Transformers Reactions Thread - No spoilers until July 4th

[GuppyShark]

I also really, really missed the Decepticon bickering. I guess that the movie was more about the humans involved than the Transformers, but I would've liked to have seen Starscream dressed down by Megatron at least once.

I seem to recall Megatron doing just that.

[GuppyShark]

as for the lack of security the Sector 7 people weren't exactly the shapest tool in the box (more like about as sharp as a hammer)

Although I did feel that Sector 7 added some great scenes to the film, the hilarious "The backups aren't enough!" was a poor excuse for Megatron to escape.

The Decepticons were all converging on the dam. Bay didn't need Sector 7 to show such a complete failure to contingency plan - what is the point of setting up backups in the first place if they're not able to keep the ugly alien machine frozen?

[Durandal]

I also really, really missed the Decepticon bickering. I guess that the movie was more about the humans involved than the Transformers, but I would've liked to have seen Starscream dressed down by Megatron at least once.

I seem to recall Megatron doing just that.

Not in any sort of meaningful context.

[GuppyShark]

The McGuffin was lost, Megs blamed Starscream, and it wasn't the first time Starscream had copped the blame for a failure.

What more context did you need?

[Gil Hamilton]

What bothered me more than Megatron learning English (which, presumably he could download from another Decepticon) and Megatron not being wired with an ungodly amount of explosive on the even that the cyrofreezing failed was that bit about all modern technology being derived from studying him. For fucks sake, why is it that alot of moviemakers think that people are incapable of inventing computers and shit?

Mike:
That's one of the flaws I think the movie suffered from. The movie would have been better if either Blackout had either been a little less dominating or they made all the Transformers lean toward War of the Worlds style Incomprehensible Power.

However, given the Directors military fetish, it would have marginalized humans trying to fight them, and I doubt Bay would have had that. Even then, the last battle was kind of contrived to let the Autobots win. I wonder what would have happened if Starscream hadn't decided to go on a union mandated lunch break half way through the battle, given that there wasn't alot the Autobots or the military could have done to actually fight him. Or if Devastator could, you know, hit the broad side of a barn with all those guns he had.

I agree though that it was alot more solid than the original Transformers movie. I mean, that movie featured a giant robot planet that actually turned into a (highly marketable and available at your local Toys R' Us) humanoid robot. I wasn't really comparing the two. The problem with the new movie lies in that alot of the flaws in the new movie; the pacing problems, the weak and occasionally annoying characterization, the fact that half the movie could have been left on the cutting room floor without seriously altering the movie that much are all really bad juju for a movie to have, even if it is a popcorn film that was financed by Hasbro. I mean, did anyone here really care that Megatron ripped Jazz in half? Probably not, you barely saw him do anything, let alone developed him enough that it seemed like the Autobots lost a valued comrade. Alot of real estate in that film during the second act of the film could have been devoted learning something about the Autobots than the cursory explanation of what was going on that Optimus gave, instead having scenes with the Super HaXXors munchin' donuts and the completely pointless Bumblebee capture scene.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the film, but just because it's not the feature length commercial that the original Transformers movie we know and love from our childhoods doesn't mean it doesn't carry alot of cinematic sins.

[Vympel]

There should've been some downtime between Megatron escaping and the battle in the city to see the Decepticons relate to one another.

As for Blackout, I really didn't see the problem with him in the city- he only arrived to attack Optimus Prime, and he was grappling with Megatron at the time- what else was he to do but sneak up on him and try and shank him?

As for Bumblebee being kidnapped, I was half hoping for him to simply toss rip the moorings from the helicopters as we well know he was capable, but that would've killed the humans.

[GuppyShark]

Just finished the game. I have to admit the ending of that was awesome.

Sam gives Prime the Allspark. Megatron attacks Prime - Prime catches Megatron's mace in his left and drives his right fist (containing the Allspark) into Megatron's chest.

[DarkSilver]

I prefer the Decepticon ending to the game.....

It's the aftermath of the final battle between Prime and Megatron, Megatron stands, while Prime crawls toward him. Megatron's mace lashes out, and destroy's Prime's head, throwing him offline. Scene then shifts to Washington D.C., Megatron has thrown Lincoln monument off the stone seat, and takes his place there, surronded by his Decepticons, and in his Welker provided voice says something like "My Decepticons....we are finished with this planet. Destroy it."

[Drooling Iguana]

I agree though that it was alot more solid than the original Transformers movie. I mean, that movie featured a giant robot planet that actually turned into a (highly marketable and available at your local Toys R' Us) humanoid robot.

There was no Unicron toy released until more than fifteen years after the movie was made.

[Kane Starkiller]

The movie was fun although they overdid it with that "clumsy Autobots around Witwickys house" scene.

But more importantly I felt the Transformers went down way too easily. I mean Blackout was hit by a couple of F-22 rockets and that hand gun and he was dead. The same goes for Megatron. The mighty Decepticon leader subdued by a few F-22's? And I certainly expected that carrier battlegroup to be blown away.

[Ghost Rider]

All in all...the movie was meh. Too much pointless yabbering to give a supposed storyline that was as indepth as Pearl Harbor mixed in with lackluster prior Bay action shots.

Is it the worst? Not by far, but I was glad I saw it as a morning matinee showing when I was still not completely there.

[apocolypse]

The movie was fun although they overdid it with that "clumsy Autobots around Witwickys house" scene.

But more importantly I felt the Transformers went down way too easily. I mean Blackout was hit by a couple of F-22 rockets and that hand gun and he was dead. The same goes for Megatron. The mighty Decepticon leader subdued by a few F-22's? And I certainly expected that carrier battlegroup to be blown away.

It is possible that Starscream was one of the attacking fighters though. Perhaps that greatly attributed to his demise.

[Kane Starkiller]

Yes but that still doesn't explain the ease with which Blackout was taken out. After seeing it trash Qatar base with such ease I was expecting it to take a lot more punishment before going down.
Transformers in general died to fast in my opinion. I mean Bonecrusher transforms jumps onto Optimus Prime, they both fall down from the highway ramp and Bonecrusher ALREADY has one eye popped from the socket. A split second later he is dead for a grand total of what 5 seconds since transformation? Of course maybe Optimus is just that good but still it would be better if they traded some punches and prolong the battle.

[Vympel]

I thought it was cool - Optimus rams his sword through Bonecrusher's head in a matter of moments, Megatron rips Jazz in two in a similar time-frame. They're the leaders, and hence, the baddest mofo's of either side. Any other Transformer shouldn't last two seconds against them normally (except Starscream in this instance, since he was pretty big).

[SylasGaunt]

Yes but that still doesn't explain the ease with which Blackout was taken out. After seeing it trash Qatar base with such ease I was expecting it to take a lot more punishment before going down.

It wasn't the F-22 missiles that did Blackout in, it was the special forces trooper who got up underneath him and managed to bypass his armor almost entirely.

[Stark]

The old 'intentionally stack my motorbike so I can shoot a guy in his anus' move. How could Micheal Bay resist?

I've got to say, though; that melee with Prime or no, there was no reason not to stay in chopper mode and kill Prime with blades or gunfire. Transforming just lost him his agility and he'd apparently forgotten how to use his smartbomb.

Every time I think of Blackout, however, I think 'how the fuck could they make a game based on the new TF movie where you can't transform mid-jump'. And it makes me sad.

[Imperial Overlord]

I thought it was cool - Optimus rams his sword through Bonecrusher's head in a matter of moments, Megatron rips Jazz in two in a similar time-frame. They're the leaders, and hence, the baddest mofo's of either side. Any other Transformer shouldn't last two seconds against them normally (except Starscream in this instance, since he was pretty big).

I'm with Vympel on this. Also in the movie the Autobots jump Devastator three on one and kick the shit out of him, but once Megatron shows up they're pretty damn scared of him. He's out of their weight class and they know it. Prime is Megatron's equal and when Bonecrusher pushed his luck Prime tore him apart.

As for Blackout, yeah he did go down to easy from human weapons, even in Starscream "helped". It would make more sense if he was a "glass cannon" a heavily armed but not that well armoured Decepticon.

[DPDarkPrimus]

I've got to say, though; that melee with Prime or no, there was no reason not to stay in chopper mode and kill Prime with blades or gunfire. Transforming just lost him his agility and he'd apparently forgotten how to use his smartbomb.

Well he couldn't use his gigantic explosion weapon because Prime was fighting Megatron.

Every time I think of Blackout, however, I think 'how the fuck could they make a game based on the new TF movie where you can't transform mid-jump'. And it makes me sad.

You can transform whenever you want to in the DS version of the game. I like to be in car mode, drive towards a fence, transform, jump, transform again in mid-air and be speeding away on the other side of the fence in car mode again in the space of a split-second.

[Fire Fly]

Does anyone know the title of the music piece played during the arrival of the Autobots?

[Stark]

Well he couldn't use his gigantic explosion weapon because Prime was fighting Megatron.

Power settings? Killing a guy between his legs would be easy to do, you'd think, without harming Megs more than 20 meters away.

You can transform whenever you want to in the DS version of the game. I like to be in car mode, drive towards a fence, transform, jump, transform again in mid-air and be speeding away on the other side of the fence in car mode again in the space of a split-second.

The devs even went on for the whole development saying 'you gots to be able to transform whenever', and the first level for 'Cons is Blackout. So you jump, you press transform... and nothing happens. What. The. Christ. Jump off a building as Barricade... can't transform till you hit the dirt. It's such a missed opportunity for awesome - you can't do any 'go fast, transform, do something cool, then transform back before you hit the ground' stuff.

The DS versions also let you change alt-modes, which sounds awesome. Shame it looks like poo, though.

[Durandal]

The McGuffin was lost, Megs blamed Starscream, and it wasn't the first time Starscream had copped the blame for a failure.

What more context did you need?

How about a context about Starscream's previous failures? When Darth Vader said, "You have failed me for the last time, Admiral", it was well-established that Ozzel disagreed with and challenged Vader on past occasions. There was absolutely no pre-existing conflict between Starscream and Megatron in the Transformers movie.

[Durandal]

Oh, and I didn't see it mentioned in this thread, but "To punish and enslave" was gold.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Oh, and I didn't see it mentioned in this thread, but "To punish and enslave" was gold.

I want the jacket.

[Majin Gojira]

My thoughts: Entertaining popcorn flick, very hollow, but fun.

Sam's interaction with his family was the best written part of the film, IMO.

Not a fan of certain directorial styles taken (In tight action sequences hide the action more than enhancing it), but it was done well.

3/5.

[Vympel]

I think Mike's wife had a point about the film really being about Sam. The key example of this is the battle between Bumblebee and Barricade - we don't see how Bumblebee put the smackdown on Barricade, we just know that he did.