Reba Leung
New member
There's one problem here...Spielberg was Exec Producer on Transformers 2 - so he's culpable for this mess as well.
Transformers 2
- Thread starter NevehS
- Start date
Persephone
New member
I've never read Lord of the Rings.
I liked the films.
I've never read Watchmen.
I liked the film.
I've read pretty much every Transformers G1 and G2 comic ever.
I don't particularly like Transformers 2.
It's bloated with too much lame humour, college scenes and boring humans - and not enough Transformers.
Of the Transformers we do get to see - we spend an awful lot of time with a pair of jive-talking walking stereotypes.
And the one new TF I came to like during the film (Wheelie), just disappeared in the last hour for no apparent reason.
Still, could've been worst - he could of spent most of his time in his alt-mode in a garage or plane like most of the other Autobots.
I liked the films.
I've never read Watchmen.
I liked the film.
I've read pretty much every Transformers G1 and G2 comic ever.
I don't particularly like Transformers 2.
It's bloated with too much lame humour, college scenes and boring humans - and not enough Transformers.
Of the Transformers we do get to see - we spend an awful lot of time with a pair of jive-talking walking stereotypes.
And the one new TF I came to like during the film (Wheelie), just disappeared in the last hour for no apparent reason.
Still, could've been worst - he could of spent most of his time in his alt-mode in a garage or plane like most of the other Autobots.
Priscilla K
New member
I was decidedly underwhelmed and thought they they could have easily shaved about 30 minutes - if not more - off the running time. I was beginning to get bored by the end.
I much preferred Terminator Salvation.
I much preferred Terminator Salvation.
I'm a G1 transformers fan so am naturally sceptical about these weird looking remakes, but I am still disappointed.
TF1 - Visually impressive, hard to tell what's going on in the fight scenes, tries too hard to be 'badass'.
TF2 - An exaggerated version of the first. More comedy, more fights, but also a much weaker and more incoherent plot. The new characters were barely introduced let alone developed. It was all very far-fetched and without the special effects I don't think anyone would like it.
The only thing I did like was that Jetfire/Skyfire was a homage to the original G1 cartoon origin.
TF1 - Visually impressive, hard to tell what's going on in the fight scenes, tries too hard to be 'badass'.
TF2 - An exaggerated version of the first. More comedy, more fights, but also a much weaker and more incoherent plot. The new characters were barely introduced let alone developed. It was all very far-fetched and without the special effects I don't think anyone would like it.
The only thing I did like was that Jetfire/Skyfire was a homage to the original G1 cartoon origin.
This adaptation of Simon Furman and Don Figueroa's Transformers: The War Within is an example of how Transformers should be done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN5RkRYsru0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2w8_37549M&feature=related
The point of Transformers is the robots are "everymen". The emphasis on the human characters in the TF movies is patronising, because it is based on the stupid assumption that audiences cannot empathise with the robots.
One of the reasons Transformers has endured for over 25 years is because of the iconic characters. The Transformers are us writ large.
Bay does not see the robots as characters, its clear that he does not respect or understand the source material.
I would have preferred Sideswipe and Sunstreaker to Skidz and Mudflap, indeed I suspect that that Bay shunted the original twins in favour of his creations (and Skidz and Mudlap are very much Bay's creations).
The part of the movie which feels most like Transformers is the forest fight, precisely because it has emotion in it.
In choosing Bay, Spielberg showed he did not understand Transformers; in order to get across the core concept of Transformers, that of sentient robots, surely the right choice would be a director who would focus on characterisation. Instead we are stuck with the Transformers playing supporting roles to the humans largely because Bay can't do characterisation.
I am hoping that a third TF movie will be helmed by a new director, who will do for Transformers films what Alfonso Cuaron (Prisoner of Azkaban) did for the Harrry Potter franchise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN5RkRYsru0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2w8_37549M&feature=related
The point of Transformers is the robots are "everymen". The emphasis on the human characters in the TF movies is patronising, because it is based on the stupid assumption that audiences cannot empathise with the robots.
One of the reasons Transformers has endured for over 25 years is because of the iconic characters. The Transformers are us writ large.
Bay does not see the robots as characters, its clear that he does not respect or understand the source material.
I would have preferred Sideswipe and Sunstreaker to Skidz and Mudflap, indeed I suspect that that Bay shunted the original twins in favour of his creations (and Skidz and Mudlap are very much Bay's creations).
The part of the movie which feels most like Transformers is the forest fight, precisely because it has emotion in it.
In choosing Bay, Spielberg showed he did not understand Transformers; in order to get across the core concept of Transformers, that of sentient robots, surely the right choice would be a director who would focus on characterisation. Instead we are stuck with the Transformers playing supporting roles to the humans largely because Bay can't do characterisation.
I am hoping that a third TF movie will be helmed by a new director, who will do for Transformers films what Alfonso Cuaron (Prisoner of Azkaban) did for the Harrry Potter franchise.
That's a pretty good point..it is just essentially a rehash of the first films plot ( We need to find this Transformery thing thats been here on Earth for a long time, we don't know where it is but Sam does..oops..the Decepticons are after him..D'oh..not again..) just done, seemingly, with little thought to making it anywhere near as good as the first one was..
There's no progression in the Transformers characters, indeed most of them, with the exception of Prime, seem at times to be left in the background, in their vehicle modes in their allocated parking spaces..
The bare and obvious minimum..
Robots..
Robots fighting other Robots..
Great film..
Because it might not have been utter tripe?..No way to know until we saw it..
No-ones being pompous, only delivering thier opinion. No-one's said they were forced to watch it either, so i can only assume that the folk like myself who didn't enjoy it went to see it voluntarily on the back of reasonably enjoying the first movie..
Just because the first film was good doesn't by any means mean that any sequels must therefor be of equal or greater quality..indeed, it's more often the case that sequels pale in comparison to their predecessors..
Oh..there isn't enough memory in the RAB data banks to argue this point..
There's no progression in the Transformers characters, indeed most of them, with the exception of Prime, seem at times to be left in the background, in their vehicle modes in their allocated parking spaces..
The bare and obvious minimum..
Robots..
Robots fighting other Robots..
Great film..
Because it might not have been utter tripe?..No way to know until we saw it..
No-ones being pompous, only delivering thier opinion. No-one's said they were forced to watch it either, so i can only assume that the folk like myself who didn't enjoy it went to see it voluntarily on the back of reasonably enjoying the first movie..
Just because the first film was good doesn't by any means mean that any sequels must therefor be of equal or greater quality..indeed, it's more often the case that sequels pale in comparison to their predecessors..
Oh..there isn't enough memory in the RAB data banks to argue this point..
rainy days are back
New member
But clearly he had little to no influence on the movie itself. He was probably just there to collect his cash and piss off to make some biopic of his.
Totally enjoyable - better than first - made up for the crap T4 for sure.
To say Michael Bay cannot direct (Kermode) is a bloody insult actually, sure, he might be out of his depth with Shakespeare or real life situations but the guy CAN direct great set pieces - how the hell do you merge live action with effects not even done yet?! hats off to the man, you know what you get with Mr Bay and long may he continue.
To say Michael Bay cannot direct (Kermode) is a bloody insult actually, sure, he might be out of his depth with Shakespeare or real life situations but the guy CAN direct great set pieces - how the hell do you merge live action with effects not even done yet?! hats off to the man, you know what you get with Mr Bay and long may he continue.
jobros4evrlife
New member
Rubbish! A crap film IS STILL a crap film whether you know the source material or not.
All credibility was lost when the first movie had Shia Lebeouf destroy Megatron with the Allspark. The fact that Bay has taken the second installment to such cringeworthy lengths as giving Devastator a pair of testicles, and creating a couple of racial carciatures is just making the decline more fatal.
Therein lies the problem. The human characters have always have been secondary to the Transformers but that process is irreversible now. Hence why I await SamWitwicky blowing away Unicron in the third instalment, probably after Prime dies and hanRAB SW the autobot matrix of leadership.
Your underlying point on the Transformers is certainly true, mind you. It has endured in various forms and media for the last 25 years because it has iconic characters, in particular Prime, Megatron and Starscream. The potential to make a excellent series of films for a new generation of people is there but this sequel has finished that.
I was never a big fan of the first but it was much better than this version.
Therein lies the problem. The human characters have always have been secondary to the Transformers but that process is irreversible now. Hence why I await SamWitwicky blowing away Unicron in the third instalment, probably after Prime dies and hanRAB SW the autobot matrix of leadership.
Your underlying point on the Transformers is certainly true, mind you. It has endured in various forms and media for the last 25 years because it has iconic characters, in particular Prime, Megatron and Starscream. The potential to make a excellent series of films for a new generation of people is there but this sequel has finished that.
I was never a big fan of the first but it was much better than this version.