Of course the films have been good for transformers. They may not have been good in terms of the way some people feel transformers should be; but those people are not in charge of hasbro, and they're not in charge of transformers. The movies have done wonders for transformers but not some peoples' transformers ego.

I personally feel the the films are terrible, but I'm kind of a film snob - so even though I like transformers I'm not in the target market for Michael Bay films. But denying his films have done great things for transformers is ridiculous.

 

It's undeniable; the movies have been great for the franchise. Great article, Maz! For me, Transformers will always be more about the toys that the media which means that despite being a bit disappointed by some of the movies I've still enjoyed the amazing toys that they brought. Many of my favourite ever figures come from the Revenge of the Fallen line - a movie that is fun but severely flawed and I'm rarely compelled to watch it (though I'll always check out the forest battle if it's on telly).

I love the first movie though. Again, it's flawed, but has a real Spielbergian summer blockbuster feel to it and I get all nostalgic just remembering that year. The trailers, the toy reveals and seeing the toys in shops. It was a wonderful time.

If Hasbro aren't careful though I think the movies could wear the brand out a bit. I don't think it'll ever go away, but eventually people will realise they're being given the same movie over and over again and the brand at large could lose credibility. I enjoyed the first three movies overall but hated AoE. I found it to be an arduous, obnoxious three hours that went a bit too far in it's Bay-ishness at times, and that's a mild way of putting it.

Clearly the box office taking disagree with me there, but in terms of the merchandise I saw it on heavy discount within weeks of the films release. I only bought two figures form the line and sold one of them. The one I do have is admittedly, an absolute belter (Rusty Evasion Ops), but I take my overall disinterest in the AoE toy line as a bad omen and indicative of poor marketing and merchandising decisions.

At it's core, they really need to start investing in the Transformers themselves as characters and not just a CG means to an explosive end. People don't love Gollum because he's a special effect, they love him because he's been imbued with a heart and a soul and that's what makes the character endure as a part of popular culture.

Hopefully this new writing group Hasbro has set up is a step in the right direction. Great story and well written characters is what will elevate this brand beyond a 3 hour spectacle that people will forget within a year. Good films wont necessarily mean good toys however, but they'll lay a foundation of interest that'll see the brand thrive for years.

 

First off, Another great article Maz!

I was lucky enough to take part in, and be asked to be a moderator during; the "Stop Sector Seven" ARG (Alternate Reality Game), which was an online promotion; hpying the first live-action film. As a fan, I had a blast; and was happy to help out. As a thank you, I was even sent a poster of Optimus Prime - signed by Peter Cullen.
 

Now, I watched the first two films on opening day, the third the opening week; and ... the fourth rented from Redbox... I own all 4 movies on DVD, and have quite a few movie figures in my collection...

...but... (you know that there was a 'but' here)

I don't really care for the films, as I believe that they're simply summertime popcorn-munching action flicks. Go into the theater, turn off your brain; and watch robots beat the crap out of each other - with unsuccessful human characters & their unfunny jokes (Devastator's balls & the most of the Twins' dialogue coming to mind immediately).

Will the movies stand the test of time? - I don't believe so, however; they did rekindle the nostalgia of previous fans & introduced *MANY* new ones to the brand; as well as bringing us some *WONDERFUL* figures (ROTF Leader Optimus, the Human Alliance figures, etc).

...Not to mention bringing in a *buttload* of money, which (I assume) may have helped Hasbro (and Takara) fund many of the projects that may not have otherwise come-to-be; like the faster release of the Masterpiece line (one every few months, versus one a year), the Classics/Generations line, and even today's Combiner Wars!

While I'd love to see a more G1-themed release in the theater or DVD (like DC's animated Justice League & Batman films), I am simply sitting back & waiting to see what the Transformers bring us next.

Just my two cents on the topic...
-Meth

 

If it weren't for the movies..I wouldn't be here! I was looking around for sites that can give latest updates about the movies, suffice to say TFW fits the bill.

So in a nutshell to me at least, it brought out many old timers out of the woodwork & into full time collecting.