I really can't review the movie objectively b/c my thoughts and feelings about the old cartoon show vs how would it be if it was done as live action/cgi in real life.
I will say this, to do this concept as a live action movie the robots are dead on IMHO. The action is trademark Michael Bay intense. However, the only "real" acting in the movie was done by Shia and he did well.
Plot:
Ok, there is thing called the All Spark ( if you halfway remember the old animated movie or anything from the show this is not the same thing as what Optimus pass onto Ultra Magnus) taht cause conflict on Cybertron between the Autobots and Decepticons. It got lost and found its way to Earth. Megatron did find it but was caught and frozen b/c he crash landed in the Arctic cirlce. Sam Witwicky's great uncle found the location of it...and the government took over hiding it from everyone. Autobots and Decpeticons have been looking for it forever...and they have now found it. The All spark it appears can transfer any machine into a transforamble robot. Megatron wants to to use this power to conquer Earth, OPtimus wants to use it to stop Megatron.
Basically hte movie takes you through how Sam's great uncle find hte all spark, what the Decepticons do to find it and get it back, how the Autobots find it and hte decepticons, how hte autobots send in reinforcements, how the Army's hiding of the cube and Megatron is realted to how out civilastion has blossomed technologically from what they learned off Megatrons frozen shell.
ITs a passable story line and GREAT ACTION.
Honestly this movie is about what I expected if they ever did this a live action movie...its pretty good.
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Just some thoughts about the movie in general.
Acting:
Shia: good
Anthony Anderson: comic releif..some funny lines but really used is a big way
Tyrese: hunk draw for chicks ..military guy that is part of the first decepticon attack...and helps lead the army at the end of the movie. Not really asked to act--just shoot guns
Jon Voight: operator of the CIA basically..trying to disceminate what is going on with all these hacks into military databases. acting: passable for role
Noone else realy does "acting"
The robots:
Ok the setup in this movie is that Autobots and Decepticons can adapt to whatever vehicle they want by scanning it. The transforamtions look pretty real...and probabbly be more impressive in slo-mo.
They did do the mouths thing instead of face sheilds.... its plausible b/c in the cartoon some had mouths.. and mouths on Robots in a live action movie can only be done so well.
The deal on Bumblebee not being a Beetle. For whatever reason he chose the beater Camaro, then when Sam's new gf disses the car he sees the NEW '08 Camaro and morphs into that. Its kind of funny that next to him at he used car shop is a yellow Beetle that he hits.
Voices:
Well Optimus sounds older but good.
Weaving as Megatron is pretty good but Megatron doesn't talk a whole lot but has a good one liner.
Starscream: has a simillar voice to the old cartoon--acceptable IMHO.
*Yes he and Megatron still go at it!
Jazz has the urban culture cool voice...
Ratchet and Iron Hide ok voices...nothing really special.
JMO of some vehicle choices:
Jazz as a Slostice: I still can't understand why Porsche couldn't hook bay up for this movie ...but how Jazz chooses the Soltice is cool.
Iron Hide as a GMC semi truck: Ok.... He couldn't be a van like in the old cartoon... this new vehicle fits his personality.... I'm cool with it.
Optimus in flames: honestly it was't that bad. They don't focus the camera on his flames so it doesn't stand out in a bad way.
Bumblebee as a Camaro: I still think he should have been a Beetle but as a Camaro it was ok... but the NEW Camaro looks like a freakin Mustang rip off IMO.
Blackout as a helipopcter: bad ass "."
Barricade as a Saleen Mustang Police car: Bad ass"." and I love the small attention to detail like "to protect and inslave" on the side... also has a Decepticon logo as well.
Scopronok as a metallic scorpion: Pretty cool...very viscious Doesn't go into robot mode though....
The two Military Vehicle Decepticons were pretty sweet as well.
Megatron is a spaceship: Pretty cool... he couldn't be the hand gun OR the mobile cannon( as Galvatron) so this was a necesary choice.
Barricade's logo said, "to punish and enslave". Nothing about protection involved there (unless he's in a BDSM relationship, which I really wouldn't want to discuss or think about).
The movie kicked some arse, however. There were a few holes, but I wasn't expecting Shakespeare so I let it slide.
Sophandros Wrote:Barricade's logo said, "to punish and enslave". Nothing about protection involved there (unless he's in a BDSM relationship, which I really wouldn't want to discuss or think about).
The movie kicked some arse, however. There were a few holes, but I wasn't expecting Shakespeare so I let it slide.
yeah..probabbly I picked up on the wording right before he truned to where I couldn't read it.
Laettners Legacy Wrote:one preview was in NY, a big explosion. the Statue of Liberty's head goes flying. comes out in Jan. never said the name. know what the name is?
It's untitled at this point. From the Producer/Creator of Lost and Alias J.J. Abrams.
So, I saw Transformers tonight 
