Transformers The Reviews Thread

[Marvin]

lolz.

easy there guy. He made one or two quality movies.

take a breath.

understandable when the mans had one or two quality scripts to work from
(transformers not being one of them)

 

[Marvin]

although i still dispise the designs of some of the characters, i am going to give this movie a chance. i have two conflicting sides when it comes to this thing. i love the visual aspect of the movie, but from what i see so far i am not going to like the plot. still, i will give this movie a chance.

The visual aspect is pretty much a direct result of Bay

The plot is pretty much a result of....the writers:heart:

sweeeeeeeeeeet

 

[Tempest19]

I am probably speaking alone. But as a newcomer to TF I LOVED the script. And it's what turned me onto this movie in the first place. If it wasn't for the script, I probably would be somewhat skeptical... but the script gave me a realy positive vibe about what the film could be and turns out it has been getting somewhat positive feedback thus far.

I mean, the script is what made me feel so much for Bumblebee- and that was only on page. If it's that powerful on page, it can and seems to be some much more powerful on screen.

Definitely one of the best, if not best screenplay for a film so far this summer. There were a couple of negatives about every 'script' for the summer movies of this year... TF never really found any.

 

[WorthyStevens]

Vicky, You Ignorant ****.

Hahaha. I needed that good laugh.

 

[spideyo]

Here's a pretty balanced review:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20070701.P01&irec=32

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial]'Transformers': Good movie incarnation with some minor faults[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Lutfi Makarim, Contributor, Jakarta[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica](Science fiction/adventure, 135 mins) Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight, Peter Cullen, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Taylor. Directed by Michael Bay. Produced by Paramount Pictures.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica] So, at last, after all the teasers, trailers, toys, star interviews and fan hype, Transformers, the movie by Michael Bay, is on general release here. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Even before it came out, every little detail of the movie that had been seen in trailers and teasers was widely discussed by fans with the intensity of Star Trek aficionados. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] I remember all the discussion the message boards had when they released a picture of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots (the good guys) and he was purple. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] This caused such a stir among fans who remember Optimus in his G1 (generation 1, for those of you non-Trans fans out there) form as a red semi-truck. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Anyway, back to the movie. As this from Bay, you cannot really expect deep character development. From the start, we are introduced to some gung-ho American soldiers stationed in Qatar. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Shortly after they return to their base, they are attacked by Blackout, a Decepticon who is transformed into a military helicopter. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Even this early in the movie, you can tell this is Bay at work for carnage ensues as Blackout destroys everything in the base, with the humans not doing much. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] After this, we return to the United States and are introduced to Sam Witwicky (La Beouf). If you are any kind of fan of the original G1 Transformers, then you will recognize that name as one of the humans that the Autobots befriend during their stay on Earth. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] However, Sparkplug, Sam's father in the series, is nowhere to be found in this new incarnation. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Sparkplug's replacement is one of the weak spots in the movie. He and Sam's mother are just cannon fodder for all those teenagers-hiding-from-their-parents jokes that you have seen a million times if you've ever watched a teen movie. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] The hiding scene with the Autobots seems just ridiculous and out of place in this kind of movie. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] The real stars are the robots. The Autobots are predictable, as they all become cars in the movie. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] We are introduced to five: Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Jazz. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] My favorite character is Jazz, the fun robot who transforms into a Pontiac Solstice. As for the Decepticons, we are also introduced to a further five: Megatron, Starscream, Frenzy, Barricade and Blackout. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Of these, my favorite is Barricade, who transforms into a police car with the words "to punish and enslave" painted on the side. I thought, Frenzy, the robot that became a tape recorder, was really unnecessary. Do we really need an ADD (attention deficit disorder) robot in this move? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] As a fan of the original Transformers, I would say I enjoyed this movie incarnation, except for some minor details. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Now, bring on part 2, where I heard they will bring Shockwave and Soundwave into the mix, two of my favorite Decepticons. (*** out of *****)[/FONT]

 

[blind_fury]

Yet all made TONS of CASH, and are extrememly fun to watch. No one is talking about making oscar award winning movies. We're talking about the best of blockbusters which are fun to watch. Bay dominates at providing movies as such. No difference with T-formers.

Yes there's a difference. Bay has never created a character that achieved a fanbase so why should he be allowed to make wholesale changes to characters with sizable fanbases?

additionally arbitrary changes to characters people have an attachment to trivializes that attachment and fandom.

Oh, and the characters haven't been altered to the extent of not being recognizable. Well, maybe some of them have ... but that's because the CONCEPT of Transformers is what is remembered ... not the exact look of every character in the mythos. The only character in Transformers who is recognized by everyone is Optimus Prime. And that's the 100% truth. You have to be a die hard in order to remember everyone's original look. And please, the characters themselves beyond their look haven't been changed or altered. They all in some way shape or form represent the essence of what they were initially. Which is what is most important. Their looks are simply updated to fit context, times, etc. Don't go to extremes. Alterations to minor characters can be a great thing. Or even to major ones (see Megatron). The only character you REALLY need to keep a general guideline as far as looks are concerned is Optimus Prime ... since he is easily the most recognizable by fanboys and mild enthusiasts. New commers would be more turned onto the new looks than the old look of the originals. I mean, let's roll out some blocky shoe box looking characters into a bad ass major motion picture, and EVERYONE will buy that. But yeah, if they alter the looks, yet keep the character's essence the same ... they are DESTROYING the material. [/end sarcasm]

Optimist is the most recognizable, that doesn't mean the other characters are disposable.

Bay doesn't get the essence of most the characters anymore than Joel Schumacher did with Batman Forever. Thank God there are other Batman movies that prove the story and characters are good for something other than selling happy meals and product placement.

Did Batman Forever destroy the material? No.

but it did waste potential and cheat audiences in many ways.

 

[Marvin]

Yes there's a difference. Bay has never created a character that achieved a fanbase so why should he be allowed to make wholesale changes to characters with sizable fanbases?

because singer got to
because norrington got to
faverau gets to
lighman got to
cause ninja turtles one guy got to
cause del toro got to

and because Chris Nolan got to

Optimist is the most recognizable that doesn't mean the other characters are disposable, especially to most fans who watched Transformers or read the comics.

tell that to singer...and before u say i'm saying singer ingored the rest of the xmen..and now bay is doing the same...let me clarify...
singer made a 2 wolverine and company movies...cyclops was there..but he wasn't nearly tall enough and really didn't have much to do

and while we're on the subject...did singer translate the characters well in ur opinion?

i mean the charm of a short scruffy logan
yellow spandex
hmm
storm, rogue

all the mythology we've seen in the books over the years...from Age of appocolype to the themes in the savage land?

Bay doesn't get the essence of most the charactersPrime/Bumblebee/jazz/sam/megatron..etc...there all present anymore than Joel Schumacher did with Batman Forever.so ur wrong...wow what a biased comparison...and if legitimate...would prove inarguable Thank God there are other Batman movies that prove the story and characters are good for something other than selling happy meals and product placement.

Did Batman Forever destroy the material? No.

but it did waste potential and cheat audiences in many ways.

Same could be said about every single comic book move this side of spiderman2(and ofcourse Blade)

u can never get it perfectly right

whose to say bay didn't get it any more right(true to form) then Ghost busters/Batman begins

??

 

[blind_fury]

because singer got to

He altered Rogues personality but that's the closest he came to a wholesale change of a character. Bay changed half a dozen characters beyond recognition.

because norrington got to

LXG was a disaster.

faverau gets to

no he doesn't. He hasn't made any wholesale changes to any characters.

lighman got to

who's this?

cause ninja turtles one guy got to

be more specific. Who made wholesale changes to what TMNT characters?

cause del toro got to

what wholesale changes did he make? Hellboy was extremely loyal to the comics.

and because Chris Nolan got to

All of his Batman characters are recognizable by the way they look and act. You can't recognize most of Bay's G1 characters without their G1 paint job or names underneath them. That is a wholesale change, not the texture of Scarecrows mask.

And after fans get an accurate movie it's more acceptable to make wholesale changes because we already saw an adaptation done true to the source material and the masses genuinely understand the appeal of the source material. After that you can do your unrecognizable elseworlds movies.

Same could be said about every single comic book move this side of spiderman2(and ofcourse Blade)

u can never get it perfectly right

whose to say bay didn't get it any more right(true to form) then Ghost busters/Batman begins

??

Anyone who notices wasted potential can acknowledge Bay didn't capture most of what inspired life-long Tranformers fandom unless you think G1 had nothing to offer but explosions.

 

[R0rschach]

I saw it last night.
Ofcourse I wanted more, cause it wasn't enough.
It was ok.

 

[bbf2]

Sorry, wrong thread.

 

[Disclaimer]

I'm curious.

Since no one seems to mind that the film was ultimately not made for fans, does not pay due respect to that special something that made the franchise stay in the public consciousness for a generation, or that the story does not make a single attempt at having us care for the characters...

...and since it's of such little concern to anyone that you can't see who's doing what half the time, there are entire plots that have no point, or that the story is completely ******ed...

...would you have all gone to see it if they just renamed it 'Go-Bots' and redubbed the Transformer-specific dialogue?

The action would still be frickin' awesome!

The effects would still look fan-frickin'-tastic!

And besides, change is good... right?

 

[R0rschach]

To me the fact of the matter is that when you have a kick ars concept, a winner that has been around for decades and it goes to hollywood. You just have to except the fact that it won't live it up. It's sad but true, hardcore fans don't have the budget to make the films the way they should be made and so the flicks will almost always be a let down. Well most of the time anyways.

 

[Dotten]

I'm curious.

Since no one seems to mind that the film was ultimately not made for fans, does not pay due respect to that special something that made the franchise stay in the public consciousness for a generation, or that the story does not make a single attempt at having us care for the characters...

...and since it's of such little concern to anyone that you can't see who's doing what half the time, there are entire plots that have no point, or that the story is completely ******ed...

...would you have all gone to see it if they just renamed it 'Go-Bots' and redubbed the Transformer-specific dialogue?

The action would still be frickin' awesome!

The effects would still look fan-frickin'-tastic!

And besides, change is good... right?

The only person here in Norway that I've heard not liking the movie is a guy who never saw the original cartoons. He did not like the scene with Megatron and Starscream (dialogue), and the Optimus lines ("freedom is the....", "One shall stand, one shall fall"). He was negative because he felt the movie respected the fans more then the basic moviegoer.

Personally, as a fanboy and Die Hard fan, I loved the movie. It was more of a G1 then any other of the Transformers series that followed after G1. Even the flames showed their purpose, since Optimus was much easier to see, especially what is what on his body. Was much harder on the decepticons (especially the all grey Megatron) to see what was what. So I cant belive me saying this; But Bay was right when he put the flames on Prime. He probably shouyd have done the same with the rest

 

[SuperJediHero]

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20070701/118327619700.html

 

[Spidey Lover 10]

and the verdict is.....

 

[GNR]

To me the fact of the matter is that when you have a kick ars concept, a winner that has been around for decades and it goes to hollywood. You just have to except the fact that it won't live it up. It's sad but true, hardcore fans don't have the budget to make the films the way they should be made and so the flicks will almost always be a let down. Well most of the time anyways.

Fans are always going to have expectations so high and certain criteria that they want to see met that it's nearly impossible to please them.

 

[Benstamania]

^Agreed.

 

[YÅ«gi's BM]

From what I can the characters themselves are pretty much left in tact, their personalities are there so we know they have stories left to be told. That's all that really matters to me.

 

[Marvin]

Yes there's a difference. Bay has never created a character that achieved a fanbase so why should he be allowed to make wholesale changes to characters with sizable fanbases?

additionally arbitrary changes to characters people have an attachment to trivializes that attachment and fandom.

sorry if u mistook me, i listed all those directors not as ppl who changed things...but in response to what u said above^
about why bay got a chance to create a character that achieved a fanbase...
well because all these dudes got a chance to...
and u can wrap it up in all the subjective observation u want but no!!!
that really isn't wolverine(take away the claws, metal and the process of what happend to him...and it's not the same guy...now look at Prime), that aint rogue, that aint Bruce Wayne, and that Aint BLADE
those first time directors got to run their ****(on a frist try with fanbase characters) so why should bay not get too?

He altered Rogues personality but that's the closest he came to a wholesale change of a character. Bay changed half a dozen characters beyond recognition.


LXG was a disaster.
I was thinkin blade..first try with a character

no he doesn't. He hasn't made any wholesale changes to any characters.
first try with a character

who's this?
bourne identity...first try with a character

be more specific. Who made wholesale changes to what TMNT characters?
TMNT the movie...that guy changed just about as much as bay has...and ....first try with a character(s)

what wholesale changes did he make? Hellboy was extremely loyal to the comics.
first try with a character

All of his Batman characters are recognizable by the way they look and act. You can't recognize most of Bay's G1 characters without their G1 paint job or names underneath them. That is a wholesale change, not the texture of Scarecrows mask.

sorry dude but u can't recognize scarcrow without his "mask" if u wanna get technical
batman without the horns or symbols
hows that any different than whats been done to prime

without their g1 paint job? wtf...so he did get that right then?
otherwise ur basically saying u can't recognize bats cyclops without his skin(color)

please tell me about from being more practical...what's soooo different about Prime...I can tell that's jazz due to his visor..

this guy

and my avatar have no more differences than (Bay)jazz and his 80's counterpart
then again i'm being subjective

And after fans get an accurate movie it's more acceptable to make wholesale changes because we already saw an adaptation done true to the source material and the masses genuinely understand the appeal of the source material. After that you can do your unrecognizable elseworlds movies.

what are u saying exactly?
give an example


Anyone who notices wasted potential can acknowledge Bay didn't capture most of what inspired life-long Tranformers fandom unless you think G1 had nothing to offer but explosions.

I know what batman COULD have been...but wasn't

I also know what blade WOULD have been but wasn't....

what exactly did Bay not capture that inspired life-long Tranformers fandom?

ur being subjectively biased....
whats to say that Bays TF is as far off the mark as nolans batman...when looking at batman dead end!?

 

[Marvin]

I'm curious.

Since no one seems to mind that the film was ultimately not made for fansu mean not fans alone...a la batman dead end, does not pay due respect to that special something that made the franchise stay in the public consciousness for a generation,and what was that exactly? or that the story does not make a single attempt at having us care for the characters...really? and here i thought everyone had a thing for bumblebee...especially with the whole legs thing...

...and since it's of such little concern to anyone that you can't see who's doing what half the time,u mean super clearly...cause appently if anyone was to take what u just said literally than this film would be, not only a failure in plot development as some have reviewed, but also in action...but word round these parts is that it's up there with the best action ever...amazing feat if u can't see ****... there are entire plots that have no point, or that the story is completely ******ed...
sorry but that would make it a spoof...ie go watch scary movie to see an example of this..
ur just exaggerating...subjectively of course

...would you have all gone to see it if they just renamed it 'Go-Bots' and redubbed the Transformer-specific dialogue?
what a great reason not to go...but seeing as how that's the furthest thing from the truth and u know it...thanks for arguing my point

The action would still be frickin' awesome!

The effects would still look fan-frickin'-tastic!

And besides, change is good... right?

YES

 

[Marvin]

The only person here in Norway that I've heard not liking the movie is a guy who never saw the original cartoons. He did not like the scene with Megatron and Starscream (dialogue), and the Optimus lines ("freedom is the....", "One shall stand, one shall fall"). He was negative because he felt the movie respected the fans more then the basic moviegoer.

Personally, as a fanboy and Die Hard fan, I loved the movie. It was more of a G1 then any other of the Transformers series that followed after G1. Even the flames showed their purpose, since Optimus was much easier to see, especially what is what on his body. Was much harder on the decepticons (especially the all grey Megatron) to see what was what. So I cant belive me saying this; But Bay was right when he put the flames on Prime. He probably shouyd have done the same with the rest

the fact that even a single person could post a post like this...
means that the negatrons are posing an opinion....

ie
nips on bats was dumb...fact

this ain't g1...ACCORDING TO A FEW

 

[Darkest Knight]

Yes there's a difference. Bay has never created a character that achieved a fanbase so why should he be allowed to make wholesale changes to characters with sizable fanbases?

Why would he be "creating" a character? He's a director. He brings the vision. He hasn't create characters, but he's brought us stories that have followings.

additionally arbitrary changes to characters people have an attachment to trivializes that attachment and fandom.

No, I think you guys just take it to hear too much. So basically what you're saying is that the look of these characters is most important. If they aren't the spitting image from the base material, it's a disrespect to the fans, etc? Uhhh, yeah. So Penguin in Batman Returns trivializes attatchment and fandom? C'mon, you fanboy nuts need to get over yourself, and your rigid and stubborn mentality. This movie isn't being made specifically for you.

Optimist is the most recognizable, that doesn't mean the other characters are disposable.

Since when were they being "disposed" of ...

They're still there, their looks are just made to be better and to fit the context of the movie. Or is your "child-like ideal" rearing through, and saying the change in the looks of the character is offensive, etc. ???

Bay doesn't get the essence of most the characters anymore than Joel Schumacher did with Batman Forever.

Well I guess he really doesn't have to in order to put out an enthralling blockbuster invasion epic. Now does he? Are you trying to appeal to my Batman roots by making this comparison? Shumacher understood Batman. And Forever is actually a decent film. What really did Bay do to you? Explain how he doesn't "understand the essense" of the Transformers ....

Thank God there are other Batman movies that prove the story and characters are good for something other than selling happy meals and product placement.

Uhhh, you mean Batman Begins? B89, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman and Robin were all HEAVY relient on product placement / marketing, etc. Those were the movies focused on selling merchandise. You're comparing something that was essentially a concept CREATED FOR PRODUCT PLACEMENT, to an actual artistic creation. Big difference. The whole purpose of Transformers was to sell toys, where the hell have you been? And that's not always neccessarily a bad thing, if done well. Which Transformers looks to be. Batman when boiled down to it, is a much deeper material than Transformers. There is a psychology to it, so don't compare un-like things.

Did Batman Forever destroy the material? No.

Nope. And if anything Transformers will bring in a SLEW of new fans.

but it did waste potential and cheat audiences in many ways.

Not really, cause it was widely popular and made loads of money.

Transformers by Bay can't cheat all audiences. The material isn't shakesperean in nature, so it's not like they're missing out on anything deep. If anything, Transformers is the prototype for SMASH, BANG, action summer hit. Some movies are meant to just be mindless fun. People thought Hulk was too much with it's approach, imagine if they TRIED to make Transformers psychological, and deep ... ... it would be laughed out the theatre. I mean the character Hulk himself is serious, and does have psychological profile to it ... Transformers doesn't. So why waste time trying to be something it isn't?!

Give the people an exciting movie they can rally behind. Not every movie has to be deep to be good. You do realize this, correct?

 

[Darkest Knight]

Marvin is my bro, going with complete ownage. I asked of him similar questions but to no avail.

 

[Spidey Lover 10]

so i guess this movie's REALLY worth seeing?

 

[Marvin]

some ppl just need to ask themselves why it is that only fans actually watched the show..

why my aunt or gf don't really think it's worth their time

answer that and u'll understand things...
thinks like a human romance element