version of this sentient being. That's what he is. He's the origins of what they came from."
(Check out our "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" gallery for the exclusive Fallen picture and more shots from the movie!)
As you can see, the Fallen looks quite different than the other robots in disguise. "It's the design of the Transformer you see in the symbol, almost — at least, that's where the jump-off point of the idea was spawned from," LaBeouf said of the inspiration for Michael Bay and his team of robot designers. "That was the initial spark of his look, the actual Decepticon logo — which is cool."
Some fans might remember that Megatron was the top Decepticon in the first flick and that things didn't look too good for him at the end of the movie. Asked what the Fallen's relationship to Megatron is, the series star offered an intriguing explanation.
"It's the Emperor and Darth Vader — it's that kind of situation," LaBeouf said. "He's the main villain, so two and two makes four. He's a badass. He has to be.
"The Fallen, his transportation method is really unlike any other robot's transportation method," he added. "The way he fights is also very different. It's spectacular, visually stunning, really incredible."
The Fallen features prominently in a big fight at the end of the blockbuster film, and LaBeouf said the character's size and scope were a necessity after the first "Transformers" movie. "A big part of the reason the first one was successful was because nobody expected the CGI to look the way it looked like. Nobody expected our explosions to be as insane as it was, our action to be outrageous or our jokes to be funny," he explained of the pressure in shooting the sequel to 2007's biggest film. "Now that there's a high expectation — and everybody involved has an enormous sense of pride — those factors make successful films.
"I think this is a darker one," he said of "Revenge of the Fallen." "The dark moments are darker. ... There's more at stake. You've got more humans getting injured, and there's more death."
As for the Fallen himself, LaBeouf is eager to see the villain's finished scenes and get an idea of where he'll rank among such cinematic icons of evil as Darth Vader, Jason Voorhees, Megatron and the rest. "I can't judge him yet, because he's not completely done," he said of the finished effects work, which Bay is currently slaving away at. "I'll be as surprised as you guys will be. I'll be seeing it at the premiere."
Will the vampires grab more trophies than the slumdog? What was the year's ultimate onscreen WTF moment? It's up to you to decide the winners of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Vote now, and tune in on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, when the big show airs live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.
Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
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