The Bay speaks! (Movie test screenings get high scores)

Discussion in 'Transformers News and Rumors' started by Barricade, Apr 27, 2007.

  1. Draven

    Draven Banned

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    I loved it. It was like Hellraiser in space (and with Hellraiser being my all time favourite movie, how could I resist THAT)
    er... hooray? ;) 
     
  2. redsquadron

    redsquadron Token idiot...

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    Yeah, sorry about that, but this thread has degenerated into "train wreck" syndrome. I'm dying to go yet want to watch things unfold in real time. Jumping back on board tomorrow morning just won't have the same effect.
     
  3. Kranix2k

    Kranix2k Spare me this mockery!! TFW2005 Supporter

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    Hmmm....yes and no to that. Hasbro reps have always stated that yes, the fans are a big part of what they do, but their main focus of being a toy company is kids, plain and simple. However, the reason this movie is in existance is that Hasbro, as Marvel has done, wanted to move from being a toy company to a PROPERITIES company that just happens to make toys <--pretty much a paraphrase of Hasbro said at last year's Botcon.

    Either that or you're wrong.

    Why didnt you just do the proper thing and retract that statement? "Real" can be seen as subjective whilst "legitimate" is saying that a person and their opinions are not VALID. You basically went from a snide, baseless remark into a complete insult.
     
  4. smkspy

    smkspy Remember true fans

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    Personally, I think both sides of this debate should just shut up lol. I think everyone is equally tried of those very vocal people that hate the movie and those that absolutely love it. Many of us fall in the middle of neither loving nor hating the movie. And I believe everyone is sick and tired of being insulted by many of these extremist in their tirades.
     
  5. TestDrive

    TestDrive razzle dazzle

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    Hey lets just agree to disagree:) 
     
  6. Fit For natalie

    Fit For natalie tfwiki nerd

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    Hasbro said, at most, we constitute 20% of the people buying Transformers toys. Realistically its closer to 10-12%.

    The whole reason Transformers exists at all is to flog toys, and children and their parents happen to be to ones spending the most money on those toys. No matter if we all spend $500 a week in Transformers merchandise, that still pales in comparison to overall millions purchased by their target market - kids.

    Homages are just homages. Nods to what came before. Reissues are small potatoes compared to the mainline, and in any case is no longer a viable line as it did not sell terribly well. Same goes with Alternators and Binaltech. Comics and collectors merchandise such as statues and busts make very little money (and Hasbro doesn't make the money off those sales directly) compared to the money Hasbro makes on the kids-oriented mainline.

    You think if collector and adults were the people creating the most revenue for Hasbro in Transforemers, the toys would be targeted at kids and have things (some collectors hate) such as gimmicks which kids like, and have some kind of kids-oriented cartoon (that some collectors hate) to support the toyline? Get real.

    The reason this film is being made is because its a proven money-making franchise. The reason its being taken mostly seriously as a live-action movie is because Hasbro desires to become a properties company that also makes toys, like Marvel.

    When a mostly childrens toy and cartoon-oriented franchise does have adult fans, but does not have the massive support of the general population of children, it becomes a failed nostalgia-driven toyline. Plain and simple.
     
  7. WWMEGATRON

    WWMEGATRON Well-Known Member

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  8. unicron's blues

    unicron's blues I need to get rich!

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    Agreed.
     
  9. unicron's blues

    unicron's blues I need to get rich!

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    I said the same thing a few pages ago, guess not many bothered to go that route.
     
  10. McBradders

    McBradders James Franco Club! Veteran

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    What the hell is going on in this thread. Some kind of train wreck... I can't turn away.
     
  11. Misatokitty

    Misatokitty The Major

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    I personally am looking forward to the movie, and the Bay films I've seen so far have mostly been enjoyable. Not necessarily the highest edutainment on offer, but I don't go to the movies to see high literature on film. If I wanted that, I'd watch SBS or ABC (two Australian channels) or read a book. No, I'm paying money to sit for a couple of hours and switch my brain off and look at pretty visuals, good action, and some hopefully halfway decent characterisation - but the character work isn't what you go to see.

    Everything I've seen of the movie so far suggests it's going to meet my requirements there. And Bay himself would have to purposely be shooting a live-action TF movie with stopmotion G1 toys to fall down on the pretty visuals and good action sections... although that could be kinda fun in a geeky way ;)  Hmm, if I ever get a video camera... mwaha ^^

    I've said it before, though, and I'll say it again, for a toyline franchise that's about change, a lot of the people who bandy about the term "true fans" or "real fans" don't actually support the premise of the franchise and hate change of any kind.

    People who think the movie is ruined because Optimus has lips? Or Megatron is pointy? Or maybe Bumblebee doesn't have a mouth? Grow up. If you've got other concerns about the movie, great. If you don't like the story or characterisation, if the effects don't hold true for you and genuinely ruin your movie-going experience, great. But at least wait until you see the finished product to make an informed choice, rather than going off half-cocked before it screens. After all, Bumblebee never had a mouth to start with. Optimus (and other versions of him, a la Primal) has had lips several times now. And RiD Megatron was very pointy. But if you really think a small visualisation is going to ruin your movie-going enjoyment... maybe you're in the wrong fandom.

    Edit: I'm just going to point out, as well, since someone will claim I did say it - I haven't said "like the movie or else," I've said "at least give it a chance once it's done and then make a decision about whether you like it or not." I think it's far too early for anyone to be making definitive decisions.
     
  12. Kickback

    Kickback @GeekWithChris Administrator News Staff

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  13. McBradders

    McBradders James Franco Club! Veteran

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    Then I came to the right thread.
     
  14. Deadend

    Deadend Spark of Creation

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    I'm loving the fact this was rated so high. Makes me all giddy inside.


    The other thing I find interesting that no one has mentioned, Hasbro did 4 years of anime for a reason. Cost effiency. Now they finally do have money and are making some kick ass products themselves, and fans still whine.

    This is Bayformers.
    This is crap blah blah blah
    The fans don't matter.

    All of that is BS to be honest. While yes you can't please some fans, but if that prime on youtube as a 'viral' is accurate as a test. That makes me agree whole heartedly with Bay and others on the designs.

    I'm a geek, I was raised on Transformers mostly solely. And while yes I would normally scoff in anyone's face for a label, I've been subject of it myself for my passions simply because I'm a fan, 23, and have 'toys' scattered on my shelves. While I don't agree with it, it happens. This world sucks like that, women make snap judgements based on what others say due to your habits, people make assumptions about how you live, your maturity, and even what you like or do or how you think. It's insane and wrong, but it does happen. And hopefully a movie like this will show the world we all aren't "Elias's" Most of us would rather see Humans stepped on as opposed to Elias's Christian depiction. Real World Formers, not toon formers. Show the world what us "True Transformer Fans" see when we look at this line. How an ordinary everyday truck can in the middle of a hectic city turn into a bot for a war being waged in secret. This film does reak of potential symbolism and social commentary underneath layers and layers of action. Even the same conundrums the original G1 toon presented, and RiD hinted at, only this time more expanded. Fatimus Prime was eventually accepted though, and Gundamis Prime ended up being loved by many. Hopefully Real World Prime will too.

    I've been a fan through G1, through BW/BM, and even through RID and the unicron trilogy. As a writer and artist myself, I see a lot of nuances in the designs screaming the characters essence. I see a lot of other attributes that make me wonder why all the hate from any side. They chose to make this just as they said, to give you the "awe of feeling like a little boy seeing optimus prime transform for the first time." I for one feel this line is finally nearing what it always aimed to be. These designs to me represent an aesthetic and concept more true to it's essence than the original creator's could even do.

    We finally have everything we've ever asked for... And if all we had to pay was "maybe" a few 'bad' heads (unknown till we see the movie ourselves) and prime having lips. We got off lucky. And should reap the rewards of a property we know and love, being handled seriously and well.

    Hasbro is still running more 'classic' inspired designs, but personally, I like the fact of car paneling being treated as car paneling, and not a full on arm or thigh, out of what seemed like sculpting laziness. But as discussed before, look at the aesthetics of this to Transtech, or the Directions HASBRO was taking before they went more hand in hand with takara's plans and series.

    Blame/thank Bay all you want, or Blame/Thank Spielberg for producing, but exactly how much of their hand does Takara/hasbro have in it from being the COPYRIGHT HOLDERS.

    When I look at these toys and the inner workings they give, it feels like the next evolutionary step from Beast wars. The step Beast Machines slipped on.
    I for one think the fact these go from perfect vehicle to 'Bipedal' (in most cases) humanoid robots without an easy split the legs pull the arms out and spin, done. When I transform Ironhide back and forth, you almost never want to stop. Just because how it goes from one form to the other is so awe inspiring in "wow it went from that to this" and hard to fathom by glancing how to do it.

    Every year to me it's the samething since BM ended. You glance, meer quick glance and you already know how to transform the toyline. Now we have a line worthy of the name transformers as it really is hard to picture how that works and transforms, yet it does so seamlessly. Truly Robots in Disguise at last...

    Kudos if you can pick out the sarcasm and don't flame me to death for my views of liking it. xD

    I am reserving final judgement upon seeing it, but everything I've read or seen to date, I've seen hints of G1, hints of other nuances and nostalgia. Screamer's aesthetics alone scream of literature nods, and other material used to help capture his essence inside and out. As someone else said, "For a line all about change and adaption," some of us are still stuck in preconceived notions. Isn't that the problem with how some of us are treated to begin with? Preconceived notions of what we should be for being a fan.

    My only complaint as to the whining has always been, it's never more than "ZOMG this sucks, it's not transformers!" yet, that IS exactly what it is. It's just not YOUR preconceived notion of what they SHOULD be. That's like trying to tell Bandai or creators thereof, that Gundam Seed isn't a Gundam series because it's not UC, or the mecha do ungundamlike things.
     
  15. EDcomics

    EDcomics Foxtail Dreamer

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    Please. You're obviously not reading it properly. I don't come on here to insult anyone. I'm sorry you've taken my remark in skewed context, but I don't retract my statements. If I thought I'd need to retract something, I wouldn't type it in the first place. Anyway, I've said my piece on the "Haters" topic. Moving on.

    FitForNatalie, you indirectly replied to your own post within itself. I doubt any official numbers from Hasbro as much as I do Bay's claims of record-breaking approval in screening audiences. Regardless of whether the fanbase makes up 15% or 50% of total sales, we're still talking about BIG numbers. (Thinking about it now, Hasbro might be making less money off American collectors who are buying imports from Japan. They're already aware of this trend, however. Thus exclusives like the Unicron head packaged with Primus. Just one small example.) Your point is that I'm wrong because the fanbase doesn't effect Hasbro on a major level. I simply disagree. I guess going beyond that won't be productive for anyone.

    I think that wraps everything up. If anyone else wants to challenge me on something, bring it to PM. Not much else to discuss On-Topic here. Sorry for going off-topic, Admin.
     
  16. Fit For natalie

    Fit For natalie tfwiki nerd

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    Its an estimate from the design director of Transformers, and reiterated in several Botcons and OATFCKs. I don't see why they would lie about it, given that, as you claim, if we make up such a significant amount of sales to seriously affect their bottom line and they are aware of this, they would be purposely denying themselves major sales for no apparent reason.

    When you're talking of imports, that's a pretty small amount of money by their standards. Naturally, they would prefer it if all our TF purchases were made with their products, should they offer the same products. Yeah, Primus' Unicron head was just something for people who hung out for a few months for their release of Primus, yeah, its a bribe, of sorts, but I don't think its that sinister.

    Amusingly enough Takara's Primus was just Hasbro's Primus in a red box.
     
  17. evebird

    evebird Waiting for Omega

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    Well, I am excited to hear this news. Granted, I am not a big fan of Armageddon--I realize that a lot of people like it, but to me, it has a few too many corny cliches--but it was a solid summer flick, and it's impressive that Transformers outscored it.

    I must begrudgingly admit, I was a movie hater early on. But as time has passed I've grown more accepting of this new take on Transformers. And I'm actually quite geeked about seeing this flick now. No, these aren't the Transformers I grew up with. And that's just fine. They still look like they kick some ass.
     
  18. Draven

    Draven Banned

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    STILL didn't answer my question, did you.
     
  19. murphbri

    murphbri Well-Known Member

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    The 92%+ approval score from random people sounds good to me. I remain cautiously optimistic. :thumb 

    As for the rest...wow. O.O

    -murphbri (now knows why he doesn't venture into the movie forums)
     
  20. Cory Bauer

    Cory Bauer Well-Known Member

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    Spider who?