So I just got back from watching it. All I can say is.... HOT DAMN IT KICKED ASS!! I figured I would enjoy it, but it went way, WAY beyond even my high expectations. The look of the transformers? Awesome. The action scenes? Incredible. The plot? Amazing. The acting? Top-notch. And then there were the geek-gasm moments, of which there were plenty. To go through them would be to spoil the greatness of the movie, but the casting of John Tutorro was very welcome indeed. I found myself actually interested in the human side of the story, which was amazing to me because I fully expected boring shit that would distract from the greatness of the giant robots. The actors, though, went a long way towards making the human segments as enjoyable as the robot segments. I really can't say anything bad about this film. I didn't really see one single flaw with ANY of it. I loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
We should get an interesting take in our household. I NEVER got into the cartoons at all, my kids went through a stage where they were obsessed with them - they still have more Transformer toys than any other type - but I have been blown away by the previews and was as eager to see it in theaters as they were. So my impressions balanced with my sons should make for an interesting range of opinion.
Gotta echo Bailey's original comment. Transformers is a movie for which we need 60x60 film. 35mm 24p just isn't enough. BUT hot DAMN was it awesome. Could have done more to distinguish the robots from one another; Scorponok, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Frenzy were the only ones I could reliably tell apart when they were in robot form.
I'm not talking minor details. I'm saying that the producers are relying on my nostalgia for me to buy a ticket. I loved Transformers as a kid and they are counting on that love to get me to give them money. There's nothing wrong with that, but instead of giving me an updated version, yet distinctly connected to the original, Bay and company are taking everything I loved about Transformers and throwing it out the window. They are using my nostalgia to get me in the theater but are throwing away what I'm nostagic about in the first place. The designs are one example, the Allspark thing being another example, and so on. It's not what I want out of a Transformers movie, so I'll pass.
As Alan Moore says, what's the point in taking what's been done before and redoing it? if they just did a live-action Transformers that followed the same design, plot, and characterization as what's come before, what would be the point? To satisfy a person's craving for real-life models of old-school transformers, there are well-done videos on the net. This excelled at not only bringing Tranformers to the live screen in, I think, the best way possible, but also reintroduced the classic (Yes, classic) ideas behind Transformers to a whole new generation. If you're a Transformers fan and DON'T see this movie, you're doing yourself a disservice, I think.
So why even revisit an idea instead of doing something completely new in the first place? Why make a Transformers movie if it's going to ignore the source material that made the idea popular in the first place?
From not seeing the movie. Remember, as he has repeatedly pointed out he is such a big Transformers fan that he doesn't actually have to see the movie to know what it is like.
I don't recall Prime and Megatron being brothers, literally or metaphorically, being mentioned 20 years ago. I don't recall Megatron sitting in ice for thousands of years. I don't recall the Allspark. I don't recall robot mode designs with exposed innards in the name of realism (a movie about robots that turn into cars is concerned with realism. Yeah.) or Megatron being a spaceship thing or anything like that. I wanted an update of what I loved about the Transformers, not Michael Bay's vision. I don't expect the story to remain static, or the twenty year old cars to be in the movie, and I would have been thrilled to see interpretations of Transformers that looked closer to what I loved then. I didn't get what I had wanted or hoped for, so I won't see this film. If you loved this film, bully for you, but I don't like what I see in the trailers, and I don't like what Iv'e seen and read in other places.
Actually, all those things you listed seem to be complaining about particular details. If what you loved about Transformers were the details you listed, well then you were never going to be happy unless they just did a scene for scene remake of the original movie.
It's just one line.... All the Transformers sat on ice for MILLIONS of years. Better than the "Matrix of Leadership!!!" Yeah, it IS more realistic, cause having robots that looked exactly like walking cars would look stupid next to real people. Just like Batman in his comic suit would look stupid. So, what, Megatron should turn into a gun? Megatron's been a gun, a tank, some animal-thing, a cannon.... It's not as if they were taking a great liberty by just leaving him as a cybertronian jet. That's fine. I just think it's a shame that you're cutting yourself off from a great MOVIE, period, because it isn't exactly like a cartoon from over 20 years ago.
Thinking like this would have given us Wolverine in bright yellow spandex. That's right. Hugh Jackman . . . in bright yellow spandex. I'm also glad I didn't have to see a fat William Shatner wearing a tight golden velvet uniform in the Star Trek movies.
I might go see this. It's funny because the first movie I ever saw in a theatre was the animated Transformers movie. Ah, good old (checks year) 1986. The Megatron trapped in ice thing is actually something that was present in a few different versions of Transformers. G1 Megatron/Galvatron was eventually trapped in ice at the the end of the Headmasters series. And he was also locked away in ice in one of the G1 Dreamwave comic versions. Also, if you remember the original show, the Autobot Skyfire was trapped in ice until freed by Starscream.
first, the geek question: I did not watch the first generation toons... they were after my childhood and before my children - so I know only about them what can be infered from Armada and Energon. So, the thing that jumped out at me, fom a geeky point of view, was this: Who the heck is "Bumblebee" and why wasn't it obvious the Yellow sports car was "Hotshot"? In the versions i saw - there was always a yellow sports car named Hotshot. wouldn't it have solved the fanboy complaints to just have used that name here? Now, that out of the way........ ************************************************* Let me say, with a modicum of dignity and reserve: DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT was a gorram MOVIE!!!!!! Seaking, as I've noted, as a guy who was at the very best "Meh." about the cartoons, this was one of the very best genre actions films ever produced, hands down! They did pretty much every thing right they possibly could have. the characters were great, the script was wonderful, the comedy was absolutely perfect for a cartoon translated to film. The juxtopositon of the "24ish" seriousness of the military scenes with the comedic ones was possibly the best I've ever seen. The effects speak for themselves, of course, and while one could quibble with a couple of plot points - as one can in any film - (such as why blow up a whole base to hack a system that can be hacked by a mini-con on AF1?) the overall storyline works wonderfully. I think my favorite bits involve Hotshot...er...ah ...Bumblebee going "off mission" to help Sam with the Hot Chick...the selection of the right song for each moment was killer. Finally, for those of you who are doubing the movie will give you the nostalga, the "feel" of the show you love, well, not being a fanboy i can't say, but I can say this....I always thought that OP was highly cheesy in his preachy moments in the cartoons....he pontificted more than Picard. Well, he does it in this movie too, waxing elequent and lengthy...and it is the perfect bow on top of this package. Having heard it, I realized just what a HUGE hole it would have left if he hadn't done the "ubernoble" thing he is famous for. On the whole, five Stars. Every bit the equal of Batman Begins in terms of capturing the essence of the source material, details be damned.
Great movie. I loved it. Spoilers below. . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .Anyone bet there will be a sequel? Especially since Decepticons Starscream and Scorponok survived?
As Starscream was leaving orbit, I heard him in my head shouting "Decepticons! Megatron is dead! I am now your LEADER!!!" And I smiled.
Best line of the movie, from a geeky point of view (that is, the moment which said in th brightest neon "This IS a Transformers movie") "Starscream, you have failed me YET again."
On May 30, 2007, Dreamworks greenlit two sequels to Transformers, and Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Peter Cullen have signed on to return. Producer Tom DeSanto has envisioned a storyline introducing the Dinobots, the Constructicons, and Soundwave. Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman may not return, as "Star Trek... is taking up kind of all of our time." Michael Bay has not signed on, "trying to keep some leverage for the negotiations", but already has ideas, including an aircraft carrier character.
Oh, I picked up on that. There were lots of that sort of thing...hrck, OP's whole coda monolouge which ends with "like us, there's more than meets the eye" Pure cheese but perfect for the effect desired.
I'm gonna go out on a little limb and say that any seaquels will dissapoint. This movie was so mearly perfectly what a Transformers film would have had to be, I can't imagine they could create that magic twice, or more.
How about Tidal Wave and Broadside battling it out, with some American ships assisting the autobot? I for one would love to see the Aerialbots uniting to form Superion and battling one of the Decepticon combiners. Though since Concordes don't fly anymore, I would Silverbolt a B-1B Lancer.
Or "freedom is the right of all sentient beings" which was Optimus Prime's "quote" on his File Card on the original toy.
I think this movie is very much based on the original 1980s 'Generation One' concept of the Transformers rather than the more recent 'Armada/Energon' era. But I see what you are saying. If this movie is being aimed at kids then they'd definitely be more familiar with the 'Armada/Energon' robots and plots. Actually, the robots themselves (I haven't seen it yet, btw) do resemble more recent incarnations... with more detailed design schemes than the original characters. But the Sam Witwicky character is a spin on the principle human character in the original cartoon... Spike Witwicky. In the original, Spike's best Autobot buddy was Bumblebee, a yellow Volkswagon Beetle. He was also one of the more sympathetic and identifiable Autobots... at least until the animated movie. In the new movie, Bumblebee is a Chevrolet Camaro. There was a yellow sportscar in the original called Sunstreaker, a Lamborghini Countach. But he was rarely seen and barely had any character development. But, yeah, the robot in the movie does look a litte more like Hot Shot than the classic Bumblebee. I am definitely going to see this over the weekend after hearing so many positive things.
Combiners? Meh. BIG meh. It would look, I think, WAY too silly. Same with the Dinobots. As much as I absolutely adored Grimlock and his buddies, it'd just be far too silly. The aircraft carrier though? Awesome. And maybe, for the third one....Unicron? I can hope....
