If you’ve seen Transformers, you know that there’s more than meets the eye – especially when it comes to movie and film locations.
tripatlas.com/new is bringing you to the filming locations and travel destinations featured in the latest Transformers movie: Revenge of the Fallen.
Want more on movies shot around the world? Check out Angels & Demons in Rome; Bond in Quantum of Solace; or Indiana Jones’ Adventure Destinations.
Shanghai, China. The film begins in Shanghai where the Autobots are seen battling alongside the US Military against the Decepticons. After killing a Decepticon, Optimus Prime is warned that “The Fallen will rise again.” Although shots of the Shanghai skyline are seen, most of the action scene was filmed at the Bethlehem Steel Company’s site over three days while more was filmed in Long Beach, California.
University of Pennsylvania & Princeton University. The movie features protagonist, Sam Witwicky (played by Shia LeBeouf), and his transition to the East Coast to begin attending college. College scenes were filmed at both the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University. However, due to a humorous scene involving Sam’s mom (Mrs. Witwicky) partaking in drugs, neither of the colleges gave permission to use their name in the movie. During Sam’s first Astronomy class, he begins to see Cybertronian symbols and breaks down in class.
Paris, France. After sending him off to college, Sam’s parents go on vacation to Paris. They’re seen eating escargots at a restaurant near the Place de la Concorde in Paris in Paris’ Champs-Elysees. Most filming was done in Paris while one scene of a side street was done in Philadelphia.
Smithsonian Museum, Washington D.C. It’s at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, the D. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington D.C., where Sam and his friends find Jetfire, one of the oldest and first Autobots to come to Earth. They reactivate him and he helps them read the Cybertronian symbols that Sam has been seeing in his head, which turns out to be a clue to finding the Matrix of Leadership.
Egypt desert. With Jetfire’s help, they are transported to the Egyptian desert. He tells them about about the Fallen, an evil Decepticon that created a machine that would destroy the Earth’s sun to harvest the energy to re-power Cybertron. Jetfire tells them that both the sun-harvesting machine and the key to turning it on, the Matrix of Leadership, are hidden somewhere in Egypt. These desert scenes were filmed at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, a location that represented Qatar in the first Transformers film.
Jordan: Petra, Salt, Wadi Rum. The clues lead them to Petra. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, Petra is more breathtaking than ever in Transformers 2. Luckily for the filming crew, one of Jordan’s princes liked the first Transformers film and allowed them to film at Petra, Wadi Rum and Salt, with the help of the Royal Jordanian Air Force. At Petra, Sam finds the Matrix of Leadership.
Pyramids of Egypt: Giza + Luxor. The final battle scene of Revenge of the Fallen brings everything to the pyramids of Egypt. It’s in one of the pyramids that the Fallen hid his sun-harvesting machine. While some scenes of the pyramids were filmed on a scale model in Los Angeles, a lot of the filming actually took place at the Giza pyraminds and Luxor. The film crew and dozens of Egyptian locals helped to ensure the shoot went smoothly and a fifty-foot tall camera crane was used.
Looking to book a trip to Egypt or Jordan? Check out the tripatlas.com/new Trip Builder where you can request a quote from over 104,000 travel agents who are waiting to offer you the best prices on trips to Europe!