The discussion I joined was concerned with so-called "plotholes" and whether or not the movies "tied together."

I never said ANYTHING about people who simply "don't like what I like," but it seems you've missed that glaring subtlety.

And that's okay!

As long as you're actually made AWARE of that now...which I trust this post has accomplished, albeit redundantly.

And, while we're at it, I've seen each movie over 30 times in theaters in several different cities throughout the U.S.

People were indeed laughing and cheering throughout. Even MORE SO for the 2nd film, the same one people online and in public tend to dismiss as the worst.

Despite the bandwagon/groupthink mentality "opinion" of the 2nd movie, it was generally a riotously hilarious success. And it wasn't even limited to just humor. I turned around numerous times during the deaths of Optimus and Sam and GODDAMNIT...not a dry eye in the house.

Say what you will, but people actually generally enjoy these movies unless they're some internet troll with a stick up their ass and/or incapable of forming their own opinions. If you DIDN'T enjoy them then that's fine, too (now's a good time to remind you of the meaning of the word "generally")...but it is what it is and despite a vocal minority online these movies are MASSIVE crowdpleasers.

Do you REALLY think they'd be making BILLIONS of dollars otherwise?!?

If you have your own personal reasons for disliking the films then that's your own taste, your mileage may vary, and so be it. But I'm not going to discount the GIGANTIC box office incomes of these movies and every single theater full of enthusiastic crowds every single time which I've PERSONALLY seen way more times than most people in WAY more cities, just because some Bay-hating, herd-mentality, partypoopers try to drag them through the mud day-after-day ad infinitum.

I'm sorry to hear we disagree on this subject but since you started out by not even responding to what I actually said...well, yeah.

Don't really care.

And that's okay.

 

 

Thought about touching this post, but nope maybe some posts just aren't worth the hassle.

 

Agreed.

Regardless...getting back on topic, I'd just like to add that I found the OP to be very insightful, carefully considered, and well-written.

I also recall having read TM2 Dinobot's Autobots-as-villains posts here and there before, and although I think they give undue short shrift to the self-sacrifice and ultimate nobility of the Autobot cause, I still recall finding them to be likewise enjoyable, well-written, and substantive posts built around an otherwise solid and perceptive thesis.

Didn't mean to derail things here, especially not away from such an excellent, boldly honest thread-topic, I was just chiming in on where it wound up somehow. Don't mind me.

My REAL point here was to say WELL DONE and HUZZAH to the OP!

\o/

 

Glad to see someone critical of the other three enjoy TF4. (Also last time I checked it had like 4 1/2 stars on Netflix actually)

Oh man. Still to this day, the opening night crowd for Age of Extinction was THE BEST crowd I have ever seen a movie with. Cheering, laughing and applause. Most fun I've ever had at a movie theater.

 

This movie had so many plot holes, dead end story elements and random moments that I thought they were doing at an homage to Orci and Kurtzman. (For example, what was the point of Optimus breaking free from custody and escaping the ship if he was just going to turn around and look for the same destination that Lockdown was planning to bring him to? And the whole point of the Romeo and Juliet law when they could have just made the daughter a few months older? )

 

I honestly had no idea this film was so derried. I never come in this forum because, well, I've never had a reason to. Just take note that a guy who abhored the first three absolutely loved this one. So lump me in with China, I guess.

 

Yeah if she was the right official legal age...nobody would fucking care.

and that scene wouldn't matter.

the conflict with Marky Mark and Lucky Charms would still exist because Lucky is a fucking prick. just less creepy about it.

 

I think it's really awesome that you liked AOE, and I can agree there definitely seemed to be a dedicated want to improve in areas. More robot time, more distinct designs, more competant villians with personality, etc. But unfortunately too much drags it down for me. It's not a 1/10 movie like some like to say, but I'd hesitate to put it above 5/10 these days.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with your opinion on how the scenes seemed like they each had a purpose. If the Romeo and Juliet scene had any purpose other than to creep me out then I can't find it.

Personally I believe Kruger is one of the worst writers in Hollywood right now. I can never forgive him for ROTF.

I found the story hard to follow though. Maybe just because it's too long? I mean, I have the movie on DVD (yes I regret buying it) and I have yet to sit through the movie in its full length since I saw it in theaters. I never thought I'd be bored by a movie about giant space robots in a war with Marky Mark involved.

The Autobots definitely got more development and screen time so that's at least a step in the right direction. Those designs though... oh the headaches. Please go back to the old style where transformations made sense.

Also Lockdown was the best villain in the series. He had a clear purpose and was in somewhat of a gray area with an aura of mystery. Galvatron though... wtf is he doing in this movie. He's so pointless! He gets what, one battle with the Autobots in which he actually participates? If they would have just cut him and his sucky drones out of the movie entirely, it would probably be my second favorite in the series. They should have just had Josh mention something about Project Galvatron when the Autobots attack the facility then have a post-credits scene where the camera zooms in on a dormant Galvatron's face, when all of the sudden the optics light up.

 

I don't fully agree about the first three films or about the Autobots in the original trilogy, but I likewise do share your love for AOE OP! It's not perfect, but it is a film for which the good vastly outnumbers the bad. Autobots and humans I can emphasize with. An interesting story whose subplots are interconnected and not just random. Lockdown. An interesting origin for Galvatron. Excellent voice acting, sound, designs, and visuals. A sense of mystery regarding some things.

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think it works well for what it is trying to do.

 

It was a good stand alone movie if you forget G1 and everything else

If the movies were the only thing tf related left AOE would be great. The movies get so much hate cos of shows like prime being so good.


If the tf's were less skeletal it would be even better

 

Yeah, I absolutely LOVE a good, rowdy crowd at the movies! I bootleg concerts a lot so I've got some pretty good recording gear I've taken with me to record audio at some movies and it's SO MUCH FUN to listen to them sometimes, lol.

You might want to check out the collecter's edition of Sin City, btw. Robert Rodriguez included the option of watching the movie with a field recording of the audience at its premier and it is AWESOME.

I wish more home releases came with that option!

Fortunately, I can make my own for the Transformers movies, at least.

 

Well, firstly, no...the meaning was clear and fully understood, thanks. I was simply sharing the sentiment.

And no one's saying that the Transformers movies have enjoyed exclusively positive reactions from their audiences. The point I was making was simply that the general moviegoing public enjoyed the movies and those people simply went about their days waiting for the next one instead of trying to roll back the tides of negativity within the echo chamber of the internet.

Seriously?

Well, for starters, there's a BIG difference between arriving at your enemy's doorstep as a well-armed and upgraded knight rather than as an injured prisoner, lol.

And then there's the matter of foiling Galvatron's plot, securing the Seed, eliminating the leadership of the black ops group hunting his people, showing Joshua Joyce the error of his ways, repaying his debt to the Jaeger family, and destroying almost the entirety of the KSI-bots produced.

You could say he kind of had some things to do first before leaving.

And I'll address the Romeo & Juliet thing more fully at a later date...but it certainly wasn't "random," a "dead end," or a plot hole.

I've got a lot to say about the subject so I'll save it for later, but it's worth noting that these movies are entertainment and that scene always gets a big laugh. As Michael Bay has said himself, the humor is part of the brand with these films.

If nothing else it was worth including for that alone, imho.

 

 

So, WITHOUT opening a huge can of worms, do people not realize that the R&J law is actually an important thing? And that it was new when the movie came out?

We have had problems in Texas with people being arrested, charged and convicted as sex offenders because the guy was a week past his 18th birthday and one of the family members didn't like him, so they got him arrested for statutory rape of a minor. It was a big enough problem that we had to have a law that addressed it.

Y'all may have that it was weird/funny, but I looked at it and went "Oh, good. Maybe now the public will be educated. Thank you, Michael Bay." A sentence I never thought I'd utter.

 

I dunno...having a guy carry that around and shoving it in his gf's father's face...that's really douchey.

 

Here is a quick lesson for everyone talking about Netflix's star rating. It is actually a prediction of your opinion of the film based off a complicated algorithm factoring in the content in your queue, what you've actually watched, and how you rated previous movies.

In other words, talking about the star ratings between users is pretty much pointless.