Transformers(Movies)

[HarryTrotter]

With Age of Extinction coming lets remind ourselves how Michael Bay picked on our childhood.Well at least Sheyla LaBuff isnt in AoE.I hope they dont ruin the Dinobots.
P.S: Sorry if there was already a subject.

[XStream]

Ok, so I am a bit of a Transformers fan (although I am no Valander... anyone heard from that guy?) and I am looking forward to giving this movie a shot. I enjoyed the first movie. It was very fast paced and like all (well almost) TF stories contains WAY too much human elements (Just give me big freakin' robots in space who can turn into things already!), but I am still fond of the first TF movie of the Bayverse.

The second movie... I just want to forget it happened. Honestly, I don't count it at all. The only mentions we have in the next sequel is Sam saving the world twice and his girlfriend leaving... I don't need that waste of a movie to fill in those holes. I know it is an internet joke but it really felt like Bay said, "The storyline must suffer so that I can get the beautiful shots that I want."

Moving on,

I loved, LOVED Dark of the Moon. It had some faults, but overall I had fun for the entire ride. The human element was still distracting, but the storyline actually made sense and the action was amazing. There are plenty of things I would have liked to have seen done differently (If I were making the perfect movie for myself), but I can overlook those for what DotM does right.

I like the redesigns for AoE. I hope they are explained well. I always liked Bayverse Optimus and Bumblebee, but the new designs look sleeker and I am sure they will look better on screen. The old designs were so complicated that it was often difficult to tell what you were looking at. I just wish they would stop trying to make the TF's (mostly Autobots) human. They don't need hair or beards (I am talking about Hound/Bulkhead who I will forever refer to as Bulkhound... Yeah, it doesn't work... nevermind....)

Bay keeps much of the story underwraps. So I have no idea how the Dinobots will play in, other than Optimus riding in on Grimlock's back to save the day. Which honestly leads me to believe the Dinobots will be more G1 cartoon intelligence than any other version... which I hope is not true. They need to be a very brutal strikeforce who are known to operate on the edge of what is acceptable of being an Autobot... At least when someone is looking.

Like TMNT this could be a big disappointment... but the franchise has proven to be able to bounce back from a terrible movie (that still made a crap load of money). I reserve final judgement until I see it.

[HarryTrotter]

Wow dude that was a novel.I have been a transformers fan since Armada.Im too young to remember G1 so yeah...What bugged me MOST,other than stupid charachter designs,is the awfull charachterisation.Mute BumbleBee?Psychotic Ironhide?Jazz killed of so easily?Starscream with 2 lines of dialogue?Megatron and Optimus hinted as brothers?But Optimus is the most messed up part.After Megatron saves him from Sentinel Prime,he backstabs Megatron and executes injured Sentinel.Seriously Decepticons wouldnt do that 

[XStream]

Yeah... I tend to do that.

I agree the Bayverse is very different in the characterization of the bots... Ratchet came off more like a Rhinox to me. Ironhide seemed more like himself in DotM. I agree with you that is what the Bayverse has gotten wrong. None of the bots are anything like the TFs they are supposed to represent.

I would have loved for someone else to have gotten ahold of the franchise and rebooted it.

Do you read the IDW comics? If so, there is a dead thread in the comics section we can resurrect...

[BentonGrey]

Urg...the Transformers movies lost all claim on my wallet long, long ago.  The first one was watchable and not much else, and at the end of the day, Bay is just a terrible filmmaker.  He makes big, bright, loud, and stupid movies, and I want more than that, especially from characters I love.

I just have no hope that this movie will be good, yet I would KILL for a great TF movie.  I love these characters and their setting.  In fact, the Dinobots are some of my favorites, as is true with just about everyone, I suppose. 

Anyway, how are the IDW books these days?  I had really high hopes when they started with the book years ago, but they lost me along the way.  I hear mixed things about the new ones.  I really, REALLY miss the fantastic Dreamwave series.

[XStream]

Benton, at the risk of de-railing this thread,

I love the IDW books, more so than the Dreamwave books. I recently stopped reading the current issues (I am buying digital and I have been waiting for the prices to drop to $1.99 before I buy them. So I was caught up and tired of waiting) and I have been reading through the storyline from the beginning. So far Escalation has been my favorite part of the early stuff, and I love that for the most part there has been a singular story that has been building.

My favorite series was definitely More Than Meets The Eye. It followed the crew of the Lost Light who have been searching (actually they started searching but became distracted along the way) for the Knights of Cybertron who Rodimus believes will help them bring back the Golden Age of Cybertron. If you like the thought of robots exploring in space, you should like this book.

Of course after the events of the most recent story Rodimus gave up his position as captain to ...

Spoiler

Megatron! That's right the Big M is sporting an Autobot badge these days. I stopped reading the current stuff before this took place so I am not sure how this came about.

Anyway, you want to talk about it anymore there is a dead thread in comics we can resurrect.

[HarryTrotter]

First movie is booged down by American Pie style humor.And all of them have a problem balancing human charachters.Sam comes of as kinda pointless.BTW Vin Diesel was hinted for the AoE but fat chance of that.

[Podmark]

Never been a fan of these movies, but to me the #1 problem is too much humans and not enough robots as characters. The robots mostly feel like their just there for action.

[HarryTrotter]

Never been a fan of these movies, but to me the #1 problem is too much humans and not enough robots as characters. The robots mostly feel like their just there for action.

Which is to much zoomed in to actually enjoy any of it.Seriosly a fight between giant robots and all we see are car carburators flashing left and right.

[BentonGrey]

Yeah, it's funny...pretty much every person I've ever heard talk about the Transformers movies, whether good or bad, has always said, "too much human, not enough Transformers."  You'd think that they'd get the message by now.

Really, you like the IDW books better than Dreamwave?  Dreamwave was SOOOO good!  Perhaps we should revive that other thread.  I'm willing to be sold, but you'll have to convince me.

[HarryTrotter]

Benton, at the risk of de-railing this thread,

I love the IDW books, more so than the Dreamwave books. I recently stopped reading the current issues (I am buying digital and I have been waiting for the prices to drop to $1.99 before I buy them. So I was caught up and tired of waiting) and I have been reading through the storyline from the beginning. So far Escalation has been my favorite part of the early stuff, and I love that for the most part there has been a singular story that has been building.

My favorite series was definitely More Than Meets The Eye. It followed the crew of the Lost Light who have been searching (actually they started searching but became distracted along the way) for the Knights of Cybertron who Rodimus believes will help them bring back the Golden Age of Cybertron. If you like the thought of robots exploring in space, you should like this book.

Of course after the events of the most recent story Rodimus gave up his position as captain to ...

Spoiler

Megatron! That's right the Big M is sporting an Autobot badge these days. I stopped reading the current stuff before this took place so I am not sure how this came about.

Anyway, you want to talk about it anymore there is a dead thread in comics we can resurrect.

Whaaat?How the hell is Megatron Autobot?
@T Anyone other than me liked Armada?Or some other continuity we could disscuss?

[XStream]

Spade, for the last couple of years the war has been over. That's right Cybertron is united and the three factions (Autobot, Decepticon, and unaligned bots) have been trying to find a way to live peacefully. Of course it hasn't work out so well. 

[XStream]

Oh, and Benton definitely go back to that old thread. I would love to discuss this book with someone. I love the depth of the story. I haven't read the past six months of issues or so because I have gone back and started reading the original stuff in order including the Spotlights. The first mini series was a little lacking, but the second (Escalation) was really enjoyable and mysterious. We learn why the bots left Cybertron. I am really looking forward to reading The Last Stand of the Wreckers. I have read it is one of the best minis and set the bar for what is going on now.

Back on topic

New Trailers that include better looking (finished) CGI and with new clips! Check them out linked on one of my fav TF sites Seibertron.com

http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/two-new-transformers-age-of-extinction-tv-spots-with-new-footage/30348/

[HarryTrotter]

I didnt read the comics,I never got to that.
AoE looks good.But trailers always look good.

[HarryTrotter]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ik2ikgOyNU

Honest trailer for ROTF is out.Brutal as always.

[JeyNyce]

I liked the first one, but the rest are just junk.  What's the point of having a Dinobot if he's can't transform???

[thalaw2]

I haven't been able to understand much of any of the plot in any of these movies that I've seen.  However, the effects were cool.  Cool enough for me to wait for DVD. 

[HarryTrotter]

^Well they are made by Michael Bay.All he can do are special effects.

[BWPS]

^Well they are made by Michael Bay.All he can do are special effects.

Agreed,  but should he really even get credit for that? It's the sfx artists working hard on those for little recognition. I'd say more of the films success is on them. I'm sure Bay does have a lot of control over that but I don't think he's doing a good job even there.

[HarryTrotter]

I was more worried how did Spilberg allowed his name to be shown on the movies.I mean how did he mess up so much?

[crimsonquill]

I was more worried how did Spilberg allowed his name to be shown on the movies.I mean how did he mess up so much?

Spielburg is a HUGE Transformers fan.. he has stated this numberous times during his early envolvement as a producer of Michael Bay's films. However, Michael Bay just goes all out in effects and CGI with his odd sense of humor which train wrecked the last two movies in the "Spike Trilogy". Michael Bay promised the producers that the new films would be a big change with a huge shift in the actors involved just to get the financing this time around.

Plus I'm sure that there are some geeks in suits at Paramount Pictures which are pushing for a G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover since they are owned by the same studio. If Batman vs Superman is a blowout, I wouldn't be surprised we would see Sony pull this card.

- CQ

[HarryTrotter]

^Hes fallen on hard these last few years.I cant really remember any of his later movies :/

[crimsonquill]

^Hes fallen on hard these last few years.I cant really remember any of his later movies :/

Bay or Speilburg?

[HarryTrotter]

Bay never had a good movie IMO.
I was thinking Spilberg.

[Starman]

Bay has had two good movies, IMO: The Rock and the first Transformers film. The Bad Boys film are good for a mindless laugh, that's about it.

Spielberg hasn't fall on hard times ... he just makes fewer films. His last two were War Horse and Lincoln. Daniel Day Lewis won a Best Actor Academy Award and Golden Globe for Lincoln.

[HarryTrotter]

^Still,compare it to his earlier works.

[crimsonquill]

^Still,compare it to his earlier works.

Speilburg is more of a Producer these days, his Directorial efforts are more artistic passion projects and he does them more for himself and those who follow that particular genre that film fits into. He is fully behind the upcoming online HALO series based on the games as a producer and has several on his director's slate including Indiana Jones 5 (without Lucas involved so there isn't risk of aliens or bad dialogue). I think he is done with just making movies for the sake of doing blockbusters every few years and enjoying giving other young upcoming Directors a chance by producing their ideas. He isn't really a hard core comic book lover but his CGI films of The Adventures Of Tin Tin was his contribution in that genre.

- CQ

[HarryTrotter]

Transformers arent his greatest work.

[Reepicheep]

Transformers arent his greatest work.

Arguably its hard to actually attribute transformers to Spielberg. A producer has a lot of involvement and stake in a production, but less of an artistic or direction role.

Only Bay can be blamed for the atrocities that are the transformers films.

War Horse was an amazing film, even if it can't hold a candle to the stage production. He's a long way from losing his edge as a director, even if he isn't spotlighting like he used to.

[HarryTrotter]

^Maybe if he had more involvment,who knows?
At first Bay said he wouldnt do the  AoE but he still did,so Im not optimistic about this.