One of these days Shaun...POW! To the moon.

Comedic domestic violence ftw.

 

either way they were looking for a means to attain energy

doesnt change my point



the transformers are always after something, always end up on earth, always fight for it while we're sitting in the middle

hasnt changed nor will it for the movie



but in the end.. whats all the griping and complaining gonna do?
the movie takes characters and personalities and re-creates the transformers stories. just like every single other TF series

its another alternate universe. another reinterpretation.
i just dont understand why people are so hung up on that

 

If you look at that way (alternate universe) I love the movie!
I dont mean to say I dont like these designs as they stand by themselves they are very cool. They are just not recognizable as the ones we grew to love.


But every other series links to the original in some way. And follows certian criteria established!

 

I like Meg's new face. He's got a wicked demonic Joker grin going on. It really cries out for his G1 voice. Rest of his head could use a little work, though.

Prime still needs a decent paint job. I can't help but think that Bumblbee would look better if he had the G1 toy's mouth plate. It would probably fit perfectly with the rest of his design.

I'm really waiting to see these guys in motion, before I pass too much judgement. That said, they still strike me as the steam locomotives of giant robot design. They have far too many exposed working compnents. I understand and agree with the reason for losing the traditional boxy designs, but these guys look like a lone human with a crowbar could seriously mess them up.

 

Wow, you... umm... you really showed him... didn't you?

 

I still hate them. I loathe these designs with every fiber of my being. Personally I have yet to see one single aspect of this movie that appeals to me in even the very least. The story is cliched and simplistic and the robots look like they were constructed out of garbage from a wrecking yard. Transformers is going to make 'The Phantom Menace' look like Hamlet.

 

yeh....megatron looks cool, but but....

 

Probably comes from a statement Aaron Archer has made more then once saying that the hardcore fans are a small piece of their profits from Transformers as compared to the kids who simply buy the toys for enjoyment. When I say small I mean we're maybe 15-20% at most.

So using that statement, it's reasonable to assume that the average person going to this movie. Might have a partial/limited recollection of Transformers. At most they might remember names and maybe vague looks. Definitely not enough to call TFs G1. But aren't so ridgid as to take the "These don't look like the Transformers I grew up with" standpoint

 

Transformers has no "proven formula" that entertains the 13 and older audiences, apart from us fans who continue to buy into Transformers based on childhood obsession. So there's really nothing to stick to.

Find a mainstream movie review that discusses the appearance of the characters in a film. You think Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Ebert & Roeper, Entertainment Weekly, or any other published critic is going to call out the filmmakers for straying from the source material, when the source material is a 20 year old children's cartoon? If it was a best-selling novel like Lord of the Rings, that would be one thing; as it is, they won't even mention the character designs. At the same time, if the designs looked like toys, the film would not be taken seriously.

Are you implying that because Transformers is an inherently childish concept, they should have just left everything childish? Would you have been satisfied with a $40m G-rated live-action incarnation of Transformers if it meant the characters had more in common with the toys?

well there's your problem right there, because that's exactly what they're making. I wouldn't say adult though, because the audience includes teenagers. "Adult Sci-fi" makes it sound like nerd porn  

Because these characters have G1 names, so we fans have a preconceived notion of what they "should" look like. Granted, some people are just asking for designs that are more in line with Transformers as a whole (blocky, big alt-mode parts, hidden joints), but since every other Transformer has been created as a toy - what they're asking for is designs that look more like toys. For this new medium and audience, that is in no way appropriate.

Seeing as they are aliens from space, I don't think "pretty" should be very high on the design priorities. Again, it comes back to "not like other Transformers", which means "not like toys" - because all other Transformers have been first and foremost toys for ages five and up. I really doubt you would have such distaste for these designs if they didn't carry the names of Transformer characters. Think of these as the Transformers for grown-ups, rather than an interpretation of Transformers for the kids.

As my mind is blank right now, what live-action robots did you have in mind that you find to be attractive designs?

 

DISCLAIMER: I'VE SEEN NEXT TO NOTHING OF G1, SO MEMORIES OF THOSE CHARACTERS DO NOT HAVE ANY SWAY ON THE FOLLOWING OPINIONS

BUMBLEBEE: Eh, not too bad. I never really liked the face, but it's tolerable. I'm fine with the rest of the body. Should be interesting to see in motion at the very least.

"Fire" CONVOY/OPTIMUS PRIME: Still don't particularly dig the flames, but I've gotten used to them. Other than that I like. The most authentic I've seen yet. I'd still like an older-style head, but the update remains good. As long as he keeps his face-mask on. I'm fine with the body: bulky in a good way. Looks like he could kick some serious decepti-ass.

MEGATRON: I'll admit it now: I LIKED THE ORIGINAL DESIGN OF MEGATRON. I've seen some fan-made ones that looked MUCH better, but I still loved the movie design. Perfect for his "role" in the film.

This picture HAS been altered, though not to any major extent. However, what they did helped. He definately seems more Megatron-ish than he did, with the helmet and all. Subduing the eyes seemed to help as well: makes him seem more insane than monstrous for some reason. And that's good. I can see Welker's voice coming out of that. And it working, as well.




And now, for a little rant:

WHAT THE HELL IS THE BIG DEAL?!?!

Maybe I just don't get it, not knowing G1 and all.

I see NOTHING wrong with the design asthetic here. It's different, yes, but that's all it is. Hell, this franchise NEEDS a re-boot.

You cannot tell me with a straight face that Transformers are still popular. Being regulated to a 6:00 AM time-slot isn't a good thing, whichever way you spin it. From what I hear, the toys aren't selling nearly as well as they were even a few years ago. And with Transformers, the toys are the franchises' heart. The series heart is failing, and at this rate, it won't be too much longer until it dies.

The situation was similar pre-1996, correct? Before Beast Wars and all?

There were similar responses to Beast Wars, correct?

Was that not considered the best cartoon and one of the best-selling toy lines in the franchise's history?


All I'm saying is give it a chance. (My apoligies for quoting John Lennon.) Truthfully, I don't expect much from it myself: I mean, it's a Michael Bay film. But I'm keeping an open mind to it. I AM expecting some serious carnage and bad-ass action scenes. And I'm expecting Prime and Megs to have a good showing in the film: Starscream to a lesser extent.


----A fan of Bayatron

 

My post never implied anything of the sort. But to suggest that by making your robots "realistic" that you somehow remove the ridiculous nature of the Transformers premise, you are sadly mistaken. Making insect-like robots does not negate the fact that the Transformers premise as a whole is pretty silly. This isn't that far off from movies like Superman or Spiderman. Superman is a flying man in tights, and Spiderman is a teenager endowed with Spider powers. Funny how Singer and Raimi didn't feel the need to completely reinvent those characters for the sake of ill-conceived realism. No matter what, this movie will never be anything other than an absurdist piece of escapism. Adding insectoid machines doesn't suddenly add to the believability of an already over-the-top premise.

Your opinion. I don't think the addition of ugly robots suddenly makes the Transformers premise "bad-ass sci fi".

Again, your reading minds. I don't want upscaled toys, but I wouldn't mind designs that pay a bit of respect to an established Transformers aesthetic. You blame G1 sentimentality for people's distain towards these designs, when many detractors simply find them UGLY.

Pretty and aesthetically unpleasing are two very different things. And honestly, when your making a big-budget popcorn flick, isn't being aesthetically pleasing important? And no, I don't care what you call these robots. I still think they are hideous. To me, they look like a piles of utter rubbish. Oh, and liking these designs isn't some measure of maturity. It is all a matter of taste. To me they are ugly; G1 be damned!

No insulting other board members!

 

ugh

 

WOW.....The Movie Poster everyone wants...

This is what we had....




Sounds like this is what most of you want.... Been there...done that....





Its time to step out of the 80's and evolve.....The Transformers did....why can't we....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrt5Fr0NniE
Everyone is nostalgic about their youth, and many people remember the transformers. If no one cared about a movie based on a 20 year old cartoon property then why make a movie about it? I think you also forget that the original movie was also marketed toward an older audience. There have been many a movie that have made changes to the soucre material with some doing poorly and others well but it was not shiney nor "extreme" things that was the breaking point to the general movie goer. It was the quality of the movie as a whole. Teenage Mutant ninja Turtles had giant talking turtles that loved pizza AND had Corey Feldman and still did very well. The Island had big names and lots of special effects along with concepts that are different then most movies of recent. The Island didn't do as well as TMNT. TMNT was green lighted because of the success of the cartoon but used the fan popular comic for more of story. I'm not saying that this movie should be based off of Generation 1. You can have both something that fans can relate to and something that new audiences can enjoy. Being able to do that is most impressive indeed.

 

So you're on a Transformers forum, knocking Transformers...

For me, the Transformers are more iconic and more relevant than Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse. Yeah, those characters were iconic for generations before me, but now they're old, and we haven't seen much from them in a long time. Looney Tunes Back in Action? There's a winner. As for the Honeymooners, that show was popular with a completely different fandom. I only brought it up to give an example of what happens when you stray too far from the source material. And for the record, I think Transformer DID have a formula that worked, and that is why it was so popular amongst people of my generation.

That's really what it boils down to. Wasn't the official announcement of the movie being made given to fans at a convention? Hasbro and Paramount know who the audience is. The only reason the movie is being made is because fans like myself grew up with the show and the toys and fell in love with them. Sure, I understand the need to appeal to a wider audience, but Bay & Co. are doing so at the expense of the hardcore fans who are responsible for making Transformers more than just another 80's cartoon.

If everyone wants something radically different from the Transformers we know and love, why not just make an entirely different movie? Don't call it Transformers. Call it "Morphobots" or something like that. I hope I have other people who agree with me when I say the whole appeal of a Transformers movie is to see the familiar characters from Transformers rendered in 3D on the big screen. Key word = FAMILIAR. What we can see from these designs is that we're getting something very very very different from what Transformers is. This is the crux of the matter. I like Transformers the way they always have been -- big, blocky robots. If I want to see something else, I'll watch something else, but if I plunk down money to see a Transformers movie, I want to see TRANSFORMERS. Not Go-Bots. Not Galaxy Defender. Not Bionicle. Not Gundam. TRANSFORMERS.

Every fan should have a personal stake in this film. In an odd way, we've been supporting these characters through the years. I hate to sound like a complete goofball, but we've almost befriended these guys. When that film starts showing on the screen, I want to cheer for those guys I've grown accustomed to and have become comfortable with. Why wouldn't Paramount/Michael Bay want to cater to the fans? Why would they go with something so radically different when the traditional Transformers designs have proven to sell some serious product and make fans happy? "Live Action" is simply a new way to present the product WE LOVE to a larger audience. This was a chance for us to say "Hey, Transformers is more than just another cartoon and toy line, and THIS IS WHY." The Transformers movie should represent OUR Transformers -- not create something that could potentially give the original a bad name.

I don't know. I'm obviously getting too upset about it, but I'm trying to explain my point of view. Maybe I'm just too passionate about it. Maybe I'm just a tightwad. All I hear is "Stop complaining" and "Ugh, another hater." What? We're not allowed to want something different from what we're seeing? From where I'm standing, there's no good reason to make the changes they've made, and that's all there is to it.

PS- Megatron's new face seems to be simpler, which is good. The spindly fingers are not doing it for me, though. Bumblebee = meh, and Prime is just "ok." Yeah, it's the same old tired arguments of "too many exposed parts" and "not G1 enough," but those arguments still hold water. Bah, I spent 15 minutes typing this. I need to get back to work.

 

I'm pretty sure the movie toys will be for ages five and up as well.

 

What if.......?

What if the current designs for the movie had been the cartoon in the 80's, and then MB had come out with the movie using the 80's toon designs...OMFG people would be sick....

They would be like "how can you pass off these cardboard box designs for transformers from the 80's, that were intricate, articulated, and detailed...I mean come on its wheel just magically appeared out of his cube of a shoulder!!"


Hummmm...............

 

TO SIMIAN: DAMN. Where was that second picture from?

 

Japanese movie poster.

 

This thread started off so cool and turned into.... +564346 flamewar thread.

Anyways, I like how even the spindly pieces like the wrists on BB still look strong and tough as hell just by the structural design of the metal. Design looks awesome in an action pose. Bumblebee really looks like they're giving you guys your Alternators aesthetic, just more detailed.

Awesome, but then again I always liked these.