I'm a staunch defender of ROTF, but it has to be said that the Pretender concept was a bad choice overall. I mean, in theory it sounds great: an external armour shell of an organic mode, used to hide the inner Cybertronian body - the next step in evolution for Cybertronian lifeforms/warfare (Pretender - Transformers Wiki). In practice, it came off as the Decepticons' pet T-X/XJ9, a hot alien teenage robot sent to find out all about Sam, doing all sorts of tricks (straddling Sam, using her tongue probe). Not only did it NOT work out, but it raises issues: - why could Bumblebee not warn Sam she was a Decepticon? I mean properly, like warning "Sam, she's a con!" or showing on a monitor her robotic nature, not spraying her with antifreeze or bumping her head (alternately it looks like he didn't want Sam to cheat on Mikaela or was jealous of Sam or something) - if a Decepticon could take on an organic/techno-organic mode, doesn't it stand to reason that others could too? Wouldn't that have been an interesting thing to see? (I earlier made a thread about beast modes) - and couldn't Dylan have been a Pretender as well? Just stick him down on Earth in the 1960s, make him a machine/man hybrid with a desire for Carly, and also who has nothing left since he cannot be neither human nor Con. Something interesting like that. They could have removed the Pretender angle, have Ravage sneak around the college and attack Sam (like what Laserbeak attempted in DOTM), and it would have made no difference at all.
Alice wasn't based off from an organic human, the Pretender transcanned an duplicate of an animatronic Alice from some Alice In Wonderland show. That is revealed in the novelization of the movie. Bumblebee couldn't tell Sam straight-out with Alice sitting right next to him or else chaos would ensue right there and that wouldn't work out so good for Sam or Bumblebee in the middle of town.
I think Roberto Orci said that Bumblebee didn't know she was a Decepticon, he just took her for some chick trying to seduce Sam. Must be one hell of a convincing animatronic, considering she kissed Sam multiple times and all.
Weird reason for Bumblebee to play "The Jaws Theme" if Bee didn't know there was more to Alice than what she appeared to be. The rest of the musical numbers in that scene, I understand lol
I don't think it's a terrible idea overall, but I think it was terribly executed in ROTF - actually, the execution was completely lacking, and that was my problem with it. No explanation or anything even in the narrative dealing with the fact that a TF can disguise themselves as a human. That should've been a big deal and been dealt with accordingly, but instead it's thrown in there as a minor event and never explained. It should have been cut from ROTF, if they didn't want to take the time and deal with it, writing wise.
The Autobots didn't notice Frenzy had stashed away with them as Mikeala's phone, nor could they notice Starscream in jetmode until he blantantly starting flying in an attack run towards them. And Bee doesn't tell any of the other Autobots (who can fully understand him without radio clips) about her either. Optimus wouldn't have just let Sam go back to school like nothing was wrong if Bee told them there was a Decepticon there stalking him at a party. Seems like he really couldn't tell.
Because Optimus didn't know there was a Decepticon spy at the college. How could he? He had never been anywhere near Sam's college campus. Bee didn't know as well until he probably picked up a Decepticon signal while driving Sam.
That's if Bee could really tell Alice was a Decepticon. Then he would have said hey Optimus this girl that followed Sam out of the party and tried to hitch a ride with him in me was a Decepticon. And that would have tipped them off that something was up with the cons and Sam. Instead they just let him go back to school and forget all about him until the cons start moblizing in force.
I feel the Pretender concept wasn't used to it's full potential. Alice didn't seem to be following the plan to actually capture Sam for Megs to interrogate, instead preferring seductive murder. And there wasn't much expansion on the Decepticons actually utilising human disguises. Let's face it, Sam is probably already paranoid to Hell every time he see's a police car or a helicopter, but when you can't even trust your fellow people to be, well, people, that's gotta negatviely affect one's viewpoint. A shame, really.
I've always thought about Michael T. Weiss as the next voice of Optimus Prime. Regardless i hate the pretender gimmick even if Bludgeon, Thunderwing and Metalhawk are kickass.
I'll admit, that whole Pretender thing was a waste of time and money. They could have lengthened the Optimus vs. The Fallen and Megatron fight at the end if they cut that (and half the college scenes) Sure, Leo was necessary to the plot in his own way, which is why I didn't say to cut all the college scenes, but they could have skipped the entire Pretender thing and had Grindor's hook burst through the college roof instead of the car roof and grab all of them. Don't get me wrong, though. That movie was still awesome.
Robots in disguise. Sound familiar? The disguises actually DO work! Bee didn't know Alice was a Cybertronian and Alice didn't know Bee was either. Simple. Apparently Ironhide can "smell" nearby Decepticons (shown at the beginning of the film), but Bee has never displayed that particular gift. Agreed. But within moments Alice gets out of the car and leaves. Then Bumblebee drives Sam to see Optimus. WITHOUT telling Sam, so... Again, clearly he didn't know. Because that theme immediately evokes danger of course. Sam possibly stepping out on Mikaela with this temptress was dangerous in many ways. That too!
well, just to bring up another point, Dino and Sideswipe didn't realize the Mercedes was Soundwave in DOTM when they pulled up right behind him as Carly was leaving for the party--so maybe Bee just couldn't tell that Alice was a baddie?
It was in extremely bad taste to make the ROTF Pretender look like the Terminator 3 female pretender. I am never a fan of stealing another movies idea.
