I mentioned this in another thread, but figured I'd bring it up here. The Marvel Cinematic Universe consists of multiple film franchises, some of which are currently standalone, but the majority have at least two films, some with more and others confirmed to be getting more. These franchises often make reference to characters and events from the others, they generally culminate in big crossover events such as Civil War or the Avengers films, and they have been building up slowly to a huge crossover event with Infinity War. Transformers? Is a series of 5 films set to get a prequel focusing on one of the characters from the series. How the fuck is that a cinematic universe? I mean, if we were talking the Hasbro cinematic universe and they really put out the effort and tied in GI Joe, started doing films for their other properties and brought them together as they have in the comics, that'd be one thing. But Transformers cinematic universe would be like New Line calling the Nightmare on Elm Street series the Freddy Cinematic Universe or something. It's just a single ongoing series, not a universe.
I'm fine with them calling it it a cinematic universe. The whole point is emphasizing that this series is going for a larger scale scope of story telling and multiple spinoffs as well as flagship movies which the basis for what a CU is now. Also, I think Transformers Cinematic Universe has a nice ring to it. That's how I've been referring to the series since they started emphasizing the cinematic universe angle with TLK.
How is it not? "Cinematic universe" is incredibly vague a term. You're making up your own, specific meaning based on another example, but there's nothing that says a cinematic universe has to follow that pattern. Is it a specific universe between in-continuity films? Yes? Then it's a cinematic universe.
I get your point, but I think "cinematic univers" implies the larger and wider scale the OP is talking about. Transformers is more of a cinematic solar system.
Ok, let's look at another example. The DCEU. Same deal as Marvel. The Dark Universe? Was going for the same thing before The Mummy flopped. The monsterverse? Right now it's just Kong and Godzilla, meeting up for a Vs. movie in a few years, but again, same idea. Transformers is the only one that is literally the only one calling a single series a "universe". I think MAYBE Disney has said something along the lines with Star Wars, but I can't recall if they called it the Star Wars Cinematic Universe or not.
I chalk it up to people just using words they don't totally understand. Kind of like how they will say bullet proof vest on the news when there is no such thing there are only bullet resistant vests. How people will attempt to call something other than pork bar-b-que. That people don't always realize that Band-Aid or Cool Aid are name brands and not the name of the product. So I think Hasbro is throwing around cinematic universe just because it has more of a ring to it than calling it the film series. They really haven't dug into what is and is not a cinematic universe to know you need individual elements that could exist completely on their own coming together to form a cinematic universe. Beyond the whole semantics game it isn't really hurting anything so just let them run with the minor mistake.
Yet the TF movies have been around long before the DCEU. Which for all intents purposes also started as sequential films, just with alternate titles. It's going backwards, for lack of a better term. There's no set path or pattern to what makes a cinematic universe besides the fact that one universe spans multiple films. And the TF movies do this.
If they continue their plan I think it's an appropriate name. The plan is a main storyline and then a spinoff in between. TLK, Bumblebee, TLK sequel, Animated Cybertron movie. IF they keep going with that formula then I would say absolutely its a cinematic universe, and who knows they may have reboot plans for gijoe and have them join in on it. I personally do not want a ROM/ GI joe / Transformers and other Hasbro type crossover, I hope they expand with new Transformers characters along a set timeline(timeline needs work) and then it's fine to call it that. They literally just started this whole universe idea so we have to give them some time, after all it took a little while to get the ball rolling with the MCEU I mean all they had was Iron man, Hulk, and Iron man 2 before they reached where they are today.
In principle I'm OK with this term. Because it's Universe. Every sci-fi or fantasy movie series is a cinematic universe (Terminator or LOTR-Hobbit, for example). I just feel that Marvel and other comic book movies formula isn't working for TFs, because TFs are strong in terms of atmosphere, entire ideology, but not in multiple characters with individual backstory. And I love TFs because of this! I don't like CBM movies, because they lose this uniting course. And all this approach with crossovers, spin-offs, etc is just away to get more money with less efforts, not to tell the story, because the story gets very little from it. So, TFs are cinematic univerce, yes, but it needs different approach than CMB movies, maybe more similar to Star Wars (where is SW fans here, btw?), but still different.
Mate, there's a lot of shit in life that bothers me. What a toy company categorizes their movies as is not on the list.
"Cinematic Universe" is the new "Darker Sequel" But yeah, I'm rather tired of film companies promising these great big "shared universes" that never get anywhere. Not so much because of semantics but because, dudes, seriously, finish *a* story before you try selling me on endless sequels.
