I finally got around to watching DOTM tonight. I was really looking forward to seeing it, and had kept myself from venturing onto the movie boards here as to keep from spoiling too much of the movie.

Needless to say, I was super disappointed in HOW Ironhide died (not necessarily that he died). I didn't see/feel any reaction from any of the other characters except for Optimus staring downward after he FINALLY arrived on the scene, but I couldn't really tell if he was mourning Ironhide or just upset to find out that Sentinel Prime was a backstabbing little bitch. I watched the movie with my wife and brother, and I seemed to be the only one affected by Ironhide's death. I guess the majority of the audience out there only sees a bunch of different 'bots', but I felt like they didn't even come close to doing the death of one of the original and main characters of the franchise justice...

I realize that this has probably been discussed on here before, but I'm pretty pissed off. So much so in fact that I couldn't really put it aside and subjectively watch the rest of the movie. It really could have been an epic moment in the film had the rest of the characters embraced Ironhide's death in order to avenge him in some meaningful way. I was just looking for some sort of reaction... any sort of reaction... As it stands, I feel like a majority of the fans out there took the biggest slap in the face yet from good ole mister Bay.

 

It's not just the audience. Apparently even the in-show characters (the Autobots included) only see a bunch of different 'bots', as well. Or something along those lines, given how they didn't appear to give so much as a single fuck about Ironhide's death.

 

I agree, I didn't care in the slightest when anyone died.

Unfortunately, this thread will end in an argument about how much Ironhide was like Jesus or how his death was stupid or whether or not he would have killed Sentinel in a fire fight or every Decepticon in Chicago.

 

It's really a reflection of the people involved in making the movie I guess. If there's another movie on the horizon (and I feel like there inevitably is), I'm totally down for a reboot starting at the top with the Producers AND DIRECTOR!

 

Kind of reminds me of Optimus' reaction to his best friend Ironhide's death in the '86 animated movie. Oh yeah, there wasn't any. Not from Optimus when he FINALLY arrived on the scene, and not from any other Autobot, either. Huh.

 

I obviously don't have as much history with the movie board recently, and my intent was not to stir up some debate... So I apologize if that turns out to be the case. I just felt like posting on here to some peeps that I thought would have the same feelings on the matter. I didn't like the Starscream and Megatron deaths either, but that's probably another thread...

 

That was exactly my reaction when I first saw it all play out when I saw this in theaters. I was pissed, heartbroken, confused. Bay disgustingly dropped the emotion ball on this one.

 

I'm not blaming you. There are just quite a few Ironhide fans who won't accept any death but a fire fight and others who say that if he wasn't shot in the back, he would have killed everyone.

 

Well said!

 

Jazzes death still stings the most. The Autobots didn't really care about him either.
Othe than the death of Ironhide, I thought DOTM was the best of the three.

 

Ironhide, Shmironhide. What 'bout Jetfire eh? Didn't get a single mention after his heroic sacrifice, bloody rude that is. Didn't get a damn thing but he took it with honor! Dignity damn it!

Seriously though, it sucks Ironhide didn't get a mention but it's not like he um, SAVED THE WHOLE SOLAR SYSTEM. And no credit was given...poor Wheelie and Jetfire, former Decepticons who saved us with no expectation for gratitude...

 

You have to bear in mind that G1 Optimus may very well have gone to his grave not knowing Ironhide was dead.

 

Should have seen it in 3D, dude. it was amazing.

 

Poor Jetfire. He had issues on his own, and it all started with his mother. His ancestors have been here for centuries! His father, why, he was a wheel. The first wheel! Do you know what he transformed into? NOTHING! But he did so with honor and dignity, damn it!

 

 

True, but I assume it would've been obvious once Optimus landed to find Brawn, Ironhide, Ratchet and Prowl all absent, plus the wreckage of the first Autobot shuttle.

Come to think of it, only Optimus and Ultra Magnus were mourned in the 86 movie. And the former got a dramatic death scene anyway, and Magnus ended up coming back to life. Just like in the Bay trilogy, only Optimus, Que (although very, very brief) and Jazz received mourning, Optimus who ended up coming back to life just like Magnus.

So really, people arguing about Optimus not mourning Ironhide should keep in mind that Wheeljack, Windcharger, Brawn, Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl and Huffer were not mourned either.

 

Should we not hold the movies above G1? That old film was 25 years before DOTM.

 

That's the one that bothered me the most, too, because at that early point in the movie series, I wasn't yet prepared for the way Bay was going to discard characters like used tissues throughout his tenure. But by the time we got to Ironhide, I was desensitized to Bay's antics.

 

Even if he didn't, the other Autobots did, and G1 Ironhide didn't even get an "Ohhh, Jazz...." from anyone.

What does the year have to do with anything? Is Casablanca not better than Cop Out? Attack of the Clones came out 22 years after Empire Strikes Back. Your ruling on that?

 

Same here! like the podcasters said, I bet bay would've devoted a WHOLE SCENE to mourn a human if they had died!

 

Emotional impact for the robots doesn't seem to be one of the things that the films do very well. I don't think it comes down to well they are robots so people will not feel for them because if you want to make a grown man cry just put on a copy of Old Yeller.