*SPOILERS* Transformers film *SPOILERS*

[Quantum-M]

First off, (I know I haven't posted anything since I joined, sort of forgot about it) say hi. Now that is out of the way, here is my jumbled, short review of this film.

Note: Copy and paste from another forum that I am a member, don't want to bother with re-typing everything.

Note 2: A small spoiler, nothing huge.

I saw it today and it was mediocre to average at best. I didn't like Armageddon when I saw it for a second time when I was older to understand it. And now Michael Bay has pulled out another action filled, plot lacking film.

The CGI was spectacular on the autobots and decepticons. It was very impressive when the Tranformers transformed, wonder how they rendered each frame to do that. The voice acting was good enough so that you can actually hear what they were saying but I couldn't exactly tell if the voices were from the same person or not. With the exception of BumbleBee. The movements from the Transformers I thought was well done, very fluid.

Acting was ok from the humans. I like the humor brought on by Shia LaBeouf. It wasn't astoundingly funny but was good enough for some laughs. I don't recall Megan Fox actually doing anything in the movie, I thought she should have done more in her role. Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson didn't do much either. A lot of running, screaming, cut-off swearing, and of course, shooting. Anthony Anderson presents in the movie sort of saved it from a really bad movie, thanks to his strange but very funny acting. It reminded me of Live Free or Die Hard because he was a hacker and large flat screens were around the film in Sector 7. Dialogue was cheesy, especially when they said the tag lines of transformers "More than meets the eye". A line that sort of threw me off was when Rachael Taylor mentioned Quantum mechanics and DNA computing, which is actually being researched right now in the real world. The producers actually did some research for that, in my view at least.

The actiony movie parts were good at first, but got cheesy and almost annoying for me at some points, especially when they did the missile dodging, and obvious matrix-style thing that is overused, beat up, eaten-up, and spat out in terrible, boring forms. (God, you have love Bay's emphasis and huge focus on action) Fighting scenes were ok, nothing mind blowing. Explosions were everywhere, the weird camera angles, shots, focusing were also not great. I didn't get why the camera had to focus on the bike Shia was riding on when it skid. Stupid. There was a lot of cheesy moments that were really lame. At one point, some of these "probe decepticon" thingys got an orgasm from hacking into the military defense computers. I just thought that was strange. I was expecting some martial art type fighting but all I got was the stuff something out from the real crappy cartoons. Fly around, hop around, and then shoot each other with gigantic guns and cannons.

A lot of advertisements in the film, very annoying. Apple and GMC were the most prominent. Films just have to stop doing this, it just takes away from the film, its like just one elongated commercial. It was just spam in my face.

All in all, I had small expectations for this film and after watching barely made them. With the sequel having the greenlight, I want Michael bay not to make it. All action zero to little plot/story/content/logic/meat for any film. Take pearl harber for example, it was just terrible. Kids will love it to death and beyond, older generations will take a very critical take on the film, during and after.

5-5.5/10 Don't screw up the next one.


Oh and, I want my $8.75 back.

[ACiD303]

I didn't read that, I'd rather see for myself.....I would usually complain if a movie turned out to be really crud, usually in the form of wanting my time / money back also, but it is a Michael Bay production so no one should have any expectations whatsoever. His films are hit or miss, although I'd say mainly he's not even bowling down the right alley.

Damn, something caught my eye. Apple and GMC. Product placement is now perhaps the norm within any major production (mostly Hollywood though) - nothing you can really do, if it got to you then it clearly has a desired effect.

I am definately looking forward to this, however I'm not prepared to be amazed. I just want to see machines transform and roll out (and kick each others butts). Oh, and Megan Fox

The only hope I do have is if Bumblebee in it, I hope he's not as lame as he was in the cartoons - I would consider walking out. Man, that character ranks just as badly as Jar Jar Binks imo. Don't tell me if he is in it, I have no idea about any of this movie, I've seen a brief trailer and I do not want to know anything else!

[tiggerai]

I'm still going to see it... just looks like good entertainment.

I'm a transformers generation kid, I can't help it. Been waiting for this one for 7 months.

[Lee @ SCAN]

Originally Posted by tiggerai

I'm a transformers generation kid, I can't help it. Been waiting for this one for 7 months.

I've been waiting since I was 6 years old and got Optimus Prime for christmas

I cannot wait to see it but I feel I'll love Die hard 4.0 more.

[Steve B]

can the title get amended to "Spoiler Warning"?

[tiggerai]

True... we have been waiting for this one for too long... but I suppose if they'd tried to do it in the 80's/90's it would have been pants on the FX... they've come far enough now that we can do these things. and it's got starscream in it, which was my favourite baddy!

I dont really get critical on films, as long as something in it somewhere makes me laugh or go WooooW (I am soo waiting for that 'transforming' noise in surround sound!) then it hasn't been a waste of time. Spiderman 3 and Hot Fuzz left me deeply disappointed in these stakes.

[jonathan_phang]

I have been a bit sceptical of this film ever since I saw the models for the autobots, and the fact that they have taken some 'Artistic Licence' in that Megatron doesnt actually transform into what he should - i hate stuff like that....

BUT

I just a HD trailer from apple last night and well, maybe its the 'best bits in the trailer' syndrome, but it did look great - and to be honest, I've always been a person to want to make up my own mind on a film, instead of looking at reviews. When is it out in the UK - or is it out already? Also - in regards to the quote above about the transforming sounds - it sounded like it was just going to be whirring sounds - think the citreon c4 ads - but then in the clip I saw, there was that famous ch-cher-cher-cherrrr sound, which is pretty nostalgic! If you dont know what that means, then you are too young....

Time to drag out the copy of the animated movie to see methinks!

[tiggerai]

Jonathan... exactly. Got it in one.

I think the artistic licence is to make them look a bit more menacing... edgy and stuff so that we can easily tell the difference in a film. Well, that's my take on it anyway.

In the original the Autobots and Decepticons looked quite similar if I recall.

Anyone got a copy of the original I can borrow... actually... i might have it at home on VHS (still got a VHS combo TV at home yay) failing that, anyone got a copy i can borrow?

[Stoo]

Originally Posted by Steve B

can the title get amended to "Spoiler Warning"?

Will that do?

Oh, and the artistic licence is easy to understand when you look at some of the stuff that used to happen in the cartoons..

Megatron - sodding great robot transforming into teeny tiny handgun.. Umm...

Bumblebee being a Camero - VW wouldn't let them use the beetle or any other of their assets in a "war" film

There was a bunch of other things involving scale changes, and other plot-holes (protoforms being one).

One of the strangest was the allspark weirdness, which seems a little redundant given the whole matrix/alpha trion/vector sigma history..

[ACiD303]

In the original the Autobots and Decepticons looked quite similar if I recall.

Nah....the only ones that looked similar were Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp - all Decepticons....and all F15 Fighter Jets (on Earth)...

They managed to get the colourings of characters wrong so many times, which made it confusing....

(still got a VHS combo TV at home yay) failing that, anyone got a copy i can borrow?

I've got the first series on R1 DVD, but my house is turned upside down because of renovations. I can have a look later and let you know...

I also have the first 2 editions of the comic book

[Steve B]

cheers stoo

[MadduckUK]

Originally Posted by ACiD303

They managed to get the colourings of characters wrong so many times, which made it confusing....

i remember that!


do they all transform into American things? is that why the decep's are F15's rather than something like MIG 29's which would be more appropriate with the "bad guys = russians" "good guys = yanks" thinking?

i know it crashed into a mountain at the very start and i presume that was in america. or at least what became america

[ACiD303]

do they all transform into American things? is that why the decep's are F15's rather than something like MIG 29's which would be more appropriate with the "bad guys = russians" "good guys = yanks" thinking?

i know it crashed into a mountain at the very start and i presume that was in america. or at least what became america

*SERIES 1 SPOILER*

They crashed into, presumably, America. They all "died" on this spaceship, which the decepticons boarded to fight the autobots and subsequently lost control, when it crashed into the mountain and some sort of repair probe was activated during a tectonic shift or something. The probe then went searching for machine matches for each of the decepticons (F15 for starscream etc.) and autobots (large truck for Optimus etc.) and repaired them as such.

Had they crashed into the UK, Starscream may have been a tornado, and Optimus would've been made by Bedford.

[MadduckUK]

Originally Posted by ACiD303

The probe then went searching for machine matches for each of the decepticons (F15 for starscream etc.) and autobots (large truck for Optimus etc.) and repaired them as such.

i had forgotten that bit that does make perfect sense now

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by tiggerai

I'm still going to see it... just looks like good entertainment.

I'm a transformers generation kid, I can't help it. Been waiting for this one for 7 months.

Transformers Generation kids FTW.

Remember the Dinobots? They were even harder than the Autobots, and would help out sometimes when it all went Pete Tong and Megatron needed a slap.

Looking forward to this.

[Funkstar]

Originally Posted by tiggerai

Anyone got a copy of the original I can borrow...

I do

Pretty sure my brother also has some of the TV series on DVD somewhere. I can try and sort you out with something m'dear.