Transformers (2007) (1 Viewer)

[Tony J Case]

I thought it was mostly because they were ferral, not nessassarly evil. They were still 'wild' transformers.

 

[Tony J Case]

That's not really fair. Transformers: The Movie was an expansion and continuation of the G1 storyline. Bay didn't have that to work with.

 

[Brent M]

I don't know, but I would gladly take his "sloppy seconds" with that trifecta of ladies.

 

[Seth Paxton]

I agree. This "it wasn't supposed to be Citizen Kane" angle need to die a horrible, painful death and never be used again. Why?

Road Warrior, Die Hard, Raiders of the Lost Ark

It's true that action films have different goals, structure "rules" and so on, just as westerns, spy thrillers, romance films, period pieces, art house, and every other genre or style of film do.

When I watch Pearl Harbor I compare it to The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan or From Here to Eternity or even the classic silent Wings, which was effectively the same story used for PH.

It's not the genre, it's how closely he clings to the least subtle cliches in the genre, primarily in his directorial choices (rather than plot or character issues, though they typically aren't hot in Bay films either).


Popcorn films have their own Citizen Kanes to be held up against, and they should be. The day we stop expecting T2 or Raiders or Die Hard or Road Warrior from the latest popcorn action flick is the day we let H'wood just dump crap down our throats forever.

I mean didn't Nolan just reaffirm this ideal with Batman Begins, or was that supposed to be Citizen Kane actually?

 

[Chris Atkins]

I wanted to, H, believe me. I definitely want to see it again, but I vascillate between indifference and mild amusement.

Probably going to see the new Die Hard tonight, so hopefully I can enjoy that without qualification.

 

[Kirk Tsai]

I also don't understand the "action is hard to follow" comments. I don't remember any of the action being hard to follow but, then again, I had no trouble following the action in Batman Begins.

I don't think Transformers was too hard to follow in its action scenes (easier than some Batman Begin scenes), but that doesn't mean its well conceived or shot. When people say they can't follow the action, it can (a) frustrate the audience, and perhaps more importantly (b) deprive the audience of the pleasure of watching a well choreographed action scene. I think some of the action scenes in this movie were poorly designed; we don't get to see the bots fight each other in their full body as much, making it less exciting than it could have been. I thought big time exciting bashing is the point of the movie, so I had no expectations of CK either.

 

[Chris Atkins]

Speaking of Batman Begins, someone said earlier that the way Nolan shot the fight scenes in the film worked well with the character development of Batman. I agree 100%, though I will point out that the close in, shaky cam coverage of fighting in Batman Begins is one of the few places where I thought it worked well and suited the story.

In many cases, I get the feeling that directors and effects guys are using it as an excuse to keep costs down and/or actually keep the viewer from focusing too much on the effects.

 

[DavidPla]

The #1 contribution from Spielberg on the film was the "boy and his car" angle. He really pushed for the Shia/Bumblebee storyline which felt very 80s Spielbergan and the best parts of the movie. Also I think he put Michael Bay on the project after working with him on "The Island". I remember him being quoted as saying that he wanted to be Bay's new Bruckheimer.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I agree that the Shia/Bumblebee act was then best in the film. I also understand that Spielberg is involved as a producer to some extent, and will remove his name from a film if he is unsatisfied with the final product. Could be BS, but it sounds like him.

That said, this is a Bay movie through and through. Saved by Shia to some extent.

 

[MikeRS]

. “The point is that good editing is good editing regardless of genre,” he says.

http://www.editorsguild.com/v2/magaz...ory_teaser.htm

 

[Ron-P]

What an amazing ride of a moive, one of the best popcorn films ever. Went and saw it this morning and even after reading all the positive hype I was blown away. I'm a Bay film fan and this is by far one of (if not) his best. I'm going back tomorrow for round #2.

 

[Brent M]

Well, I just got back from seeing this and honestly I don't know how anyone could be disappointed with the action sequences in the film(of which there were plenty). I mean, this was some probably the best CGI work ILM has ever done and the sheer amount of destruction and mayhem was on par with any movie I've seen in a long time. It was Bay's best film yet IMHO(and I'm a huge fan of The Rock). The only thing that bothered me was that some of the comedy felt "forced" and there were some real groaner lines, but there was also some funny stuff that worked and overall the comedy(or lack thereof in some cases) did not affect my enjoyment of the film at all. Neither did gawking at Megan Fox, the hot blonde with the Australian accent and the 2009 Camaro concept car. I've always been a Corvette guy, but that Camaro is flat out wicked.

 

[teapot2001]

Always count on Seth to mention Die Hard, Raiders, and Road Warrior.

Not all the action was badly shot. I thought the best scene was the desert one with the scorpion robot. The scenes involving the robots against each other just felt like a mud wrestling match. There was some suspense and sense of endangerment that the early desert and army base action scenes had that made them work.

~T

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I preferred the older Camaro to the concept (2009) version. And I was disappointed in the action sequences for the reasons I listed in my review

And to further be a jackweed...I think the effects in Pirates 3 were better

I did love Optimus versus Bonecrusher, and I loved the desert fight with the A-10s and the AC-130. It almost made the Air Force cool. Almost

 

[Chuck Mayer]

And Seth had the best response to the summer movie reasoning. A friend of mine gave me the "robots fighting"...and I reminded him that T2 was also robots fighting. I don't expect that much out of Transformers (which is why I enjoyed it), but let's not pretend it's anything but what it is: an empty-headed special effects reel with cardboard characters and Bay's fetishes on full display. It certainly entertains, but falls short of coherence or quality just as often.

I'm glad those that love it really enjoyed it. I wish I enjoyed it as much as they did...but that was up to the film, not me.

 

[Brent M]

Couldn't disagree with your more on all accounts, but there's no point belaboring it as we obviously have very different tastes across the board..........especially when you prefer that ratty old 70's Camaro to the '09 model.

 

[Tim Glover]

Transforming indeed.

 

[STARKILLER1138]

I saw this on Tuesday with about 15 other people I work with, and we all loved it! My buddy Derrick said it was the best movie he has ever seen. What a fun ride this was. The perfect summer movie!

 

[John Doran]

this is geekier than geeky, but i got so pumnped when i saw the warthogs - most beautiful plane i've ever seen - ...i was disappointed that they got the sound of the GAU-8A avenger gatling wrong.

sigh. loved the movie, though, warts and all.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

After a summer of over-long, pretentious slogs mislabeled as blockbusters, having a film in the tradition of Independence Day instead of T2 or Batman Begins was frankly a relief. Spidey 3 and Pirates 3 aimed to hit it out of the park and struck out. Transformers went for an easy double and made it. There's plot holes and implausibilities you could drive Optimus Prime through, but none of them bothered me in the slightest. Bernie Mac's character pretty much frees the movie up to be whatever the hell it wants. From the moment his mother flips him off from the lawn chair, I knew I was in for a fun ride. Until the film got bogged down with too much action in the climax, it was the most fun I'd had in the cinema all year.

There's something to be said for a fun, dumb ride. And it's something that fun, smart rides can't offer. It's Jon Voight as a sitting secretary of state shooting what looked like a sawed-off shotgun into the rafters. It's Sam's parents asking him about his masterbation habits in the middle of an epic conflict between good and evil. The movie isn't a parody, exactly, but it is a bombastic, well-crafted and impulsively kinetic little farce. What makes Transformers great when Pearl Harbor blew is self-knowledge. Transformers knows it's a b-movie and makes no bones about it.