So, who's going to see the Transformers film?

POSTED BY: Guywhowantsafireflyofhisown
UPDATED: Saturday, July 14, 2007 14:36
VIEWED: 10256
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TINADOLL

Monday, July 2, 2007 2:13 PM

I am not going to see it.

Movies are too dang expensive in NY (10-12 bucks a pop) and the crowds are going to ruin the experience( the sheer number of people-not the reactions) I prefer to wait a week for two.

Also- Its summer- I rather go to the beach until a really really hot day,then i'll go see a movie.

Scorpion:

MSG

Monday, July 2, 2007 4:03 PM

MisterG and I are going:)

"I'm not all that interested in the mental health of people who want to kill me. "- Leroy Jethro Gibbs

FISKMASEN

Thursday, July 5, 2007 12:08 AM

It was freaking awesome.

"My cartridge fell out of my gun..." - Nathan Fillion

GUYWHOWANTSAFIREFLYOFHISOWN

Thursday, July 5, 2007 12:57 AM

YES IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!

Select to view spoiler:

shame about Jazz, though.

Why is the rum always gone?

SINGATE

Thursday, July 5, 2007 4:08 AM

Almost went today, er yesterday I mean, but the line was out the door for each showing. Four screens no less! Instead ended up seeing Fantastic Four again because the people I was with had been wanting to see it. Never realized July 4th would be such a big draw at the box office. Guess I'll be seeing it over the weekend.

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We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.

CYBERSNARK

Thursday, July 5, 2007 2:52 PM

Saw it on Tuesday. It was mediocre (which is actually quite good, compared to most TF fiction ).

The good bits included Cullen, Shia, and even Meghan's performances. Frenzy stealing the show, the franchise, and possibly the whole universe. And raping the Internet.

My initial fears about Michael Bay's directing were borne out: I honestly have no clue what happened during the action sequences. All I could see was rapid-fire blurs, extreeeeeeeeeeeeeem close-ups, explosions, more blurs, and Ironhide yelling "Run, Sam!"

The plotting and establishing shots were also amateurish, typical of Bay. This movie (like all sci-fi blockbusters) needed a sense of scale, and Bay just can't convey that. There's no dynamism in his composition; everything is either a static long-shot or a close-up that crops out any scale references or depth of field.

Ironhide, Jazz, and Ratchet all sounded basically alike, and Jazz' voice was way too deep for such a small bot (and way too histrionic for such a laid-back character). This is why I was excited to see Phil Lamarr's name attached to Animated --he's perfect for Jazz.

The CGI had the same weightless and overwrought quality as it does in almost every movie (Zoic's stuff being the exception). I know TFs can move quickly, but they should still have some kind of weight when they come down. Jazz was clambering all over everything like he thought he was Spiderman. And, like all motion-captured humanoids, TFs never turn their heads when they can turn their heads, shrug, flinch, and gesticulate at the same time.

I'm also disappointed at the lack of Decepticon characterization. Starscream in particular had every excuse to be front-and-centre, communicating through people's phonelines without revealing himself, manipulating the situation to his own advantage, not just sitting back and letting everything play out.

What this movie really needed was to succeed on two levels; it needed to be both Epic and Character-driven. Bay just can't do it. Bay is obvious. He hits the audience over the head with everything: music cues, action sequences, the aforementioned static-framed long shots (no dynamic angles, no panning or zooming or scaling or anything to make the establishing shots visually interesting), the cardboard characters.

Where Bay falls completely flat is on the Character scale. Character cannot be demonstrated by over-the-top action. Characterization works best when it's subtle. A gesture, a look, a single word can speak volumes.

You don't need Ratchet talking about Sam & Mikaela's pheromones (in what way is that possibly relevant to their mission?), or the pee jokes, or the robot-mode Autobots stomping around Sam's front yard. We know the situation is serious, and we know the Transformers are too big to move around human environments. What we don't know is who Jazz is, or anything about Ironhide other than the fact that he's got guns, or why Ratchet is in any way formidable, or how Optimus relates to his troops as people.

We also didn't need all the fat: the unfunny jokes, the incompetent Sector Seven guys, the utterly needless hacker subplot. . .

As for the Decepticons, a little more subtle directing between Starscream and Megatron (focusing on Starscream's deliberate uninvolvement during the Prime/Megatron fight) could have worked wonders.

Depending on time, I may fanfic a new plot, like I did for X3 and the Star Wars prequels. I have this whole other idea for the final battle (one that doesn't involve bringing the massive alien death robots into a crowded city expressly so they can kill more bystanders ).

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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

PDCHARLES

Thursday, July 5, 2007 3:09 PM

WOW, CS!!! I was just thinkin' what review I should write.

I saw it Tues. night and have to agree on every friggin' point.

and yes, My god that Sector 7 guy was horrible.

SISTER

Thursday, July 5, 2007 3:12 PM

Saw it at the new Drive-In (no sweaty folk other than those you know...!)in our little tiny Tennessee town on Tuesday night!! (Oh, and it was on a double-bill with room 1408 for five bucks a head!!))...AWESOME SPECIAL EFFECTS... not a bad storyline...just a fun, summer movie... and now my husband wants a car/transformer of his very own!

STEGASAURUS

Thursday, July 5, 2007 3:33 PM

I'd have to respectfully disagree with you, Cybersnark.

I found the entire movie to be completely engrosing and entertaining. The mindset I realized I had to go in with was that I was going to be watching a cartoon.

Realizing that they were not going to stay true to the original cartoons of the 80's, I knew that the plot, the characters and the action were going to be just like watching a cartoon.

I was able to wrap my mind around everything and everyone in the movie (and yes, even the over-the-top Sector 7 jackass) and found the movie to be just pure fun.

Now, with regards to the action scenes, I will agree with you. There was at least one point where I was unable to distinguish between Prime and Megatron. And on more than one scene, I had to look away to keep myself from getting dizzy. I had the same experience during Blade 2 when Blade was fighting the vampire princess in front of the "wall-o-lights". Too much CGI close up does not agree with my head.

But again, I have to say, overall I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was smart enough for grown-up transformer fans, but scaled back enough for the kids to get into it.

I give it a 10 out of 10 on my movies of the summer list.

KINETIC

Thursday, July 5, 2007 4:08 PM

Agree with Stego, can't go in looking for the Oscar winner. Need to go in looking to see a fun, "take your brain out and put it on the seat next to you" movie. If you don't have the ability to do that you need to stay home.

You can't dislike the story and blame the director, it was written by Roberto Orci and John Rogers.

The "Sector 7 guy" was John Turturro, an excellent actor. I agree he was over the top; but feel that was what the role demanded.

I found the special effects fine in scale and was interested in your interpretation of the physics... "How exactly does a 12 ton robot hit the ground?"

Those of us who know the franchise will appreciate the homage paid to the old cartoons/comic and the previous film.

I thought the humor, with the exception of Anthony Anderson, was great. That said, I cant figure out why he or the other girl were in the film.

Select to view spoiler:

The ending left some to be desired with the "end" of Megatron. No way that kid takes him out.

It would be hard to argue that this is the beginning of a franchise. It has almost already grossed what it cost to make. I look forward to TF2.

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"One shall stand, one shall fall."
OP 1986, 2007

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