Let me preface this post by saying that I am a HUGE Transformers fanboy, and Michael Bay did not ruin my childhood. There were some liberties taken with the source material, but nothing too egregious.

Now, as a fanboy, this movie had a lot of numbskull exposition that I didn't particularly need, and it's not even that well thought-out. It merely serves as a loose framework for shit to get blowed up real good. And blowed up it does, with the most memorable action sequence for me being the attack on the base in Qatar. All of your trademark Michael Bayisms are here, but he's the only one that could have possibly directed a movie this HUGE and loud.

This is going to sound incredibly nerdy of me, but the movie could have been a lot better had it focused more on the robots' back story rather than the humans. The movie also could have benefited from less liberal editing, as 2 hours and 20 minutes is a long time to be pounded into submission.

So go and see it if you're willing to accept it for what it is, which is a brain-dead robot fight, and a pretty bad-ass one at that.

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Hmmm, I think I know where I'm going this afternoon.

Thought it was definitely a good movie. The nerd juices were flowing at the end when Prime repeated a line from the first Transfomers movie and I felt like I was back at the North Riverside Mall where I saw the first one as a kid. Totally agree about the length, it could have been a great 1:45 movie but instead it was a good 2:20 movie. It was also surprisingly humorous, which I didn't expect. Bring on the sequel I need more Starscream.

I never got anything but the knock-off Go-Bots as a kid. I guess I wouldn't get it.

Definitely an enjoyable movie. Saw it this morning at the AMC Cantera. It was an early morning for me. Only 5 bucks too. not bad.

There wasn't much of a storyline, but that's all right--the action made up for it. The whole experience reminded me of ID4, coincidentally. A couple things struck me:

Stereotypical casting. HOT Australian chick...scientist? And the guy scientists? Geeks. Yeah just like in real life! Just go to NASA or a sci-fi convention! all the chicks are that hot!

I guess they shot the school scenes at FHM High. Except for LaBouf. He must have been a transfer student. Megan Fox. Lives up to her name. But engaged to Brian Austin Green? Sorry honey. That's thumbs down to you.

Autobots care to save human lives. But they destroy THE SHIT out of the cities they live in.

I am going to get a "Bee Otch" air freshener for my car!

And...

I. Hate. Kids.



Out of a possible

I give it a

Yeah cause the Matinee I saw was 7.75, thanks for the discount assholes. You'd think after making me watch 20 minutes of commercials before the movie even started they could cut some of the price down, haha I crack myself up.
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Why The Original Transformers Movie Is Better Than Michael Bay's

Can't say I disagree.

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It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a goddamn shame.

http://www.TheCommittedIndian.com/

The writer of the slate article has a very very loose interpretation of what a set is. It was a cartoon. There was no set. There was probably an office and a recording room. Did Orson Welles set up shop on the Transformers' home world?

I guess...I still enjoyed the movie. But I was kind of disappointed with Megatron. Not just because he was a standard bad guy with no personality but because he was unrecognizable...I was like...did Todd MacFarlane design him? Why didn't he turn into a gun? And where was that cannon on his arm?

Maybe, but why compare them really, they're 2 totally different movies. Kinda like the Batman movie with Keaton is nothing like the Batman Begins movie with Bale.

Not really interested in this movie for some reason.

Cause you're straight.


Just kidding guys...

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
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Having this in the movie sure helps.

Oh my.

I'll be back in 15.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

She thinks David from 90210 is marriage material. She's obviously much higher than she looks. That being said, before anyone asks- yes, over and over again.

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It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a goddamn shame.

http://www.TheCommittedIndian.com/

here's another...

Here she is working on NSJ's car

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Just saw this crapfest. I cannot and will not recommend it to anyone. Parts of this flick were absolutely, excruciatingly painful to sit through. I found myself laughing (out loud) at much of the flick (drawing looks from many people).

I went in expecting a light, popcorn, summer action flick and didn't even get that. I like to suspend disbelief and really get into a movie as much as the next guy, but this one was so ridiculous that it never happened.

I didn't find the robot fights that great either. Most of the time, I couldn't even keep track of who was who when they were fighting.

I award this movie out of a possible

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...not sure what you mean. Aren't most light, popcorn, summer action flicks crapfests?

I thought it was a pretty fun one. But...I like crapfests sometimes.

The movie was very entertaining. Can't wait for the next one!

MINOR SPOILER ALERT!!
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This movie was the lightest of the light summer fares that I've ever seen. Independence Day is Citizen Kane compared to this! The 15 minute scene where he goes back to his house to find the glasses and the robots are trying to hide? The most aggravating of them all. Willful suspension of disbelief is one thing, but this movie is so outside the realm of believability that I had to laugh.

In the above scene, the kid is trying to find the key to saving the entire human race. Does he get right to it? No. He BSs with his dad, then plays with the dog, then is scolding the robots for being pushy. Then the robots are trying to hide from the parents...it turned into a bad episode of Three's Company.

The other scene that really bugged me was towards the end when they're in the bunker and Turturro (don't get me started on Turturro's character)won't let the kid go get Bumblebee. Captain Army-guy, who has had no real contact with the kid, is suddenly his biggest defender, drawing his weapon so the kid can get his car.

This concept had so much potential to be a solid summer movie. They must have realized that everyone would be wowed by the robots and their transforming (it WAS very well done) so they wouldn't expect much plot. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but I also wasn't expecting a "plot" so thin.

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SPOILERS BELOW























I don't think the idea was to be in suspense; to me it smacked of screwball, sitcomedy. I mean when transformers are making comments about "Ebay", I think it's pretty safe to say the tongue was firmly in cheek in a lot of the scenes. It felt campy, and I appreciated that. That's what I liked about ID4 too. I think ID4 took itself more seriously than TF did.




I think you took this movie too seriously Killer. Or maybe I didn't take it seriously enough. The only thing I thought was it was a missed opportunity for more funny out of Turturro. I think his character should have had more leverage so he could be more maniacal. He didn't seem to have much of a purpose, I'll give you that--I think if he did it would have been stronger.



Well when you have a movie based on a toy line, you can't expect that much. And this "updated" movie was more of a 2 1/2 hour car commercial than anything else--but since it clearly wasn't trying to be anything more, and seemed to have a light flavor, I forgave things I otherwise would be bitching about. I appreciate when trash movies don't try to be more than they are. I see what you're saying, and it's obviously possible that there could have been a better TF movie to be made. I think this was probably the most entertaining Michael Bay movie I've seen. Not saying much, but saying enough.

And Shia LaBouf was sensational.

On that we can agree. I thought he did a great job!

I guess I went in with too high hopes for this one...never good.

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Everything is reasonable and logical like robotic alien morphing machines that talk, think and urinate oil on people. These things make sense science-fiction-wise because there is no earthly explanation. But things that have earthly explanations could have easily been integrated in the movie to make our Autobot friends more realistic.

Here's another movie example, in King Kong (the recent one), Kong catches and tosses and whips around the women yet she never sustains any whiplash or broken bones from his tussling her about. A 10 story ape that fought dinosaurs was believable because there wasn't any real world reference to compare it to, but her physical resistance to any pain wasn't.

BTW, the sequel is expected to possibly use Dinobots, Contructicons, and an aircraft carrier character.

I see what you're saying but I think that's a general "movie" thing. I mean, how many movies do you see where the hero is shot at but still survives? Or they're in a situation where there's no earthly way they can get out but somehow all the bullets miss them (like "The Last Samurai"--I mean come on...). There are supposedly "real world" situations where something absolutely unbelievable happens. I think it depends on how much you're buying into the story to begin with. Your "King Kong" example--I was so enthralled with what was going on, I didn't pay attention to that, because I was in the moment. Not sure if Jackson knew that, but I don't think it mattered.

Expecting realism in a movie is a high expectation, since everything is simulated, and pure fantasy. Even movies depicting real life.

That's exactly what didn't happen for me in Transformers. I don't expect reality (it's sci-fi). Alien robots? But I do expect a certain degree of possibility. What MIGHT happen IF alien robots DID come to Earth?

I wanted to buy into the concept, but the "screwball sitcomedy" crap took me right out of the story.

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Killer, I generally like your posts, but that is the most asinine statement made in a long time.

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Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. ~ Benjamin Franklin

It's all about buying into a movie. If I buy into the premise (in this one, alien robots come to Earth), then I expect some plausibility in the ensuing action. This movie just kept side-tracking itself with ridiculous turns that weren't remotely believable.

I'll just stop talking about it now.

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Just saw it tonight. I knew nothing about Transformers or their television history. Didn't matter. I wasn't able to suspend disbelief. Didn't matter. I thought it was humorous in a camp kind of way rather than in a genuine funny way. Didn't matter. It was a summer action flick that was exactly as Stinkfinger promised...robots doing battle and blowing up a lot of stuff. It kept my teenage son engaged, and me entertained, for two hours. Mission accomplished.

The question I have from this movie is how far has John Voight fallen in esteem in Hollywood? What is an Oscar winner for Best Actor (and four time nominee) doing in this flick anyway?

I thought you were the only man in your house Coast.