Cade was more tolerable and didn't really do much to get me to hate him, whereas Sam was a constant nuisance: "NonoNOnOnONonO!!!!!"
On the topic of Sam killing Megatron vs Megatron being killed by the Allspark. I think what was use to commit the act is important. It seperates a human using a human weapon to kill a transformer vs a human using something of cybertronian origin to kill a transformer. Sam didn't use a human designed grenade launcher to kill Megatron he used the cube containing the life giving Allspark.
Sam was really annoying. Cade actually had real problems and was a more heroic character in general. His relationship with Optimus wasn’t as developed as it could’ve been but was still more believable and interesting than anything with Sam and Bumblebee.
Sam was way more funny and entertaining, also had a stronger relationship with the Autobots. Sorry, but Cade was just some boring basic dude
I loved Sam as a character in the first film. Like, I genuinely cared about him. He’s awful in ROTF and DOTM. Cade is a decent protagonist in his films.
I can understand why people say he's a bad actor... Have you ever seen him in anything outside of Transformers? That's usually how you can tell is by comparing their characters in other roles the same actor has done. I have seen Shia in nearly everything he's done since Even Stevens. The main reason why him screaming no is pointed out so much is because it's a very comedic sort of scream and one he does in pretty much every role he's ever played which is fine for a more comedic show like Even Stevens where he played a very goofy character but it really makes it kinda hard to take given the more serious tone his other roles tend to have when his screams of terror pretty much always sound like a joke and never like he's in any real danger. It's like every time he screams like that he suddenly turns back into Louie and it takes you out of the movie you're actually watching. He's not quite as bad as most people make him out to be, there are a lot of good moments too but the comediac screams of terror are all anyone seems to remember.
Cade, because he wasn't a generic hormone-y teen and didn't scream "NONONONONONONO" at the top of his lungs every 5 seconds
Well, do I want one to the head or five to the chest?? Kidding aside, I consider them apples and oranges. Sam was an idiot who often got lucky...Cade was an alleged genius who often acted like an idiot. Sometimes it’s preferable to be lucky rather than skilled. But...I’ll take Cade.
You can prefer anyone you want, but I find it silly how many people are writing essays about how Cade is like a master class in character writing. He's written as this tough, smart, and all-American cliché to appeal what you wish you were. Sorry, but if you think he's a great character, Paramount was targeting someone like you and you got got. I guess that's why Sam doesn't appeal as much to nerds; because he makes them feel unexceptional. If anything, Sam is the better-written character because it shows how the unexceptional can still earn the respect and friendship of the Autobots. Cade's friendship with Prime is so forced; they just keep giving pep talks to each other like bros. Most people outside forums find him forgettable and wish Sam stayed on. And even though a character's defined by their actions and not their name, the naming scheme for human characters really shows how much thought they put into them. Changing Spike Witwicky's name is understandable because "Spike" is a cartoony name, but "Sam" is just such a bland choice. Similarly, naming the hot girl "Mikaela Banes" to sound like "Michael Bay" is super awkward. What's even more stupid is that you can't name your male lead "Spike" but you can name them something like "Cade" in an effort to sound masculine. And his last name "Yeager" has nothing to do with Chuck Yeager; it's clearly because they saw Pacific Rim earlier in 2013 and said, "We should call him Cade Yeager, the inventor from Texas! That's a perfect character for Mark Whalberg to play!" And "Tessa" was clearly chosen because Nicola Peltz's name reminded them of Nikola Tesla. You can trace the thought process for any of these names easily because they put minimal thought into their characters. Even look at Hot Rod in TLK: they just chose the name by Googling Transformers names without knowing how deep the lore goes for that character, then they gave him a French accent because they were planning a prequel with an army squad in which each soldier's a different WWII stereotype and they thought "hot rod" sounds funny in a French accent. If you think I'm biased, I can assure you I'm not. I've seen Bayverse more times than I can remember, and every single human character--no matter how bad--is a legend to me, especially Shane. He drives, in case you didn't know.
I'm a nerd. Sam didn't appeal to me because he was awful to the Autobots. First movie? Trying to get laid, ends up saving the world because he has to. Second movie? Trying to get away from everyone and everything. Especially Bumblebee, who he treated like an animal at best, a thing at worst. Ends up being a hero because he's going insane from codes in his head and has to get them out. Third movie? Wants to matter out of a need for a fix, like a junkie. PTSD: The Movie, in 3D. Cade? Annoying, yeah. A bit too preachy and disconnected from reality, but wakes up real quick. Saves Prime. TLK? Gave them a home, protected them, led them, made sure they had cover. Took in an orphan. As a father and someone who wants and needs to be better for his children and family, I absolutely identify with Cade. He went above and beyond for his blood and his friends. Was he a pain? Yup. Was he realistically written? Yup. Sam screamed and cried all the time and ran until PTSD caught up to him. It has nothing to do with being a nerd, of which I gladly say I am, it has everything to do with him being one of the worst protagonists we've ever seen. Charlie was in one film and was a better, more relatable protagonist than either of them, but Cade comes in second place. The only person worse than Sam? Leo. Utterly awful.
Note how you glossed over this. Because he has to. What's bad about doing what you have to? That's a really great character trait. And while Sam screams during the action scenes, so would you. At least he doesn't scream ordinary dialogue like Cade to force a poorly written punchline. And you know he's not awful to the Autobots; that's such a stretch. In 2007, he's in awe of them. Cade's writers just skipped over the awe part. In RotF, he wants to live a normal life and regrets being selfish when Optimus dies. In DotM, the film starts with him missing the Autobots and wanting to do anything to help even though Frances Mcdormand keeps saying no. Notice how you just affirm your own statements without a single thought. Do you find it realistic that a Boston-accent Texan single father would choose to put his daughter through college by freelancing his homemade inventions when he lives on a farm with some of a greenest grass I've ever seen? I understand that your personal experiences allow you to identify with him, but you have to understand that they deliberately wrote him as vaguely as possible so more people could project themselves onto him. It doesn't help that everytime the father and daughter talk to each other, it's insanely awkward dialogue like they're not even related. I mean, they even removed his daughter because audiences didn't care about her. She's mentioned in three scenes in the TLK like an afterthought. They tried to compare Izabela with his daughter as a character device but in the laziest way possible; they may as well have had him say, "Hey, you remind me of my daughter."
They're both about the same in my opinion, Shia LaBeouf is amazing in movies these days, makes me appreciate Sam a bit more.
