Transformers Discussion Thread (Transformers: Dark of the Moon)

Why Barricade (yes, he actually shows up in TF3) is cooler than Shockwave and The Fallen in Bayformers: He got to kill an Autobot. Later Que!

 

So basically like the first two.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was better than the second one by a mile. I still don't understand why people dissect this type of movie like it's supposed to be Black Swan. I got exactly what I was expecting out of this film. Go see it.

 

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/06/topless_robots_transformers_3_faq.php

 

From the toplessrobot review:

And they just decided to wait while the Decepticons massacred people in Chicago?
Pretty much. Although Optimus actually has an explanation for this -- he says, and I swear this is true, that he had to let humans understand the Decepticons were not to be trusted. So the Autobots sat back and let the Decepticons kill thousands of people and destroy a major U.S. city as a lesson.



wtf, lol.

 

I thought it was leaps and bounds better than the first two. Not even close. Which isn't to say it's a good movie, in and of itself. Admittedly my expectations were so low that they could have shown a steaming turd for 2 hrs and 37 mins and I might have said "Well, that was better than I thought". But, I enjoyed the movie.

 

Well after saving the earth TWICE, the humans were still being [male anatomy] to the Autobots, I really dont blame them.

Humans: "HELP US! HELP US!"

Optimus: "Okay, but you have to say it first."

Humans: "Oh god, say WHAT? OH NO THE'RE BURNING US ALIVE!!!"

Optimus: "Yeah that sucks. But say it. 'Autobots were right all along'. Say it."

Humans: "OH PLEASE HELP OH MY GOD WERE BEING SLAUGHTERED AND ENSLAVED!"

Optimus: *yawn* "So? You guys already do that to each other at least once a century. Come on. Five little words."

Humans: "AUTOBOTS WERE RIGHT! AUTOBOTS WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG! WE'RE SO SORRY! HELP US!"

Optimus: *stretches* "Okay boys, lets get this done. AUTOBOTS...ROLL OUT."

 

Well I finally went to go see it, and got to watch about 2 hours of it. Didn't get to watch the rest because the damn reel burnt up. Got free passes out of the deal. Debating whether or not I'll see it again. The part I was on was pretty good, but It's really going to be painful to sit through most of that movie just to finish it.

The Transformers parts are kinda good, but the human bits are bloody horrible. I cared nothing about anybody on screen. And any scene dealing with the Transformers parts of the story lasted like 30 seconds. Which was sad because Optimus seemed to have some form of story in this film. What I'd give just to actually watch a movie about the Transformers.

Hate to say it, but I thought it was just as bad as the second one. Granted I haven't seen the whole thing yet, but I've seen most of it. Just because a lot of the bad stuff in ROTF was taken out of DOTM doesn't make it a better movie by befault.

I did enjoy the nods to fans however. There were more in this film then both the others. Still doesn't make up for it being trash though. I could go on and on but I'll wait until I actually see the whole thing before I do and indepth review. Might as well just take a valium and go watch it in the theatre again.

 

ok, liked it as a popcorn movie. I liked the fact that in the beginning of the film they used White sands missile test range to see the crash. The site seen on camera was the telescope at the northern gate. Its 190 miles north of the south gate. Its five miles off the road and cell phones do not work there. I know this cause I visited the north gate and was unable to use my cellphone. Not to mention I was unable to take any pictures whatsoever. But did get to talk to the guard at the gate and see the observatory and other buildings on the hill next to the gate. The base is in New Mexico.

 

Come back, Megan Fox. All is forgiven.

The film felt very... schizophrenic. And it was too long. 2.5 hours? Yikes. The final battle just dragged on forever.

 

Suffice it to say, it's not that different from the last two.

Anyway, as with the first two films, I really, really LIKED what this film COULD have been. I like the basic story, right? Except this time, they fired Megan Fox like a week before filming and crappily rewrote this new character, although 99% of her lines are obviously just Mikaela's. Now I really liked Fox in the past two films, I liked her character, the chemistry between her and Sam, and the storyline they brought to the table. First film: Guy gets the hot girl in school. Second film, their relationship develops more. I liked how the films were these giant epic war movies wrapped around a simple tale of boy and girl. This film was obviously intended to continue and conclude that storyline, but just inserting a new girlfriend doesn't really work at all for it, and the only way I could enjoy it was to pretend that was Mikaela (which wasn't very difficult considering all the dialogue was originally hers)

Do that, and those scenes all become very effective and dramatic. These people whose realtionship we've watched grow through five years and three films. Especially the scene where she walks out on Sam because he wants to get involved again. Like. she's had enough. And finally, Sam realizes, via the talk with his parents (finally they actually serve a narrative function) that she's really the thing that matters most to him, after all these years, hence, amidst all the chaotic battle, he's trying to save her. Krueger, I thought, did a good job of writing this storyline, and it's just too bad that it didn't end up that way, because, in the end it's "Oh yeah, this is his new girlfriend, but yeah, it'll be just as dramatic." Fail.

Slimy!

 

I liked the movie, although it was a bit long.

The whole Leonard Nimoy thing stretched a bit for me. First, they show a classic Star Trek episode with him that the little guys comment on. THEN he winds up being the voice of Sentinel Prime. THEN he states the classic Star Trek line; "The Needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few!" ...My eyes rolled a bit but it is Paramount and they also own Star Trek.

Some other casting was good, John Malkovich, Frances Mcdormand, The CGI work with Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, and Obama was cool!

The story kept me into it.

Plus the fact that Starscream, Shockwave, and Megatron were all killed made a nice little ending to this popcorn ride of films.

I guess now there will be prequels.

 

I actually genuinely liked this one. It's better than the first two in every way. It's actually the first movie that I thought Shia gave a decent performance in. The first two movies he was kind of annoying, but in this one I actually could relate to how he was feeling and rooted for him. The new girl sucked, though. She's hot, and I gather that was her main job for the movie, but geez. I guess you can't expect acting genius from someones first acting role, but honestly I've seen better acting at high school musical auditions- from the guys that ended up as stage managers.

 

Nope. Reboots. Using CGI ONLY for full robot bodies, but animatronic puppets for smaller robots and close-ups of their face.
[image=http://www.gifsoup.com/view6/2758696/steve-johnson-robot-face-o.gif]
Animatronics that emote!

Designed by Stan Winston Studios. The G1 characters already had GREAT designs that gave them each a distinct personality, and SWS has a great track record of changing 2D images into 3D models.
[image=http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/www/Write/Pix/ironman74.jpg] [image=http://negative99.com/images/iron_man_080502.jpg]
Perfect example
On a side note, SWS did all the robots for the upcoming Real Steel. Notice that in the trailer, even in the thick of battle, the robots are clearly distinct from one another, not just a jumbled mish mash of action blur.)


And for god sakes, get a director who knows how to get REAL emotion during giant robot fights!
[image=http://moviecarpet.com/iwave/images/7/o-sony-picks-up-neil-blomkamp-s-elsyium.jpg]
Neill Blomkamp, perhaps?

 

I was gona pass on this but due to a power outtage and far too much time on my hands and the lack of desire to sit in the heat and humidity I went and saw it. Visually it's pretty damned cool.

Now, it didn't suck but I kept thinking how much better this would have been had the makers of District 9 done it, or the likes of JJ Abrams.

I won't list it all now but having read all the gripes like the list from the blog I posted I have to say it is actually a bit more consistant than people are saying.

One thing does bug me when it comes to aline invasions; the need for our resources. In this case it turns out to be us, they want billions of slaves. Now why an advanced race of robots with the mega technology they have at there disposal needs us rather than just gobble up say Ceres and make trillions of robot slaves that could do the work easier is beyond me. They could have just said outright, "Oh we don't need you, we just want you. we are taking you over because we are big, fat jerks." I could say their actions speak this, but in fact they speak out loud that they just NEED the human slave army.

Bayism I hate: When the good guys walk in slow motion with the super honorable music palying as they march as wounded warriors. ugh.

 

I read elsewhere online that the Star Trek episode shown is where Spock goes nuts...which foreshadows (if that's the right word to use here) Sentinel Prime going nuts later in the film. Also, the 'Needs of the many' line is from the film where Spock dies...the difference is, Nimoy's character doesn't die a hero this time around.

 

I also immensely LOVED the Wreckers.
[image=http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/roadbuster_transformers3.jpg]
[image=http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/leadfoot_transformers3.jpg]
[image=http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/topspin_transformers3.jpg]
I wish they would have been in the second one instead of the Twins.

 

Another disappointment for me was the score. The last two films had phenomenal scores. I own, and listen all the time to, both. This one didn't have as many great themes, though the "Battle" track is great. But during the highway chase it was played in, it got really repetitive and kind of spoiled it. Still, I'm buying it, completing my collection.

Slimy!

 

I don't know why. I thought this was the best movie, but I didn't like it. I thought the ending was rather rushed, seeing as Starscream, Megatron and Sentinel Prime died I thought I could've watched that two minute part and have been happy. And I hated how it seemed this movie didn't end, it just stopped. There was absolutely no wrapup. Could've really used that.

Why was shockwave barely in it if he was all over the posters?

Basically, this would've been a decent 90 minute movie. Too bad it ran a whole other hour.

 

One could make the argument that Optimus Prime is the only real interpretation while the rest are nothing but robots with names stolen from a popular 80's cartoon series.

 

Listen to the music used in the wingsuit jump scene....sound familiar?

Michael Bay thought he was being clever by trying to hide the Sentinel Prime twist.

 

I would've rather had Shockwave as the villain than them basically just redoing the Fallen plot from the last movie.

 

That's what everyone was expecting; Shockwave would deem Megatron as incompetent as leader, so he decides to replace him. The entire plot would have made more sense that way.
Shockwave has no emotions or ambtions...he simply does what needs to be done to ensure survival of his race.

 

Shockwave was a wasted character just like The Fallen. Why didn't he continue blasting away at Optimus while he was entangled by those cables in that one scene in the Chicago climax? Prime was a sitting duck.

On a positive note about the movie, I took pictures of Prime's truck and BBee's Camaro at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood today

[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/main_Arclight_DOTM02.jpg]

[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/main_Arclight_DOTM06.jpg]