Transformers Age of Extinction

Sad Professor wrote: »

I assume "reboot" in this instance means that Shia doesn't want to do it.

Or he wants more money

I nearly choked on my coffee when I read reports about a 'reboot'.

2007 was the first. Is Hollywood really that hard-pressed for ideas?

nummnutts wrote: »

I nearly choked on my coffee when I read reports about a 'reboot'.

2007 was the first. Is Hollywood really that hard-pressed for ideas?

My understanding is that the term "reboot" was used erroneously in this instance; it'll be a continuation of the last movies just with a focus on a different cast. I really think that - despite the money he's made from it - Bay secretly hates or just has no idea what to do with the franchise. I'd love to see someone else take a shot at transformers.

you know i was secretly hoping hasbro were doing that "battleship" film to get a new team up to speed to do another TF film without bay as thats pretty much what it was looking like.

im not a bay hater, his stuff is undeniably beautiful to look at, but the bloke is done on this franchise and he's let far too many of his failings come to the fore in them so its mental that hes doing a "reboot" of his own work.

not entirely surprising though as he pretty much killed every bad guy in the last one making any further film a fecking nightmare of highlander proportions. theres nobody left for the bots to fight from the villains pantheon without getting into the really obscure stuff and TBH im kinda terrifed of what bay could do to bludgeon or overlord.

i agree that bird would be a good choice.

a talent capable of pulling off the film, but not so high up the directors scale that he's a rampant ego. i loved what he did with mission impossible - and im not a fan of that series - and his track record on the iron giant and the incredibles shows he gets how to portray pathos and the fantastic without decending into farce.

jesus if we could get a TF film with that level of emotion i'd probably die in the cinema.

but were getting more bay.

will i go ?

yeah. for the same reason batman fans went to see all the burtonesque offerings. its the only game in town for TF action. im sure there'll be stuff in it ill LOVE too.

but i know were not gonna get anything of any real passion (unless bay gets an almighty kick up the arse from speilberg - which i dont expect) and will get more enjoyment out of watching it on DVD when i can skip past the bayisms off ass shots and moronic "characterisation".

sigh.

least its funding stuff like the new games. now THATs transformers.

Sad Professor wrote: »

I assume "reboot" in this instance means that Shia doesn't want to do it.

I just figured he spelt robot wrong.
Or has adopted a Canadian accent.

Sindri wrote: »

I was thinking of writing my own Transformers screen play. A page of dialogue and the rest taking up by 2 hours of robotic acrobatics.:D

But seriously, I think a great opening to a film would be the transformers episode called War Dawn where the aerialbots accidentally get transported back in time and meet Optimus before he was Optimus and his name was Orion Pax and he's in awe of Megatron. Megatron destroys him and Sentinel rebuilds him as Optimus. Nimoy gets a cameo and we get to see the beginnings of the relationship between Megatron and Optimus.

The thing about Transformers is the potential it has for great philosophical dialogue. Optimus is basically a philosopher warrior, he has the potential for some great lines and insight into humanity as sort of an anthropologist. With his antithesis, Megatron, we should see them almost debating the merits of Good and Evil, right and wrong, morality, mortality and life.

What we do see is terrible dialogue where they declare their intention and motivation in a 20 second window to 'beat each other up' that appears to have been written by a 10 year old. The potential it had:(

That sounds even worse than a Michael Bay-directed Transformers.

Just pare it down to just the robots by minimizing human characters and you've got a serviceable action film, but don't wedge in cack-handed philosophy 101 lessons. There's a place for deep thought and reflection in film and it certainly isn't in a film about a transforming lorry cab and his evil tank-based nemesis.

Sindri wrote: »

Yeah pare it down to the robots, but the movie should be more than an action movie. That's where it went wrong beforehand. The wider themes of it should be about the questions that arise from having millions of year old alien robots who've seen half the cosmos. There's the opportunity for some great imagery and metaphors. I mean what do these ancient beings think about humans? You can use them and Cybertron as an analogy against us and Earth. Optimus as a leader against a human leader. Transformers as an analogy against humans. I mean I'd think the opportunity for that, would be apparent to any half decent director. That's how you make a quality movie.

That done with Transformers would end up closer to Ultraviolet than The Dark Knight. Their poster child should be Die Hard, not Plato's mechanical step-son.

Dr. Kermode has heard the news. He is not pleased. :cool:

Yeah the Marvel/DC route is the way to go. Make good (but mainstream appealing) live action films for the masses and make quality animated ones for the fans. There's room for both.

an Orion Pax storyline... As dier-harder TF fans have pointed out, Bay didn't even understand the characters he was using in the first 3 movies, you really think he would fare better with Orion Pax?

I mean, I read TF: Autocracy, and Loved it (along with the alongside Megatron miniseries) but Bay would never do that on screen. Nothing near.

At best, Bay would try the Cybertron War and fail woefully.

No you had better just cross your fingers he just makes Megatron 'respawn' as Galvatron, do the Unicron thing, and leave it the hell alone after that.

Keno 92 wrote: »

Mark Wahlberg confirmed.

"Oh hey Transfooormaa, how you doin'?"

Wahlberg's already working on a suitable theme song for Transformers.

A major issue with the whole serious is that for most of us, we adored the Transformers in the 80's are kids.

So now, we are all in our mid-late twenties. And we just expect a little bit more now then before.

These films while targetted broadly, are obviously gunning for the young generation of today, hence why there is **** all concern giving to certain actions and the likes, because a child is simply not going to dwell on it. They will freak out in excitement when Optimus rips of a Decepticons head, rather then let him go, it makes more sense for a child.

I still regularly ( well every so often) watch the Original 80's animated movie. And its weird that I enjoy it so much more then the new ones. And that includes the dancing on the junk planet!

Keno 92 wrote: »

Mark Wahlberg confirmed.

"Oh hey Transfooormaa, how you doin'?"

Michael Bay quote

"Mark is awesome. We had a blast working on Pain and Gain and I'm so fired up to be back working with him. An actor of his caliber is the perfect
guy to re-invigorate the franchise and carry on the Transformers'
legacy."