I'm starting to get converted...

[Jdef]

Yeah we know Go-bots wasn't as popular. The point is Bay's Transformers is exploiting the title, names and popularity without capturing what truly made it popular and memorable in the first place. It's a dumb, loud Go-bots movie with the Transformer names slapped on.

I hope they put more thought into the sequels so the movies will deserve the title of Transformers instead of being a shameless bait and switch trick.

That's what I was saying, The name is just a tool to get people's butts in the seats.

 

[Batmun]

in hindsight, was the transformers story really that good during the g1 series?

alot of the stories i felt were somewhat repetitive but this was the case with lots of cartoons from the 80s

The stories were actually good. Yes, it had some silly moments and goofy scenes that makes no sense (it's a 80s cartoon), but the main story was good. The idea of Optimus playing the role as not only their leader but almost a father figure. Someone the autobots can trust and have faith in when things get tough. The contradictions between good and evil. Autobots fighting for freedom and peace, while the decepticons fighting for power and dominance. Both sides had loyalty to their leaders. Both sides fighting for energy for their home planet. Same ideas but for different reasons.

 

[The Kid]

in hindsight, was the transformers story really that good during the g1 series?

alot of the stories i felt were somewhat repetitive but this was the case with lots of cartoons from the 80s

the cartoon is like most toons in the star wars vein back then, not deep, but fun, some episodes better than others, some episodes just exist for filler. What's mostly what regular joe people with lives love is the general concept of cars turning into robots and the iconic Optimus Prime character who embodies admirable leadership qualities.

Beyond that the Negatrons are blowing things way out of proportion about how terrible the movie is/will be because not every single detail was transferred to the screen.

First of all, that just never happens anyway... there's always change. what can you do... But the way some talk about this film it's as if it's another scooby doo. I highly doubt that. It's going to actually be watchable first of all. And it'll be delivering what people expect when they see the name transformers: big ****ing robots battling... so I personally can't see what's to cry so much about yet... if the movie is another scooby doo then we'll have to kill bay, but not until then.

 

[Theweepeople]

in hindsight, was the transformers story really that good during the g1 series?

alot of the stories i felt were somewhat repetitive but this was the case with lots of cartoons from the 80s

Yep. That pretty much sums it up. Most transformers episodes had plots that revolved around plundering the earth's resources and destroying the autobots. The few episodes that didn't revolve around these repetitive concepts had idiotic plots. Hoist goes to Hollywood, A girl who loved powerglide, Kreemzek, and Child's play were horrible transformer episodes.

You're also right about this being the case with most cartoons from the 80s. In He-Man 95% of the plots revolved around Skeletor trying to get into Castle Greyskull. Every GI Joe episode had something to do with Cobra trying to destroy GI Joe. The only cartoon that had a dynamic plot was Robotech.

 

[November Rain]

isn't robotech anime?

anime's of the 80s generally had more of a diverse plotline because aren't generally treating their focal audience as small children.

 

[Avangarde]

isn't robotech anime?

anime's of the 80s generally had more of a diverse plotline because aren't generally treating their focal audience as small children.

Yes this is true, same goes for Astro Boy. The Japanese had a greater appreciation for cartoons, some aimed for adults. Back in the 80's western culture would have just seen it as cartoons, therefore children only.

There were some exceptions such as Flash Gordon, but these to were based on a concept.

 

[blind_fury]

Yep. That pretty much sums it up. Most transformers episodes had plots that revolved around plundering the earth's resources and destroying the autobots. The few episodes that didn't revolve around these repetitive concepts had idiotic plots. Hoist goes to Hollywood, A girl who loved powerglide, Kreemzek, and Child's play were horrible transformer episodes.

You're also right about this being the case with most cartoons from the 80s. In He-Man 95% of the plots revolved around Skeletor trying to get into Castle Greyskull. Every GI Joe episode had something to do with Cobra trying to destroy GI Joe. The only cartoon that had a dynamic plot was Robotech.

Yes you can focus on the silliest aspects of Transformers to say it's completely disposable but that would be judging something based on a partial observation.

I don't have the time to go into each episode and interpret the symbolism or social commentary. The early episodes that took place on Earth had socio-political subtext (Animal Farm and War of the Worlds for children). The later episodes that took place on Cybertron had more existential subtext (Twilight Zone and Outer Limits for children).

Here's a list of episodes from season 3, if you don't find any twilight zone type of subtext exploring the human condition then you should stop watching sci-fi all together.

Five Faces of Darkness (Part 1)
The Killing Jar
Chaos
Dark Awakening
Starscream's Ghost
Forever Is a Long Time Coming
Madman's Paradise
Carnage In C-Minor
Fight or Flee
Webworld
Ghost In the Machine
The Dweller In the Depths
Nightmare Planet
The Ultimate Weapon
The Quintesson Journal
The Big Broadcast of 2006
Only Human
Grimlock's New Brain
Money Is Everything
Call of the Primitives

http://www.decepticon-matrix.com/episodeguide.html#s3

 

[blind_fury]

the cartoon is like most toons in the star wars vein back then, not deep, but fun, some episodes better than others, some episodes just exist for filler. What's mostly what regular joe people with lives love is the general concept of cars turning into robots and the iconic Optimus Prime character who embodies admirable leadership qualities.
.

Yeah you're right. Batman and Robin had the general concept of Batman fighting costumed criminals in Gotham. Why even bother trying to make an adaptation the hardcore Batman fans can appreciate?

 

[Super78]

I seriously doubt the majority of people getting confused between Transformers and Go-bots from this movie. People will either like it or just pass on it. For the people who like it, they will just except it for being a cool Transformer film.

You're right. Most don't even remember the Go-Bots. So, they won't even make that comparison as far as the movie is concerned.

And the Go-Bots died out very quickly. They didn't even have any characters that stood the test of time, like Optimus.

To quote a quote from Clerks II: "The Go-Bots were like the K-Mart of Transformers."

 

[xwolverine2]

The plane scene in SR was kinda sunny...and when Superman flew in front of the sun...that was sunny, haha.

t: ....


the plane scene wasnt sunny.. just cloudy/bright.

 

[CFlash]

I just reread the script a few minutes ago. It has been a long long time. Almost EVERYTHING we've seen in the trailers and clips coincides with the script. EVERYTHING.

And IMO the script (storywise and dialog-wise) sucked a**.... so, no, great trailers notwithstanding, I still think this movie is utter crappola. It'll be gee-whiz pretty, but still crappola.

 

[Super78]

I just reread the script a few minutes ago. It has been a long long time. Almost EVERYTHING we've seen in the trailers and clips coincides with the script. EVERYTHING.

And IMO the script (storywise and dialog-wise) sucked a**.... so, no, great trailers notwithstanding, I still think this movie is utter crappola. It'll be gee-whiz pretty, but still crappola.

That's not good. I never read the script.

Maybe its back to the "negatrons'.

 

[AyeCapn]

Almost EVERYTHING we've seen in the trailers and clips coincides with the script. EVERYTHING.

yup. Confirmed.

 

[Golgo-13]

I just reread the script a few minutes ago. It has been a long long time. Almost EVERYTHING we've seen in the trailers and clips coincides with the script. EVERYTHING.

That's why I know that nothing has changed as Bay has claimed....

 

[Mister J]

The trailers/clips have been impressive, but I never doubted Bay's ability to manifest great action on the screen. I doubt his ability to tell a cohesive story that truly resonates as 'Transformers' to me.

Nice eye candy, but if I see this, it'll be with a free ticket and low expectations.

 

[Astrodust]

If you don't like it you don't have to go watch Transformers. He made this movie for the mass public, not for nitpicky fans. This movie will make tons of money, people are going to enjoy it, and there will be sequels. It you can make a better movie that appeals to a large audience you should get a job in Hollywood.

 

[Mister J]

Thanks for pointing that out. I was under the impression that everyone was mandated by Federal law to go see Bay's movie. That's a big relief, Astrodust.

 

[ZeroSuit]

I've been a 'negatron' for some time now.

But damn it, the more I see new clips of the movie, the more I'm liking it.

I don't know. Maybe its just the 10 year old in me coming out whose very first Transformer was Prime waaaay back in 1984. Then of course watching the cartoons religiously and collecting the comic books, then seeing the movie in '86.

I still don't like Megatron's look and even Starscream, but when I saw that big semi truck leading the charge as the other vehicles followed it in that recent MTV exclusive clip, I was like "f*uck yeah."

Totally agree man, i could have written this myself.

But what has really turned me...is despite the design, flames, and my biggest problem which was lips...in that MTV awards where optimus had speaking lines......wow...just wow....

 

[Astrodust]

This film isn't A Constant Gardener or A Beautiful Mind. It's Transformers. Expect action to drive the plot. Hate to break it to the naysayers but it goes a little something like this. Robots invade earth, boy befriends one of the robots, boy gets caught up in a war between the warring robots. It ain't gonna be much more but it doesn't matter. It's gonna be awesome. Anything extra is icing on the cake. If you want a movie with lots of dialogue and story, this probably isn't for you. Better stay home.

 

[CFlash]

This film isn't A Constant Gardener or A Beautiful Mind. It's Transformers. Expect action to drive the plot. Hate to break it to the naysayers but it goes a little something like this. Robots invade earth, boy befriends one of the robots, boy gets caught up in a war between the warring robots. It ain't gonna be much more but it doesn't matter. It's gonna be awesome. Anything extra is icing on the cake. If you want a movie with lots of dialogue and story, this probably isn't for you. Better stay home.

What you describe is Gobots also. And, nobody said they wanted a lot of dialog... or a super boring, super intellectual movie. But, Transformers did have a "story." And it was this:

...With fuel supplies on Cybertron running low, both forces travel through space looking for a new source, which leads them to Earth, which from their perspective is rich in the minerals and chemicals they need. Disguising themselves as cars, airplanes, boats, etc. easily recognizable to humans, the Transformers engage in a secret war for control of Earth's bountiful natural resources...

Unfortunately, the movie is not anything like that. It's about macho soldiers and magic boxes. Something Transformers was definately not about.

 

[blind_fury]

If you don't like it you don't have to go watch Transformers. He made this movie for the mass public, not for nitpicky fans. This movie will make tons of money, people are going to enjoy it, and there will be sequels. It you can make a better movie that appeals to a large audience you should get a job in Hollywood.

lolz! Sounds like the soulless, money-grubbing executive who green-lighted Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever and the rubber nipples, neon colors, and happy meals that ruined the franchise.

 

[blind_fury]

This film isn't A Constant Gardener or A Beautiful Mind. It's Batman and Robin. Expect action to drive the plot. Hate to break it to the naysayers but it goes a little something like this. Poison Ivy invades Gotham, Poison Ivy befriends Mr.Freeze, Poison Ivy gets caught up in a war between the warring costumed freaks. It ain't gonna be much more but it doesn't matter. It's gonna be awesome. Anything extra is icing on the cake. If you want a movie with lots of dialogue and story, this probably isn't for you. Better stay home.

fixed.

 

[GhostPoet]

What you describe is Gobots also. And, nobody said they wanted a lot of dialog... or a super boring, super intellectual movie. But, Transformers did have a "story." And it was this:

...With fuel supplies on Cybertron running low, both forces travel through space looking for a new source, which leads them to Earth, which from their perspective is rich in the minerals and chemicals they need. Disguising themselves as cars, airplanes, boats, etc. easily recognizable to humans, the Transformers engage in a secret war for control of Earth's bountiful natural resources...

Unfortunately, the movie is not anything like that. It's about macho soldiers and magic boxes. Something Transformers was definately not about.

For the transformers cartoon...you forgot to add "LOTS OF CHEESE"

 

[CFlash]

For the transformers cartoon...you forgot to add "LOTS OF CHEESE"

Thankfully, Michael Bay is the King of Cheese, right?

 

[360sculptguy]