Transformers was....*possible spoilers*
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 3:59 pm
AWESOME.
I saw it last night here in Nashville.
As a longtime fan of the original series, I was REALLY worried about this being a Michael Bay film (as I have yet to like any of them that I have seen so far). So going into it, I had some severe reservations, however.....I spent most of the movie feeling like a grade-school kid again watching the original series.
*****BEGIN POSSIBLE SPOILERS***** -you have been warned-
There were a few nit-picky things wrong with it (aren't there always?) however, in light of everything that Michael and Co. got right, they are near-forgettable. Re-casting the original voice actor of Optimus Prime as Optimus in the movie was absolutely necessary, and thankfully Bay delivered...and then some. The first time I heard "the voice" in the movie, it literally sent chills down my spine....and then later on you hear one of the most famous lines to ANY Transformers fan.....
"Autobots, transform and roll out!"
The other Autobots (and Decepticons) are exceedingly well done, despite some of them being the wrong kinds of vehicles (very forgivable when seen in the context of the movie). ILM did a wonderful job on them and the way they transform and move when in robot form is just awesome.
Megatron. I would have liked him to be more like the original in looks, HOWEVER, I can understand why he was changed so much. After all, how does a 25-50+ foot tall robot transform into a pistol small enough in scale for one of said robots to use one-handed? This change is made-up for by the fact that he is voiced by Hugo Weaving.....and at one point in the movie (Megatron fans will love this) he berates Starscream.
Which brings us to another of the few nit-picking points I have. Starscream has only ONE OR TWO lines in the entire movie. I kinda missed the dynamic between he and Megatron that was ever-present in the animated series. However, the end of the movie is left wide open for a sequel, so we shall see.
To wrap this up...there is plenty of fan-service in the movie (a split second glimpse of Jazz break-dancing while transforming), and in-jokes that only fans of the animated series will catch, but I could see this being entertaining for anyone that likes action flicks. The origins of the robots is pretty well (if simply) explained so that the uninitiated viewers will not be left wondering what the hell is going on. To be certain, this is no Citizen Kane script, or story wise, but it is a fun ride.
If you liked the animated series as a kid, this movie is definitely worth seeing. Really.
I saw it last night here in Nashville.
As a longtime fan of the original series, I was REALLY worried about this being a Michael Bay film (as I have yet to like any of them that I have seen so far). So going into it, I had some severe reservations, however.....I spent most of the movie feeling like a grade-school kid again watching the original series.
*****BEGIN POSSIBLE SPOILERS***** -you have been warned-
There were a few nit-picky things wrong with it (aren't there always?) however, in light of everything that Michael and Co. got right, they are near-forgettable. Re-casting the original voice actor of Optimus Prime as Optimus in the movie was absolutely necessary, and thankfully Bay delivered...and then some. The first time I heard "the voice" in the movie, it literally sent chills down my spine....and then later on you hear one of the most famous lines to ANY Transformers fan.....
"Autobots, transform and roll out!"
The other Autobots (and Decepticons) are exceedingly well done, despite some of them being the wrong kinds of vehicles (very forgivable when seen in the context of the movie). ILM did a wonderful job on them and the way they transform and move when in robot form is just awesome.
Megatron. I would have liked him to be more like the original in looks, HOWEVER, I can understand why he was changed so much. After all, how does a 25-50+ foot tall robot transform into a pistol small enough in scale for one of said robots to use one-handed? This change is made-up for by the fact that he is voiced by Hugo Weaving.....and at one point in the movie (Megatron fans will love this) he berates Starscream.
Which brings us to another of the few nit-picking points I have. Starscream has only ONE OR TWO lines in the entire movie. I kinda missed the dynamic between he and Megatron that was ever-present in the animated series. However, the end of the movie is left wide open for a sequel, so we shall see.
To wrap this up...there is plenty of fan-service in the movie (a split second glimpse of Jazz break-dancing while transforming), and in-jokes that only fans of the animated series will catch, but I could see this being entertaining for anyone that likes action flicks. The origins of the robots is pretty well (if simply) explained so that the uninitiated viewers will not be left wondering what the hell is going on. To be certain, this is no Citizen Kane script, or story wise, but it is a fun ride.
If you liked the animated series as a kid, this movie is definitely worth seeing. Really.