Dear Hasbro,

I do not know who to properly address this to, so I will be addressing the company at large. I would also like to wish you and your colleagues the best of health and hope this open letter finds you well.

I have been a loyal follower of the Transformers license for a very long time and I have greatly enjoyed purchasing and collecting toys of my favorite Autobots and Decepticons. I have even enjoyed watching the television series and reading the comics of the same. Even the videogames (War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron), despite their flaws, have entertained me to no end thanks to their development and writing.

I have stuck through the franchise for a very long time (some would say longer than I needed to!) and so far I have been very satisfied with what has been presented to me by your excellent staff. And why would I not be? The Transformers are amazing characters. Bumblebee always has such energy. Optimus Prime always moves me by being that immovable symbol of freedom and heroism. Soundwave simply intrigues me with his unflinching loyalty to Megatron. And Megatron himself...Well, I don't think I need to elaborate why I think Megatron is an amazing villain. Even Strongarm, the newest female Autobot to join the lineup of characters, is a great character in her own right, with her own strengths and flaws that make her a joy to watch on screen.

But recently, I have noticed a disturbing trend in the way certain things are handled. I am, of course, talking about your plans for a Transformers Cinematic Universe. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that a cinematic universe is a bad idea. I'm sure there are many fans who would love to see films of their favorite Autobots and Decepticons. What I wish to discuss is how these films have been handled lately.

Let me start from the beginning. When the first film (Transformers, 2007) premiered, I was excited. A live action version of Transformers was something that seemed impossible to me back then, but you actually pulled it off. The movie itself was a fun ride, and while I wanted the Transformers themselves to have scenes entirely to themselves to develop their characters more, I left the theatre feeling very positive, a sentiment shared by many movie critics as well.

When its sequel, Revenge of the Fallen was announced, I was practically giddy. It looked like the Transformers brand was reaching new heights. But when I sat down to watch the film, I couldn't help but be disappointed. Very disappointed.

The sequel seemed to re-use the formula from its predecessor, with more emphasis on action, special effects and pyrotechnics than usual. The Transformers, despite having their ranks bolstered by new characters, received even less character development and exposure than in the previous film. What little we saw of Optimus Prime portrayed him as a brutal bloodthirsty soldier rather than the wise leader I had grown to admire. The gung-ho and overly-patriotic militarism, while somewhat subdued and tolerable in the first film, seemed to have swelled in this one; there is so much emphasis on the US Marines and the American military industrial complex. Also of note is the juvenile and childish humor employed with the characters, robot and human alike, as well as the thinly veiled misogyny with which the film treats its female lead. Throw in the controversial characters of Mudflap and Skids, and I think you can understand why I was disappointed in this movie.

Unfortunately, it did not end there. Following Revenge of the Fallen, it seems that the films have largely stuck to this tiring formula, with little character development, over-reliance on explosive effects, racial stereotypes even with the Transformers themselves, sexual objectification of female cast members that borders on childish and juvenile, extensive and very distracting product placement, and not to mention gross misuse of the Transformers themselves; none of the robots, over the course of four films displayed any of the character, wit and charm I had grown to enjoy over my loyalty to the Transformers license. In fact, the director of these films seems to see them more as set pieces for the action scenes rather than characters with desires and motivations of their own.

And, as you can imagine, this has created a disturbing view of the Transformers franchise from the perspective of those who weren't as knowledgeable of the license as the fans are. The Transformers films, it seems, has become lumped with the kinds of dull, senseless action films that cater exclusively to a heterosexual masculine audience that does not care for an engaging story and interesting characters but would rather see testosterone and female objectification on the screen. The moviegoing audience is becoming tired of these films, and I see more evidence of it everyday.

Many friends and relatives of mine have labelled the films, and by extension, the franchise as a whole, toy line and all, as an explosion fueled joyride fit only for the unintelligent childish alpha male. I have lost count of the many times I have had to correct these people and show them that Transformers is not just about explosions and hoo-rah militarism, but a very developed universe with an engaging background lore and history, a goldmine of untapped potential.

And now, with the announcement of a Transformers Cinematic Universe and the news that Michael Bay is still involved, I have been compelled to write this missive. I urge you, Hasbro, to seriously reconsider this. I do not want the Transformers license and everyone involved in its growth to be remembered as a series of dumb action flicks that offered nothing new to the table. And I certainly do not want me and my fellow fans, many of whom are female, to be labelled as dull moviegoers with no taste for engaging and interesting stories. I want to see the franchise grow and mature and reach ever new heights. And I feel this Cinematic Universe, due to having the same director as before, as well as the precedent set by the previous four films, will hinder that growth.

Again, please do not misunderstand me.

I am not lampooning you or your decisions. I simply think that these films need a new direction. I would suggest pushing the release dates of these films back and allowing a new director and/or producer to take the helm. Perhaps you can even do a complete reboot of the film series and breathe new life into them. All I ask is that, whatever your decision, please, please, please, make these movies engaging, interesting and above all, memorable. I want these films to be not only financial successes, but critical ones as well. I want movie critiques and regular audiences alike to watch a Transformers film and leave the theatre smiling.

And I know you can do it. Just look at the cartoon series. Despite their flaws, and being targeted towards children, they sport much more impressive and entertaining stories, that even many adult fans of the franchise enjoy them. The IDW comics have a huge readership, thanks to not only the artists, but to the writers who have breathed such life into the characters. The stories told with these two mediums are far more spectacular and engaging than any of the films so far.

Please consider what I have written. I hope you can understand that I and the larger fanbase simply want our favorite characters, Autobot and Decepticon alike, and the franchise as a whole, to be better represented on the big screen. I know you can do it.

Regards,

A loyal Transformers fan.

..............

Hey, guys, sorry for the huge text wall, but I felt this needed to be said.

I don't expect this to make a huge impact, hell, I don't think Hasbro is even going to notice, but it would be great if this letter got spread around. I don't want to gain anything from this, and I don't think I will, but I was compelled ro write this. I hope you can understand.

 

They probably won't notice cuz THEY DON'T MAKE THE MOVIES.

 

TLDR. Let me edit that down for you:

Dear Hasbro,
Transformers is awesome! Keep making moar movies! Explosion! Tell Bay I give him manly handshakes.

Love,
The fans

 

The movies are not catered for the original fans. I understand and empathize. I personally can't stand the movies. But as long as they keep making money hand-over-fist, I don't see why they would change the formula.

They are well aware of the criticism and scrutiny. The only way it will change is if it bombs completely at the box-office.

It is clear that those who want an engaging, rich story with developed characters are severely outnumbered by those who like to turn off their brain and see things explode.

 

Dear McDonalds,

bring back the McRib!!!!

 

Dear Paramount. ..

 

To be fair they do have involvement in the movies. It's still their property and they get some say in what is and isn't included (which is exactly why the Dinobots got shoehorned into AOE, after they presented MB with some concept art). It's also why they've set up their own movie production company, so that they can have more control over movies based on their properties.

But as funkatron101 says, they're unlikely to make any major change any time soon unless the next movie totally bombs.

 

You put a lot of effort in that.

No goddamn way Hasbro will read it and even if they did....they won't even consider anything.

I'm sorry if it sounds like i'm shitting on you because i'm not. I agree with you and everything you said here.

 

Dear Michael Bay,

MEGUHTAWWN ES A PEESTAWL

Love
The Geewunner who hated Transformers The Movie,Beast Wars and Everything after it.

 

Dear paramount

Please Ditch shane and hook her up with a Chinese dude.

Oh and Bring in hot rod.

please

 

Fixed that for ya, mate.

 

Oh really now?

 

this!

 

Dear transformer fan

Stop complaning
thanks

 

Fixed.

 

I am in complete agreement. Hasbro should take care of their brand, and eventually, one way or another, this is gonna blow up in their face. Until then, they'll just keep raking in the ridonkulous amounts of dollars.  

 

Loved this long post. It summed so many of my feelings.

I'm not a G1 fan, I'm not a movie fan, but a Transformers fan. People love all spectrums of this property. Movies heightened my enjoyment for the franchise, well the first one did, the second one I forced myself to love because of the sheer awesomeness of the combined mode of Optimus and Jetfire. I think they've done a lot for the property, but I think I'd like to see a new direction as well.

I hate leaving the movies saying to myself, "They're marketing this movie to kids via toys as well as Happy Meal toys?!" I hate that I have to fast forward the endless bland scenes that setup nothing to get to the good parts for my kids. "45 minutes in and there's still no Transformers on screen, Dad!" or "Guys, close your eyes." because somebody decided Optimus should rip people's heads off or faces off, or the director decided to shoot longingly at someone's butt while they're walking up the stairs.

I get where the film studios are going with the cinematic universe because it's all the rage with comic properties right now, but they need to cement their own universe in something fresh and new and then build off of there. Sure, the writers can bring back characters and Macguffins from the dead, but it's not right and it will feel cheap and forced. Marvel went through two origin stories of the Hulk before they were like, "Eh, let's start over without another origin story." Same can be done with this franchise.

Let the movies explore their past over a few movies through flashback and such. Let the movies bring new characterization to the characters that need it the most. Bring in humans, but don't make them caricatures.

 

I spat my tea all over my laptop