Transformers Reactions Thread - No spoilers until July 4th

[Spanky The Dolphin]

METROPLEX!

'Cause as we all learned from Big, no kid wants to play with a building.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I have to wonder what the "collateral damage" would be if you got two large 'bots going at it instead of what we had.

"Oops, crushed LA Town Hall. My bad."

Guess that'd have to be CGI rather than the weight they used to crush that fountain.

[Darth Servo]

Guys, if you really want to voice your desires for bots in the sequel, USA Today.com has/had* a poll.


*It doesn't seem to like my computer at the moment.

[Enigma]

I saw the movie and I loved it. The only thing I found stupid was that the spark only seemed to create homicidal robots. There was another thing but I forgot.

[neoolong]

Just saw it too. I'm sure it's riddled with plot holes, but I still dug the ever living fuck out of the movie.

One thing that I haven't seen people really criticize, the music editing. I really liked the score, but the way they jammed in rock songs and the like sucked. Not necessarily the choice of songs, but it was really distracting when it went from score to a song. Especially if the song's only in there for like 20 seconds. Like it was an excuse to add another song to the soundtrack.

[Darth Wong]

Theory time: in the universe of the movie transformers, Cybertron was once inhabited by bipedal humanoid organic lifeforms, who created the All-Spark and ended up being wiped out by their own creations. The transformers then lost track of their own origins over the eons, perhaps as a side-effect of the war in which they wiped out their creators.

Think about it: we've seen that the All-Spark only changes technological devices into robots, not inert lumps of rock and ore. So if the All-Spark changed Cybertron into a living machine world, there must have already been some technology on the planet. Where would this come from? Only something that developed naturally could have created it.

Also, there is no good reason whatsoever why the Autobots and Decepticons would have the ability to transform into humanoid bipedal forms. There is no special efficiency of the bipedal humanoid form, hence no logical reason for this characteristic. However, if the All-Spark was deliberately designed by a bipedal humanoid species in order to create transforming robots, then the preference for a bipedal humanoid robot mode has an obvious basis.

[SirNitram]

It can also explain why Allspark-created transformers come with weapons. Especially if the Allspark was some last-ditch attempt to produce something to fight back with.

[Vympel]

You know what summed up the movie's attitude perfectly?

When Bonecrusher and Optimus are in full-on fisticuffs and the kid in the car turns to his mum:

"COOL MOM!!!"

He has just witnessed two giant robots locked in mortal combat, and has reacted appropriately- it is the most awesome thing he has ever seen.

[DPDarkPrimus]

One thing that I haven't seen people really criticize, the music editing. I really liked the score, but the way they jammed in rock songs and the like sucked. Not necessarily the choice of songs, but it was really distracting when it went from score to a song. Especially if the song's only in there for like 20 seconds. Like it was an excuse to add another song to the soundtrack.

The exact opposite with me. The licensed music was utilized much better than in the typical action blockbuster of the summer, and I found the original scoring to be way too generic. The only part of the score that was any good in my opinion was the scene with the Autobots falling to Earth- the rest of it was so generalized it could have been used in any film. There were no character themes, no changing of the music to match the action on-screen... and it wasn't a score I would bother listening to on it's own.

[dragon]

Theory time: in the universe of the movie transformers, Cybertron was once inhabited by bipedal humanoid organic lifeforms, who created the All-Spark and ended up being wiped out by their own creations. The transformers then lost track of their own origins over the eons, perhaps as a side-effect of the war in which they wiped out their creators.

Think about it: we've seen that the All-Spark only changes technological devices into robots, not inert lumps of rock and ore. So if the All-Spark changed Cybertron into a living machine world, there must have already been some technology on the planet. Where would this come from? Only something that developed naturally could have created it.

Also, there is no good reason whatsoever why the Autobots and Decepticons would have the ability to transform into humanoid bipedal forms. There is no special efficiency of the bipedal humanoid form, hence no logical reason for this characteristic. However, if the All-Spark was deliberately designed by a bipedal humanoid species in order to create transforming robots, then the preference for a bipedal humanoid robot mode has an obvious basis.

The transformers were created by the Quintessons whom experimented with fusing organics and technology to create and early form of robots. They created cybertron as a factory. At least according to transformers generation 1. How that fits in with the movie ehh.

[neoolong]

The exact opposite with me. The licensed music was utilized much better than in the typical action blockbuster of the summer, and I found the original scoring to be way too generic. The only part of the score that was any good in my opinion was the scene with the Autobots falling to Earth- the rest of it was so generalized it could have been used in any film. There were no character themes, no changing of the music to match the action on-screen... and it wasn't a score I would bother listening to on it's own.

The part where the protoforms came to Earth was the best part of the score, but I was speaking more of the transition between the two types of music. That was jarring for me. It wouldn't have been helped if I really liked the rock songs, though I did think some of them were okay.

[Stark]

The transformers were created by the Quintessons whom experimented with fusing organics and technology to create and early form of robots. They created cybertron as a factory. At least according to transformers generation 1. How that fits in with the movie ehh.

It's completely irrelevant.

The Allspark Effect only appears to work on certain technological devices. I wonder what the prequisites are? The effect appears to change the material characteristics of the target (building missiles out of a mobile phone) so perhaps it's just a preference. Since all transformers appear to carry sparks themselves, is this what allows them to change their alt-modes (at least cosmetically)?

I also thought the licensed music was used well (I thought the 'Bumblebee talks with his radio' thing was pretty awesome when it could very easily have been awful) but I don't even remember the actual score.

[neoolong]

I was talking about the non-diagetic music actually. I believe that's the term.

Bumblebee's use of radio for a voice was okay to me.

[Darth Servo]

link

July 17, 2007 - Increasingly frustrated by the Iraqi government’s failure to meet a series of defined benchmarks, President George W. Bush today proposed sending a group of giant robots known as the Transformers™ to Iraq.

Aides to the president were vague as to when Mr. Bush arrived at his new Transformers™ strategy. But sources say that he devised the plan last week, shortly after a surprise visit to a multiplex in Bethesda, Md.

In announcing his new proposal, the president authorized an $85 billion defense contract to Hasbro, believed to be the largest military contract of its kind ever awarded to a toy company.

At a White House press conference, the president expressed his confidence that the Transformers™ would succeed where the Iraq government had failed.

"I’d like to see what would happen if Al Qaeda tried to attack one of our tanks, and instead the tank got up on its legs and turned out to be a robot and started shooting at them," Mr. Bush said. "That would be so cool."

But even as the president announced his new plan for victory in Iraq, congressional critics questioned the wisdom of dispatching Transformers™ to the war-torn nation.

"A tank that can turn into a giant robot is awesome, but it’s not an exit strategy," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada.

Responding to his critics, Mr. Bush said that he would announce an exit strategy later this week after consulting with his newest advisor, J.K. Rowling.

"She has experience at ending things," Mr. Bush said.

Elsewhere, China announced plans to send a new brand of rat poison to the United States under the name "Delicious Cupcakes."

Yes its satire...


but you never know, Shrubby just might try it.
[/quote]

[neoolong]

Funny, but shouldn't it be President Bush instead of Mr. Bush? And damn it, he must not have been paying attention. We can't send tanks that can transform into robots. That's a decepticon. It's all about the Camaro.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

I was talking about the non-diagetic music actually. I believe that's the term.

Yeah, it is. Diegetic music would be stuff heard within the filmic world, such as when Bumblebee tuned to Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" and The Cars' "Drive."

[neoolong]

Glad to know I still remember some stuff from film class.

Though it does give an interesting look into how Bumblebee views teenage seduction. Guess he really did learn about humans from the Internet if he thought that would work.

Though, I'm just glad he didn't he didn't read any fanfic, or else he would have tried to set up Sam and Trent.

[Kojiro]

Theory time: in the universe of the movie transformers, Cybertron was once inhabited by bipedal humanoid organic lifeforms, who created the All-Spark and ended up being wiped out by their own creations. The transformers then lost track of their own origins over the eons, perhaps as a side-effect of the war in which they wiped out their creators.

You can press this a little further with the mouths. There's no good reason for them to have mouths or near the range of expression (curiously human analogous) they have.

I do strongly like the idea that the first batch of transformers were an accident, born wild and crazy and whoever was there just got stomped in the ensuing battles. Perhaps they recognise each other and band together instinctively? Perhaps it's only will great time they settle and become less violent/Autobots.

Anyone got a theory on the eye colour? It seems too consistent to be random, and it's shared by the violent newborns (to say nothing of the symbolism of red and blue).

[Admiral Valdemar]

Just saw it too. I'm sure it's riddled with plot holes, but I still dug the ever living fuck out of the movie.

One thing that I haven't seen people really criticize, the music editing. I really liked the score, but the way they jammed in rock songs and the like sucked. Not necessarily the choice of songs, but it was really distracting when it went from score to a song. Especially if the song's only in there for like 20 seconds. Like it was an excuse to add another song to the soundtrack.

This was addressed a few pages back. The Allspark was used in an uncontrolled manner when we saw it in the movie, bar the time it regenerated Frenzy instantly as opposed to simply over time. The machines were acting like feral creatures, as if they'd been given only the basic sentient instincts and no guidance on how to live like, say, an Autobot. This explains the erratic, paranoid actions.

Theory time: in the universe of the movie transformers, Cybertron was once inhabited by bipedal humanoid organic lifeforms, who created the All-Spark and ended up being wiped out by their own creations. The transformers then lost track of their own origins over the eons, perhaps as a side-effect of the war in which they wiped out their creators.

Think about it: we've seen that the All-Spark only changes technological devices into robots, not inert lumps of rock and ore. So if the All-Spark changed Cybertron into a living machine world, there must have already been some technology on the planet. Where would this come from? Only something that developed naturally could have created it.

Also, there is no good reason whatsoever why the Autobots and Decepticons would have the ability to transform into humanoid bipedal forms. There is no special efficiency of the bipedal humanoid form, hence no logical reason for this characteristic. However, if the All-Spark was deliberately designed by a bipedal humanoid species in order to create transforming robots, then the preference for a bipedal humanoid robot mode has an obvious basis.

That sounds plausible and somewhat reminds me of the Go-Bot (don't laugh) origin story, where it was a long lost memory that a great war between two factions of highly advanced humanoid factions led to them creating war machines and augmenting themselves as them too to become cyborgs, then wholly inorganic in nature. Of course, they aren't restricted to this form, as Scorponok shows since he prefers not to transform to a bipedal configuration, course the terrain he was in is unfavourable to bipeds anyway.

The part where the protoforms came to Earth was the best part of the score, but I was speaking more of the transition between the two types of music. That was jarring for me. It wouldn't have been helped if I really liked the rock songs, though I did think some of them were okay.

I have to disagree. I await the OST coming out, since they only have the tie-in music album out now, of which I already have the best track (the Linkin Park's "What I've Done" used in trailer and movie too). The Autobot appearance track was amazing though, and everywhere I find the "I practically cried" comment because of the visuals and that musical composition. Jablonsky is fairly new to Hollywood, but I found his score used some of the best parts of Zimmer, Gregson-Williams, Powell and Rabin, who all worked on Bruckheimer movies at one point or another to boot. The score to Steamboy, also by Jablonsky, was good, as was The Island in some parts.

Anyway, it's much easier to gauge when listening to the score alone, since in the movie it aims more to merge seamlessly in many areas given a soundtrack that distracts from the visuals is pretty annoying even if the music on its own is good.

You can press this a little further with the mouths. There's no good reason for them to have mouths or near the range of expression (curiously human analogous) they have.

I do strongly like the idea that the first batch of transformers were an accident, born wild and crazy and whoever was there just got stomped in the ensuing battles. Perhaps they recognise each other and band together instinctively? Perhaps it's only will great time they settle and become less violent/Autobots.

Anyone got a theory on the eye colour? It seems too consistent to be random, and it's shared by the violent newborns (to say nothing of the symbolism of red and blue).

The articulated faces could simply be useful in communicating with other species too, since I presume there are other aliens out there given the past canon of the franchise and the lack of surprise the Autobots and Decepticons had on humanity. So they may have kept or engineered in the faces with mouths to help in interspecies communication.

The eye colour, which I noticed altered between the first and second trailer for Ironhide as he exited the swimming pool (I thought it was going to be Optimus or Megatron), could simply be a good indicator of faction and nothing more. While in robot mode, it'd be easier to mistake who was who, wouldn't it, Starscream?

As an aside, I just caught the end of XXX2: The Next Level while channel hopping before and noticed a scene with an Abrams in it that looks just like Brawl/Devastator. It had the two smaller turrets on the main one and twin MG mounts. Sadly, it didn't transform and stomp on Ice Cube.

[Bounty]

The Autobot appearance track was amazing though, and everywhere I find the "I practically cried" comment because of the visuals and that musical composition.

I don't have the nostalgia factor over the original cartoon, so that scene shouldn't get to me, but when the comets came in and Ironhide climbed out of the pool...well...

Same thing when Optimus did that 180° turn to get behind the S7 convoy. For all it's faults, the movie had a handful of scenes that I'm not likely going to forget.

And I just realised I don't get the ending. If shoving the Allspark into a Transformer kills it, why did Optimus want it done to him? Megatron was getting slapped around by the Raptors, Blackout and Brawl were toast, Starscream was playing with the fighters and Barricade had gone missing. Even if Sam did nothing except run with the Allspark, the Autobots would've won.

Not to mention that losing the Allspark doomed Cybertron, if I understood the epilogue correctly.

[Old Plympto]

Upon the fifth time of my handing over legal tender to the movie theater for Transformers, I realized that because of his mouth construction, when his faceshield is on it wobbles when he speaks, just like in the cartoon. You can clearly see this for a second or two when he talks, fighting Megatron after he rescues Sam from the fall.

[Enigma]

Was the All-Spark really destroyed? I remeber seeing Optimus taking out a piece of it from Megatron's chest. Maybe it'll regenerate?

Too bad that Optimus didn't put the All-Spark in him and get a power up like in Beast Wars.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Was the All-Spark really destroyed? I remeber seeing Optimus taking out a piece of it from Megatron's chest. Maybe it'll regenerate?

He took out a small lifeless piece and crushed it in his hand.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Maybe... maybe he did that to make many smaller pieces to use later...

C'mon, we can't give up on it. I want Megatron back, dammit! If he's not coming back from the Allspark, what other technology is there? I assume the destruction of his spark means he won't regenerate over time and is permanently KIA.

[Kojiro]

The articulated faces could simply be useful in communicating with other species too, since I presume there are other aliens out there given the past canon of the franchise and the lack of surprise the Autobots and Decepticons had on humanity. So they may have kept or engineered in the faces with mouths to help in interspecies communication.

I certainly don't recall a mouth on the Autobot that climbs out of the pool (who I thought was Prime) but doesn't Megatron already have a fully formed face even though he never 'adapts'? I can't recall if Barricade does or not. The transformers are capable of non verbal communication though and mouths are hardly required for them to speak as we do.

The eye colour, which I noticed altered between the first and second trailer for Ironhide as he exited the swimming pool (I thought it was going to be Optimus or Megatron), could simply be a good indicator of faction and nothing more. While in robot mode, it'd be easier to mistake who was who, wouldn't it, Starscream?

I'd really like to know how it emerged, how the war started. If it's nothing more than faction, it's the equivalent of putting on a uniform, which I guess is good if everyone around you is the same. Really not enough back story to determine much.

He took out a small lifeless piece and crushed it in his hand.

Didn't look like a crush to me, more of a firm hold. Either way an object like that could easily be written to regenerate itself. In fact I'd go so far as to say even the molten slag parts could, and incidentally reanimate any nearby technology....And thus a rebuilt, improved Megatron emerges with his rebuilt minions. Nah, that'd be stupid.