Ack, forgot that we have to obtain comic books in order to learn stuff that the story should be clear about in the movie itself.

So, what do the comic books say?

 

I honestly haven't read the movie comics (though I read all the other avidly). What do they say?

 

The main reason I scarcely touch the movie comics is because, well...they're movieverse. I have enjoyed all 11 issues of "All Hail Megatron" so far. Because, you know...it's all about the Transformers...with G1 designs...and the humans are little side characters....

 

It seemed a bit random. Also, the Autobots working under the US government was a bit odd. I just can't imagine the rest of the world being comfortable with the US having extra-terrestrial allies while going on surgical strikes in their own territories.

Perhaps Prime should drop the flame paintjob for a US-flag (which actually would look pretty cool).

 

Decepticons might just be hiding and chilling for now. But they are sleeper agents of sorts. They know of what's going on and are just waiting for their rally call to come out.

If I was Optimus, I'd be hunting them down too. Autobots aren't pacifists when it comes to Decepticons.

 

I don't know I always pictured the Autobots as "better" than the Decepticons in this aspect. I can't recall but I wonder if the Autobots even asked them to surrender before attacking. I hope so.

 

In G1, Autobots and Decepticons goals were same but their methods different. In first movie main goal was preserving the allspark, again their goals were nearly same. Also in both series decepticons had a long time goal:Universal Conquest. Autobots didn't have a real long time goal. They just stand against the decepticons. But at this time allspark destroyed. Without knowing the direction of decepticon's next action, autobots had little choice about to hunt the decepticons for precaution.

 

on this discussion,it would make sense that the autobots would hunt down the decepticons,because unlike battling on cybertron,the decepticons are on another species planet.Optimus knew this,and so did the humans.Also,besides the point,think of how many traffic Violations or automobile accidents sideways probally commited.think of how many buildings rampage probally destroyed.think of the risk to human lives.that is why i think the new optimus is more realistic than 84's optimus.besides it is a civil war,megatron was dead,so it was strategically the best time to attack.

 

Megatron could be dead, but the Fallen was still available at the time, and it was stated that Starscream led the armies. The Decepticons just followed the orders of the Fallen, their supreme ruler.

As for "surrendering", Optimus told Demolisher to "pull over".

 

How in the world does that make the movieverse more realisitic?


Though you want realisitic? The Chinese would NEVER in a million years allow an American strike force to engage military operations within their borders as seen in the beginning of the movie. Giant fucking robots or not, it would never happen.

Personally, I didn't really like the Autobots acting as a decepticon death squad. A great scene, but they're defenders not attackers. I know I know, war is realz. I think a more realisitic opening would have been the Decepticons conducting some type of mining operation in Central or South America, and NEST swoops in to stop them. It sets up context that they're actually looking for something instead of just hiding in some random factory, and it would have provided a realisitic place for the military operation.

 

Clearly, all of you thought a lot more about this than Michael Bay did.

 

Source - Tales of the Fallen: Sideswipe

Don't know about Sideways, but Demolishor was responsible for wiping out the colony that Sideswipe was in charge of. In cold blood. (Think BW Rampage/Depth Charge. Kind of strange of Sideswipe to have a rivalry with the guy he didn't kill in Shanghai). It goes on to state that Demolishor's MO is hiding to draw the enemy out so he can kill them all in one fell swoop.

 

Maybe the Decepitcons are evil, and the Autobots know it? If there's a Decepticon anywhere on Earth, it means trouble for the Humans?

Maybe it's a little bit of... characterization?

 

I completely understand why the Autobots would hunt down the Decepticons. As long as Decepticons remain on Earth, they pose a threat to human life. Prime has vowed to protect the humans and not allow Earth to share the same fate as Cybetron. Whenever a Decepticon pops up, he wants to eliminate the threat ASAP so it will harm the world as little as possible. On Cybertron, being his own planet and race, perhaps things would play out differently, but being a guest on Earth, he can't take those chances of letting Decepticons live.

Thank you.

 

Uh..Demoslher slaughtred a colony Sideswipe was protecting on Cybertron, that´s hardly inocent..

EDIT: Beaten to it.

 

Yes, and even on Earth, the comics established that Demolisher rampaged through cities just to provoke the Autobots. The Decepticons weren't as innocent as perceived.

However, the problem is, all this was in the comics. Initially, when watching the movie, I couldn't for the heck understand why the Autobots were so merciless. Only after reading Tales of the Fallen (especially #2), Alliance, and Defiance did I realize the full threat of Decepticons to human life. It's not a hunt for Decepticons, it's self-defense for the humans' sake. However, the movie made it look like a hunt.

 

Yep, and the comics being supplementary material and that's fine, but...well, try telling a causal movie goer to read the comics in order to better understand the movie, heck any movie, then take a picture of the look they give. Movies shouldn't depend on multiple vols of a comic to fill in important plot points.

 

You don't even need the comics to know that Demolishor and Sideways are causing trouble in Shanghai. NEST had to have been alerted to their presence there somehow, seeing as how the Decepticons never had any trouble laying low and hiding out before. It's not like NEST is on a worldwide tour, blowing up every vehicle because it might be a Decepticon, they go where they know that they are.

 

They should and they did. If the Decepticons were smart they would have surrendered. Sideways should have just transformed, put his hands behind his head and got on the ground. It's like the police. You're a suspect, you don't run away, you obey their orders and everything will work out fine. If you don't, expect to be shot or tazered.