Transformers the Movie

[altermodes]

doubt it, the end of the movie had prime calling the autobots to earth, and SS leaving earth, presumably to go bring more decepticons. We'll probably get a whole new big cast of new bots.

Mumbles...

Speaking of the end section of the movie

I wish it had a few Protoforms ( or at least one Protoform was ) coming though the earths atmosphere as Optimus Prime was watching the sky hoping if other Autobots got the message, then cut to end credits as they were (or it was )coming down.

And if it didn't seem like prime was narrating , make it seem if he sent the message earlier , or something with Protoforms arriving on earth as the end really didn't really match the setting i personally expected for it is only the beginning.

"Unless this was the Intended Point ".

[sidearmsalpha]

As cool as this movie was, I can't stop thinking about how they forget to mention that Josh Dushbag is immune to friction.

Seriously though, how the hell did they think they could pull off that scene without him seriously injuring himself?! Even Keanu Reeves couldn't pull a scene like that off in Speed without riding on something. That whole scene just screams stupidity on the part of Spielberg and Bay. I know that you have to suspend your disbelief when watching most movies, but this just pushed it too far.

[Fit For Natalie]

You would be making an excellent point if I was citing these as examples of bizarre deviations from traditional Transformers designs.

UNFORTUNATELY, I wasn't.

Oh okay.

Frankly, I don't see what the big fuss is about. Transformers change in style and appearance every so often that there no true set style of what makes a Transformer anymore, since everything from Diaclone mecha to a VF-1S Super Valkyrie to some weird shuttle bird lion thing to a scorpion that turns into a sort of fish are all Transformers. What makes a Transformer a Transformer is that they are alive and from the planet Cybertron.

As cool as this movie was, I can't stop thinking about how they forget to mention that Josh Dushbag is immune to friction.

Seriously though, how the hell did they think they could pull off that scene without him seriously injuring himself?! Even Keanu Reeves couldn't pull a scene like that off in Speed without riding on something. That whole scene just screams stupidity on the part of Spielberg and Bay. I know that you have to suspend your disbelief when watching most movies, but this just pushed it too far.

Eh, just an action movie flair. I thought it was pretty cool, and I liked the soldier characters.

Remember, the back of their pants have 10 pockets, and Lennox might have had 10 wallets in there!

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

The classics look *better than the old g1 toys imo. Grimlock classics > grimlock 80s original.

They should make a videogame on the g1 classics.

*except for prime with his fake grille

Edited July 14, 2007 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[JB0]

The classics look *better than the old g1 toys imo. Grimlock classics > grimlock 80s original.

They should make a videogame on the g1 classics.

*except for prime with his fake grille

Indeed.

Prime and Megatron were fairly iffy, but all the rest were pretty spiffy.

Though Grimlock's gun was kinda funky. Especially sticking up off his back.

[Metal_Massacre_79]

Indeed.

Prime and Megatron were fairly iffy, but all the rest were pretty spiffy.

Though Grimlock's gun was kinda funky. Especially sticking up off his trunky.

You started out with a rhyme...

[Kin]

Watched the movie at cinema tonight...

Animation/action is amazing.

I was sitting about in the middle but I have a hard time to focus my eyes on the robots.

The camera is moving and shaking alot and that's pretty annoying. Sometimes the

robots are so detailed i couldn't recognise if it was an autobot or decepticon (or a robot).

They tried to fit the whole story in 2.5 hours.. well at the beginning it was ok but at the end

it went fast forward with a "happy ever after".

In this movie the focus is more on human characters than transformers... sometimes it can get dull

(watching humans in crisis and the usual dialogs )

But I certainly hope there will be a sequal... dumping the decepticons in deap sea at the end... hmmm

This has definitely no "power rangers" moments which I'm very happy about it.

Some action sequences are difficult to accept. I know they have a hard time to combine transformers in the real world but

a boy running with a cube is actually hopeless against a decepticon in this movie.

Edited July 14, 2007 by Kin

[Fit For Natalie]

Though Grimlock's gun was kinda funky. Especially sticking up off his back.

Don Figueroa (or whomever at Hasbro/Takara) appear to have designed Grimlock based off the Zoids Genosaurer, hence the similar head sculpt, tail design, proportions and, yeah, the gun on his back. Edited July 15, 2007 by Fit For Natalie

[JB0]

You started out with a rhyme...

Yeah. But I didn't have a beat to go with it, so I stopped.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Ok so do you guys think they will base grimlock on the old g1 toy or the new classics grimlock?

It's obvious they are going to put grimlock in the next movie. (they have that cg footage of him stomping through a city on the viral marketing website sector7)

But I want him to look updated. Make him the zoids grimlock so he doesn't have flaps on his back in robot mode.

"uuuuuuuurrrgggghhh.....meeee....griiiimm-lock...think..youu prime...is.... tooo wweeeaak to be leeadder of autobots. So...griimlock say... DESTROY YOU OPTIMUS AND GRIMLOCK BE LEADER!!"

*transforms into dinosaur mode and headshots optimus prime in the face, using the gun on his back, causing massive head injuries to prime that requires ratchet to have to replace his head with a more accurate G1 head*

Edited July 15, 2007 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[eugimon]

I wonder if they'll go with whole dino-bot angle at all. I'm thinking not so much.

[big F]

Don Figueroa (or whomever at Hasbro/Takara) appear to have designed Grimlock based off the Zoids Genosaurer, hence the similar head sculpt, tail design, proportions and, yeah, the gun on his back.

Hmmm missed that but now you say it I totally see it. My favorite old skool Zoid.

[Twoducks]

The design closest to working as-is was the Pretender. It's the best-proportioned, and has no major parts in the way of the limbs. It's only lacking in actual articulation, which is quite easy to add given the design.

Except for the whole "use some sharp and jagged lines to make them more uncommon looking" bit, which was the whole reason I dragged the Alternators out in the first place. It's an illustration of the same concept done in a far more aesthetically appealing manner.

So way to go at missing the point.

Your point? There were other simpler designs options available.

My point? Other designs would look close; add in the "alien looking things" aspect the movie wanted to push and you get a bayformer.

Does the alternator/pretender/whatever aesthetic look "alien"? Nope. At most they look like what "aliens" looked in 20 year old cartoons (now those designs are familiar).

Were they going for a clearly "alien looking things" for the movie? Yep.

Easiest way to make familiar square designs look alien: sharp and jagged lines. Recognizable and alien at the same time.

And special bonus round!

Actually, I'm finding it VERY easy to pick out every single 'bot in your pics. Including all those wierd Prime/Megatron variants I've never seen before. DESPITE the lower contrast level in your pics.

It takes a serious degree of concentration to pick a 'bot out of the movie design pic. All the broken jaggy edges make the designs run together, because there's no clearly visible difference between the edges of the 'bots and the .interior details.

Case in point: Even though I know EXACTLY what it is, it looks an awful lot like Frenzy is growing out of Starscream's knee.

Your example does a great job at illustrating why more solid designs are easier to pick out. The simpler lines give them a firmer outline.

You make it sound like it was a challenge. Picking out square/simple robots from a wallpaper made by comic book professionals faster than a photoshoped car wreck made on purpose isn’t really something to boast about.

Talk about “missing the point”, as you say.

If you group a bunch of figures together you get a “WTF?” first impression until your head makes something familiar out of them. It may take milliseconds or one second, two or three, but the fact is that brains can’t process so many different things individually at once. That’s my point.

Complex shapes that are familiar will be recognized the same way as simpler designs are. Our brain will remember and simplify the distinct characteristics they have, thus making familiar=simple. The more familiar the bay designs become over time the easier it’ll be to eye them out. That is my second point.

Do you recognize the bayformers made out to look on purpose like a car wreck? Yes, you just said it. Would you be able to do so two years ago, when no one was familiar with the designs? Since you are familiar with robotic/sci-fi designs: eventually yes… but it would take a LOT more effort than it does now.

Show the G1 drawings to someone who doesn’t care a rat’s ass about robots or similar geeky stuff like we do. Can they pick out the individual robots as fast as you? Nope, because they aren’t familiarized with them as much as you. They’ll eventually pick them out because they are familiar with human shapes (what the TF resemble even with all their square lines).

Since the movie isn’t a constant barrage of images made on purpose to look like car wreck clutter but a slow progression until the final battle, the brain doesn’t have a meltdown; it slowly gets familiarized with the shapes. Bay’s camera does the meltdown (the same way über familiar humans will look wonky in “Bay action time”).

[Effect]

Hmmm missed that but now you say it I totally see it. My favorite old skool Zoid.

Speaking of Zoids did anyone else catch that when Bumblebee was transforming back into his car mode he sort of looked like one of the wolf/lion zoids for a second during the transformation. It was the scene after he fights Barricade. He gets down on all fours while transforming.

[Fit For Natalie]

How realistic is the depiction of the US military in the movie? The military itself say its the most realistic depiction since Black Hawk Down and lots of servicemen and women have roles as extras or speaking roles.

One of the AWACS operators on the E-3 Sentry emailed TFW2005 saying Bay let them to come up with dialogue they would normally say in that sort of situation to make it more authentic.

Hmmm missed that but now you say it I totally see it. My favorite old skool Zoid.

Old school? I thought Zoidfans consider it an NRJ Zoid because it was a modern tooling released during Tomy's 1999-2001 line?

Speaking of Zoids did anyone else catch that when Bumblebee was transforming back into his car mode he sort of looked like one of the wolf/lion zoids for a second during the transformation. It was the scene after he fights Barricade. He gets down on all fours while transforming.

Yeah, I noticed that. Even in G1 some of the TFs sort of got on all fours to transform, such as Jazz - he used his hands to either lower himself to the ground or push himself off the ground. Edited July 15, 2007 by Fit For Natalie

[areaseven]

Apparently, one word makes a huge difference when it comes to censorship. And it's a word you probably least expected in the film.

Transformers Given GP Rating in the Philippines

[Fit For Natalie]

Well, you know how conservative that region is.

Edited July 15, 2007 by Fit For Natalie

[David Hingtgen]

Plus now that it's Takara/Tomy, not just Takara, makes me wonder if they had some say in it. (Tomy is the original maker of Zoids) If nothing else, it prevented a copyright lawsuit, since some elements are not simply "inspired by" but flat out copied.

[Guest sh002]

i didn't like the scene where the autobots meet sam and they breakdance/twist/turn a million times to transform into robots.

[areaseven]

Well, you know how conservative that region is.

They're not as conservative as they used to be. I should know, because I lived there until eight years ago. Back then, censors cut the hell out of nearly every R-rated movie that came out. Try watching Basic Instinct and Showgirls without the nudity and sex scenes - and those movies were still rated R18. The government came under heavy fire when they slapped an X rating (which means it cannot be shown on theaters at all) on Schindler's List and considered removing the sex scenes for an R18 rating. After numerous arguments, they gave in to Spielberg's requests and released the film uncut with a PG15 rating, citing historical and educational reasons.

My mom was actually part of the Classification Board from 1996 to 1998; hence, I was able to watch any movie for free. She often disagreed with the Board's views on censorship and ratings. One example was The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which was rated PG15 (which means kids under 15 can't watch the film at all). Now that's kind of silly, as the movie was geared towards older children. My mom brought this issue to attention because a few months earlier, The Ghost and the Darkness was released with a GP rating, and that film was obviously more graphic and it mostly involved real lions, as compared to CG dinosaurs in The Lost World.

Today, the Philippines seems to be more liberal. For example, their version of FHM magazine has full nude centerfold shots. And from what I've read, R18-rated Tagalog movies now show frontal nudity and other stuff you couldn't see back then.

[Guest sh002]

As cool as this movie was, I can't stop thinking about how they forget to mention that Josh Dushbag is immune to friction.

Seriously though, how the hell did they think they could pull off that scene without him seriously injuring himself?! Even Keanu Reeves couldn't pull a scene like that off in Speed without riding on something. That whole scene just screams stupidity on the part of Spielberg and Bay. I know that you have to suspend your disbelief when watching most movies, but this just pushed it too far.

they cut out a scene. josh dushbag dies and bumblebee pees on his dead body. j/k.

[Guest sh002]

i'd like some kawamori inspired transformer movie designs for a next movie. can someone introduce bay and spielberg to kawamori?

[UN Spacy]

Transformers is now Michael Bay's HIGHEST grossing film ever.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/2007071...8453176900.html

[Kin]

I'm not suprised.

[eugimon]

Transformers is now Michael Bay's HIGHEST grossing film ever.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/2007071...8453176900.html

that's nuts, in a week and a half, it did more business than armageddon? I bet now bay won't be so coy about doing a sequel.

[Lightning]

I wonder if anybody noticed when Bumblebee was in his '76 car form, dangling next to the discoball was a little bee that said "Bee-yotch!"

I thought it was funny.

[GutsAndCasca]

I wonder if anybody noticed when Bumblebee was in his '76 car form, dangling next to the discoball was a little bee that said "Bee-yotch!"

I thought it was funny.

I noticed it. Yet another reason why we (wife and friends) had a blast watching it.

[David Hingtgen]

It was obvious when most of the theater noticed that, they all started laughing. I saw it like in the first scene, but the camera didn't really focus on it until like 10 mins later.

[CoryHolmes]

This movie had so many funny moments and little touches that I was honestly taken aback when the Giant Robot Stompin' Action started. My favourite part still is Bumblebee trying to "help" Sam with some choice music selection

[Otaku Surf]

Finallly got a chance to see the movie and it was better than I thought it would be. Highest point for me was the design of the Transformers. Favorite being Optimus, least Megatron...although he had a great alien jet form.

[Kurisama]

Anyone else think Megatron's alt mode looked, somewhat... SV-51-ish?

Hmm? Anybody?

*Puts shield up*

[Fit For Natalie]

i'd like some kawamori inspired transformer movie designs for a next movie. can someone introduce bay and spielberg to kawamori?

He'd just stack their kibble on their hips or make them shapeless blobs like that Mitsubishi thing he designed we saw last month

I wonder if anybody noticed when Bumblebee was in his '76 car form, dangling next to the discoball was a little bee that said "Bee-yotch!"

I thought it was funny.

I believe Hasbro handed those Bee-yotch air freshners out at Botcon 2007, and they'll probably hand them out again during the San Diego Comicon later this month

[Guest sh002]

He'd just stack their kibble on their hips or make them shapeless blobs like that Mitsubishi thing he designed we saw last month

Nope we're in Macross World. A YF-19, YF-21, VF-0S, VF-17S, VF-11B, Koenig, etc aren't shapeless blobs. Something similar to a YF-21 Battroid would have looked better for Starscream as a movie design and toy.

[emajnthis]

Anyone else think Megatron's alt mode looked, somewhat... SV-51-ish?

Hmm? Anybody?

*Puts shield up*

I thought it looked more like a kibble-fied SwordFish II from Cowboy Bebop

[areaseven]

I thought it looked more like a kibble-fied SwordFish II from Cowboy Bebop

Actually, for some reason, I keep thinking of Escaflowne's dragon mode whenever I see Megatron's alt mode.