Transformers Movie Thread Mk II

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G-Slayer
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No offense to anyone, but all these old-school rants are enough to overload Blackout. For a cartoon/toy franchise like TF to prosper, it must undergo some significant changes in order to win over the new generation of viewers. If they like hearing Jazz talk in jive (I don't, for the record) and watching Bumblebee peeing on the FBI (one of my favorite parts), then the experiment is a success. I hate putting it that way, but that's how it works. Speaking of Bumblebee, I figured he didn't use the All Spark simply because he didn't how to use it, but that's just me. The point is that he was eventually repaired. And as was said earlier, you watch a Michael Bay movie, you leave your brain at the door. I didn't and, in a way, I paid the price. My point is that there's no point to any "It's not supposed to be like that!" bellyaching.

Nonetheless, I understand how you guys feel. While I personally enjoyed the 2007 movie, I'm sure it pales in comparison to the 1986 version-and I've never seen the latter in my life. Why does all the good stuff have to be stuck in the 80's? Still I preferred the former to have been made now than several years ago. It was worth it just to see Optimus, still as heroic and selfless as he ever was. He's still the star to me, dammit! And I hate the way Hasbro remakes the toy these days, even for the so-called Classics line. The vehicle mode in the movie is one of the few designs that work for me. Love the way they remade Bumblebee, though.

While I'm at it, if they do feature Soundwave in the sequel-my hope of hopes-make him into a stealth bomber type jet like in the Cybertron toy line. Then you can stuff Ravage, Rumble, and Lazerbeak into the cargo bay. And they should definitely keep the voice, spruce it up a little bit. You know what would make a great line for him?

"Cries and screams are music to my ears."

Saw that on a T-shirt.
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Charismatic Enigma
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That makes me think, what other characters will appear in the next one? I at least hope that Wheeljack and maybe Arcee will.
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Nagi
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G-Slayer wrote:No offense to anyone, but all these old-school rants are enough to overload Blackout. For a cartoon/toy franchise like TF to prosper, it must undergo some significant changes in order to win over the new generation of viewers.
Change is a necessary thing, yes. But change that turns your central characters into movie monster extras to a bunch of faceless human goons is not for the better. That's probably the biggest complaint about the movie I've seen among fans. Not that the Transformers aren't exactly like their 1984 incarnation (because frankly, after Beast Wars, various comic adaptations, and the horrific anime versions, we should be used to drastic redesigns and cast changes among the Autobot and Decepticon ranks by now), but that they played second fiddle in their own movie. The biggest fault of the live-action film was that the robot cast members were treated like King Kong or Godzilla, like giant monsters who can't speak for themselves or develop as characters through their own dialogue and intelligent actions, and need human foils to move the story. They weren't treated like the articulate, sentient characters they really are, and thus were relegated to one line of dialogue each, or chittering in some weird Space Orc language, or falling all over themselves in "LOL AWKWARD IS FUNNY" comic relief.

Using humans as a crutch to move the entirety of the story instead of relying on the time-tested, iconic characters you had set out to adapt in the first place is not a change for the better. Granted, a more human role in the story than simply the original cartoon's father/son duo is necessary, but the way it's done in the movie we have now is laid on way too thick, to the point that it detracts greatly from the core of the story. A slight military angle and a slightly smaller role for Sam and his girlfriend would've been a change for the better, to show that this isn't quite the barren planet the cartoon made it out to be. But making them the main characters like some generic monster movie was not the way to do it, and I think that's the main beef most fans have (and rightly so).
Charismatic Enigma wrote:That makes me think, what other characters will appear in the next one? I at least hope that Wheeljack and maybe Arcee will.
I've been toying with some ideas in my head ever since I saw the movie. I think seeing Wheeljack as a DeLorean would be kind of interesting. Being the Autobot mad scientist, and the DeLorean being a fairly typical mad scientist machine (1.21 jiggawatts!, etc.), it seems like a natural choice. Plus, they could have Wheeljack and Ratchet put their heads together on a way to bring Jazz back. Grimlock would be a must, and as a T.rex, to boot (hey, there's no shortage of animatronic dinosaurs in museums and zoos and movie studios around the world he could copy from). Soundwave (as an FBI or military surveillance vehicle, as stated above), the Constructicons (five is still plenty to make Devastator), and Shockwave (maybe taking after Megatron and keeping his Cybertronian alt mode) would all be mandatory, as well.

Some others at the top of my want-to-see list (that I'm far less optimistic about, I might add) include Cliffjumper, Prowl, Hound, Trailbreaker, and the other Dinobots on the Autobot side, and the remaining Seekers (particularly Skywarp and Thundercracker), Astrotrain, and the remaining Combaticons on the Decepticon side.
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Aegis
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G-Slayer wrote: Nonetheless, I understand how you guys feel. While I personally enjoyed the 2007 movie, I'm sure it pales in comparison to the 1986 version-and I've never seen the latter in my life. Why does all the good stuff have to be stuck in the 80's?
Uh... honestly, I suggest you actually watch the old movie first before coming up with your conclusions. While I'm certain a number of the old fans preferred the animated movie over the current live action version, that doesn't mean it will be true for yourself. I can tell you for myself that the old movie, while alright, wasn't really something that would make me jump out of my seat for joy. If anything, I'm at a toss-up as to which I'd rather watch, the current Spielberg/Bay movie, or the old skool, just because both were relatively decent in my eyes, but both had some serious flaws in them. The fact that it was also made in the 80s would certainly be a turn-off for those trying to get into TF.
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If anything, I'm at a toss-up as to which I'd rather watch, the current Spielberg/Bay movie, or the old skool, just because both were relatively decent in my eyes, but both had some serious flaws in them. The fact that it was also made in the 80s would certainly be a turn-off for those trying to get into TF.
Well, I wouldn't say jump for joy, but I say it's more stimulative and "magical." The flaws in the cartoon just had more humored like when the showed the stegosauruses Dinobot in a certain scene and that was his only scene in the movie and while in the Bay movie had me like WTF is this!?

Personally, I would like to see the cartoon movie in theatres if it ever comes about even though I've seen it at least 2-3 times a month for the past 13 years.
Nonetheless, I understand how you guys feel. While I personally enjoyed the 2007 movie, I'm sure it pales in comparison to the 1986 version-and I've never seen the latter in my life. Why does all the good stuff have to be stuck in the 80's?
Well, the old movie had much better and much, much, much more credible stars, like Orson Wells (his final role), Judd Nelson (I say his Shia LaBuff will never have half the career than Nelson had in the 1980s), Robert Stack (which helped his narration skills in Unsolved Mysteries), and Lenord Frickin' Nimoy !!! I mean, why the hell does USA Today and Parade cover Shia LaBuff and not Hugo Weaving or Cullen? Like I said, it was marketed in a way where true Transformers stars like Cullen really get no coverage. If anything Megan Fox and Shia LaBuff will probably profit more than Cullen who is most associated with Transformer.

Like I said, I prefer the humor in the cartoon. I like witty humor that the cartoon had. Not stupid humor that doesn't fit. If I wanted to see "stupid humor" I'd rather watch Beavis and Butt-Head or Bill and Ted. I don't get how you can fit a battle scene and satratize calling jobs out sourced to India at once.
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Gadget
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Nagi wrote:Some others at the top of my want-to-see list (that I'm far less optimistic about, I might add) include Cliffjumper, Prowl, Hound, Trailbreaker, and the other Dinobots on the Autobot side, and the remaining Seekers (particularly Skywarp and Thundercracker), Astrotrain, and the remaining Combaticons on the Decepticon side.
I do want to see more Autobots. I think they are under strength in the movie. Its 5 Autobots vs 8 deceptorcons. I like Grimlock. He's arragence and stupidity still make me laught. Wheeljack is a must. Not so sure as to bring in Ultra Magus, Hot Rod, Fort Max or Unicon. They are actually later transformers.
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in the end it was about even however, scorponok never had a chance to leave the desert, barricade vanished, and bonecrusher was decapitated so it became a 5 on 5 match in the end, add to that the autobots had the human backup so the D-boys were really screwed.
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Nagi
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Gadget wrote:I do want to see more Autobots. I think they are under strength in the movie. Its 5 Autobots vs 8 deceptorcons. I like Grimlock. He's arragence and stupidity still make me laught. Wheeljack is a must. Not so sure as to bring in Ultra Magus, Hot Rod, Fort Max or Unicon. They are actually later transformers.
My own sharp biases against most of the season three cast aside, I really do want them to pull much more from the seasons 1 & 2 cast first, because those are really far and away the more memorable (and generally more beloved and fondly remembered) Transformers among most fans. Short of Arcee, Hot Rod, Ultra Magnus, and Galvatron, the season three lot are pretty much a whole group of unknowns (or want-to-forgets, like Wheelie), while names like Devastator, Cliffjumper, Sideswipe, and Wheeljack tend to resonate more with fans.

If they do incorporate any season three Transformers, I'd rather they wait until the end of the trilogy and use the bulk of it to focus on getting in as many of the more celebrated and more well-known fan favorites from the earlier seasons first.
razgriz wrote:in the end it was about even however, scorponok never had a chance to leave the desert, barricade vanished, and bonecrusher was decapitated so it became a 5 on 5 match in the end, add to that the autobots had the human backup so the D-boys were really screwed.
Personally, I think they ought to present one or two Decepticon gestalts in the second movie as sort of "new, never-before-seen secret weapons" on the Decepticon side specifically to counter the more elite Autobots and their newfound human allies. Something that five or six Autobots would really have to struggle to overcome instead of the wholescale Decepticon slaughter we got in Bay's first outing (cue perfect setup to a stunning CG Devastator/Dinobots showdown :P ). Also throw in a few more highly-ranked Decepticons, as the only real officers of rank in the first movie were Megatron and Starscream. It'd be a great way to add a sense of more imminent danger than the assortment of random grunts that the first movie's cast was largely assembled from.
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On the subject of Soundwave, I'm sure that if he's in the next one, at least Laserbeak and Ravage will be included, but what about Rumble and Rat-Bat?
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razgriz wrote:lol back to the soundwave debate, just shows how beloved that techno-voiced purple christian decepticon really is. i dunno if anyone will be satisfied with whatever his movie form will end up being sorta like there r those who cant get used to megs being a cybertronian jet. but it will be nice to see SW in all his big cgi glory
As I've been saying, for his initial apearance, you this huge concert taking place, and all the amps and sound equiptment convert into the rather large soundwave, whom promptly either

A. rampages through the crowd.

or

B. Rampages his way out of the area towards the decepticons.
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Considering all the alternate continuities Transformers has, I can't really get bent out of shape over how different one interpretation is over the other.

I enjoyed Movie-verse, but I wouldn't want to be stuck with it and only it...

Thankfully, the new animated show is coming up and the comics are still going strong. So it's not like Hasbro is forcing the new movie down anyone's throats.

You want brand-spanking new Gen 1 and Beast Wars tales? Read the IDW comics.
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In addition to Soundwave, I still say we gotta have Blaster. But refrain from the rhyming he did in season 3. It would also be cool to keep Cliffjumper and get Casey Kasem back to play him.

There are a lot of great autobots and decepticons that can be used. Shockwave, The Aerialbots, Combaticons, Sky Warp, Thundercracker, Octane, Mirage, Tracks, Hot Rod, Preceptor and maybe Alpha Trion. Too bad Robert Stack is gone because it would have still been awesome if he played Ultra Magnus.

It would also be cool if they bring in Chip. He was my favorite human character.

I don't really like the design of the new cartoon, but I heard Susan Blu is playing Arcee again. I'll give the new cartoon a chance. I didn't like the Armada/Micron and Energon/Superlink until I saw them in Japanese. It just felt more natural to watch it that way and was more captivating to me. Sometimes if I don't like an anime because of the delivery of the dub, I'll try to watch the Japanese version and that really helps me.
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Recon 5
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This may come a bit late in the thread, but here's my two cents' worth about the movie.

We all either loved it or hated it (I loved it.). For a movie like this, if the lovers call the haters idiots and the haters call the lovers idiots then we're all idiots and idiots don't deserve to watch ANY movie, no matter how excellent or rubbish it turns out to be.

Anyway, thats my opinion on the movie. Now, about new characters, I'd say bring in the REALLY big boys like Fort Max and Metroplex, or at least Omega Supreme. Trypticon would be priceless :D .
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Recon 5 wrote:Anyway, thats my opinion on the movie. Now, about new characters, I'd say bring in the REALLY big boys like Fort Max and Metroplex, or at least Omega Supreme. Trypticon would be priceless :D .
How about Unicorn? It's way up there in the 'extreme huge' section. :?:

I also would like to see more Cybertron. Maybe even the Deceptorcon Cybertron commander, Shockwave. Seeing Megatron throwing a spear at an Autobot seems......a bit not enough. Maybe even a bit of the Golden Age of Cybertron. Most of the time, Cybertron is a bit too blue and desolate. Both in the Beastwars and Transformer.
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