TRANSFORMERS NEWS!

[gr689]

Take a look at this http://www.d13satellite.com/donmurphy/showthread.php?s=8f107d79f2d06cb352a2f2562911f2e0& threadid=4993

[easy D]

Well, hey. This little site is starting to get popular, isn't it?

I have no idea what's going on, though.

[FireStormTrooper]

from www.iesb.net
Date: October 17, 2005

Source: IESB
Exclusive Interviews: Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman on Zorro and The Transformers

Now that Zorro has hit the big screen and Mission Impossible 3 is filming, writing duo Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are working on their next project the live action Transformers movie. The original Transformers animated movie included the death of Optimus Prime. Will this happen again? Alex responded by saying they are pretty sure he is not going to die in this one, but Roberto jokingly said but who knows, anything can happen.

Of course we had to dig deeper!

Here is a quick transcript of some of the questions...

Q: So Megatron, tank or gun?

A: We are handling everything like a Supreme Court. We are taking everything in from the fans and taking it under judicial review. Treating every decision like it's law. I don't know how we can do it without making Megatron a tank...that's probably how where we're going to end up.

Q: So are you thinking Generation 1, Generation 2? Mixture of both?

A: A mixture actually, there will be a lot of G1 but also some new characters that people have never seen before.

Q: So there will be new characters.

A: Yes.

Q: Michael Bay is still attached, how much influence is he having?

A: A lot, its a really great group ...everyone loves the franchise, loves the universe, we want to make a great movie

Q: Don Murphy wants the original voiceover actors is that something you guys have in mind?

A: We've been writing it with them in mind because since we we're fans that's the voices we have in our heads...I think its going to ultimately be up to Michael

Q: Will we see the homeworld (Cybertron)?

A: We are talking about that we would love to do that...

Q: How is the script coming along?

A: Really well

Q: So when will you think Michael Bay is going to start doing this thing?

A: We are working with Michael very closely right now on the movie and so far everyone is really happy with what we're doing so knock on wood ...

Bring on July 4th, 2007! :mrgreen:

[Pod]

Wow this sounds to get better and better!

Now to choose...See FF2 or Transformers? Hmm...how about...BOTH! :wink: 8) :shock:

[Wolfsfang]

This movie is going to rock. After all if they can do this http://www.funny-city.com/videos/citroen_c4.shtml for just an advert imagine what they will do for a whole movie.

[FireStormTrooper]

Transformers I would want to see in the new movie

Top 10 AUTOBOTS

Optimus Prime
Ultra Magnus
Hot Rod
Bumblebee
Prowl
Kup
Blurr
Jazz
Grimlock
Omega Supreme

TOP 10 DECEPTICONS

Megatron
Shockwave
StarScream
Rumble
Soundwave
LaserBeak
Ravage
Cyclonus
Scourge
Devastator (Not Constructicons)

Please No ...

Hot Rod becoming Rodimus Prime
Megatron becoming Galvatron
Metroplex (too big)
Trypticon (too big)
Unicron ... at all (Wayyyyy too big)
Cybertron transforming into Primus form

Save them for a possible sequel

[Pod]

Looking at that list I now realize how much of Transformers I don't know about...Kinda sucks. :cry: ...well the film still looks to be a good one.

[FireStormTrooper]

originally posted by bearpod91:
Looking at that list I now realize how much of Transformers I don't know about...Kinda sucks. ...well the film still looks to be a good one.

Hey, don't worry about it. Just pop on over to Blockbuster (or Netflix if you don't use your local video stores anymore) and rent/buy the animated TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (1986). All of the autobots (except Omega Supreme) and all the Decepticons that I listed, as well as the awesome Unicron, each put in an appearance in it.

[FireStormTrooper]

from www.cinemablend.com
Reform Transformers
By Stuart Wood: 2005-11-08

We were all crazy-nuts when the Transformers movie was announced. There are very few twenty-something guys out there who can't admit to being a little geeked out by the prospect of the biggest cartoon of the 80s coming to the big screen in live-action format. We were even more geeked when we learned that the movie would be based on the original series and not the ultra-crappy slew of updates and remakes that Fox and Saban have churned out over the last 10 years.

Then producers announced Megatron would be a tank.

Now, while part of me can see where the makers are coming from, that a hulking 30ft robot can't practically turn into a handheld gun, even a Transformer-sized one, I was disappointed. But I kinda put it behind me under some misguided geek premise that, well, in the show Megatron became Galvatron who was just a giant mobile cannon anyway.

Unfortunately, this seems to have set someone's cogs turning far too much, and now according to AskMen.com increasing numbers of supposed "G1" characters are becoming victims of "reimagination" into something far more sensible and practical... and a whole lot less like G1.

So far, the changes include:

Soundwave [G1 - Cassette Desk] who played the role of spy with his cassette Transformers will now inexplicably become a helicopter?!?!?

Ratchet [G1 - Ambulance] the repairman and essentially "doctor" to injured Transformers will now become a firetruck?!?!?

Jazz [G1 - Martini Porche 935] will become some other generic sportscar - presumably because Porsche won't allow licencing of Jazz's original form.

Arcee [G1 - Cybertronian Car] will become a motorcycle (which she does in, surprise, the crappy 2004 "Transformers: Energon" remake!)

How can any of these changes listed above possibly reflect even the robot-form image of the G1 characters? Thankfully it's not all bad. Producers are at least fighting to secure some agreements with certain car brands to allow some characters to retain their original form, for example Bumblebee is to remain a Volkswagen.

But it's sounding like the movie is starting to bend to pressure from somewhere to conform to a modern Transformers audience instead of the nostalgia audience which would make up their core repeat-viewing audience. They need to realize that this is a potential FAMILY movie, not just a kids movie. Make a movie for all those guys who grew up with Transformers, many of whom now have their own kids that they can take to see the movie together, not a movie to substitute as a creche for soccer moms who need to dump their kids while they go to the salon.

The one saving grace I guess - At least they didn't hook up a product-placement deal with Apple and have Soundwave turn into an iPod.

Wow. I'm glad they're at least sticking to the G1 characters, even if they are changing their non-robot forms. I don't see the big deal. I always hated the whole "size-changing" angle of the Decepticons anyway. Soundwave as a cassette deck today?? This is 2005, not 1985. Outdated. Although I would have chosen something other than a helicopter for Soundwave ... what're Rumble, Ravage and Lazerbeak (if they're even in this) going to be? Missiles instead of cassette tapes?

[easy D]

Man, I don't know. Soundwave was one of my favorites, and now he's not going to a giant boombox? Just some helicopter? You know, I could understand them changing Megatron from a gun to a tank, but still I'd rather see Soundwave into a giant tape deck spitting out Ravage and Lazerbeak.

[Pod]

I'm still wondering if they'll make it look realistic or not. It's hard to believe those giant robots are talking to the humans and all...Well King Kong looks perfect, maybe they'll work too.

On the villians and characters: I like the variety...Interesting characters :D

[FireStormTrooper]

Has anyone seen the official TRANSFORMERS teaser poster?

Any idea whose eye that's supposed to belong to? I'd say Megatron, though that would make his color scheme different from what I'd expect.

Whatever. It's still Very Cool. Glad they didn't just slap a jazzed-up Autobot or Decepticon insignia and leave it at that.

I heard Tyrese Gibson (FOUR BROTHERS, ANNAPOLIS) is one of the human actors in this flick, a soldier of some kind.

Anyone heard anything about who is doing the voices?

Hope Optimus sounds like Optimus and not George Clooney or whomever.

[darth_paul]

[quote]Take a look at this http://www.d13satellite.com/donmurphy/showthread.php?s=8f107d79f2d06cb352a2f2562911f2e0& threadid=4993[quote]

I didn't click the link to see which tread the above is, because it's probably an old one, but the Don Murphy message board has been one that I have been frequenting very much as of late because I am a HUGE TRANSFAN! Even though there is a lot of confusing crap on that site, it's the only place to get any "real" information about the movie because Don Murphy is one of the producers. I say "real" because everything right now is still speculation, but the rumors floating around are pretty consistant and seem to match up with some of the production photos released so you can basically wade through all the garbage and get some idea of what the movie will actually be… which is "G1" as far as names and ideas go, but everything else Transformers (i.e. other series) as far as execution goes.

As for the poster, there's a thread on the DM board titled "The Eye" and it shows that it's an Autobot logo. Plus, I'm not even sure that it's "official" b/c someone lightened and cleaned it up to show what it was on that thread and unless they work for the production co., and I don't think they do, then that just means that it's just some over zealous fan posting some spiffy artwork. Until I actually see said poster in a movie theather then I'll believe that it's the real thing. Has anyone seen this in a theater? Well, either way, the poster is half an Autobot logo over the earth, and not any particular TF, although I thought Megatron as well at first until I saw the clean ups.

If anyone is more interested in this movie I urge you to join in the fun at the DM boards. I'm having a blast with it just talking TF's and speculating on not just the movie, but all sorts of non-movie TF stuff. I'm there under the same sn "darth_paul" if you care to look up any of my musings. :D

[Pod]

That poster was very cool for a teaser. I like the eye's combination of looking so real much so mechanic as well. Good start, it really says they're going all out for this movie.

[The Xenos]

Here's an odd bit of news that has some fans worried:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6152589.html

reports from the Web are any indication, the upcoming Transformers movie is taking a few liberties with the classic toys to give it a modern feel. (Editor's note: Possible spoilers ahead--read with caution.)

Bumblebee, known classically as a yellow Volkswagen Beetle, is being supped-up as a canary-colored Camaro. Megatron, the Decepticon leader who transformed into a powerful gun, may take the alternate form of an alien ship in the movie. And Soundwave, everyone's favorite boombox, may be scrapped in favor of the CD-slinging Soundbyte.

Robert Sanchez, editor of The Movie Reporter, a Web site that covers entertainment, claims to have gotten his hands on the film's script and reveals a few more new Transformers that may make it into the movie.

"I almost forgot to mention one of the most stupid scenes in the script," he writes on the site. "For reasons that I won't get into, we see an iPod, Xbox 360, and plasma screens sprout legs and transform just a bit." It's unclear whether the Xbox 360 Transformer is an Autobot or Decepticon.

For more information on the movie, check out the film's teaser Web site, which went live today. Activision is currently developing Transformers games for unspecified consoles and handhelds.

[FireStormTrooper]

I kinda expected some kind of throwaway gimmick like ipods and xboxes transforming. It's product placement, nothing more than a running gag (if its true). Like it's bad enough we pay to watch non-trailer commercials in theaters as it is :evil:

Anyway, even if they don't get the original voice-over actors, they should get voice actors that sound a whole like them. Optimus's voice, well it's very unique and you know when you're hearing it.

FUN FACT: I'm 99% sure that the voice actor for Optimus Prime in TRANSFORMERS was also the galaxy alliance commander in VOLTRON (The Cars one, not the Lions). Any other Gen-Xers know what I'm talking about?

[darth_paul]

Yes, I checked it out at IMDB.com (love it or hate it) and there it says that Peter Cullen, the original and best ever definative OP, did the following voices on both Voltrons lions and vehicles:

King Alfor/Commander Hawkins/Coran/Narrator

[Pod]

Did I just friggin read that Megatron will turn into a gun!?!?!?!?!! :x

[effektdmentality]

oh heck no!!! :x no gun for Megatron please!! i wanna see full on tank vs trailer truck action!!!! :D

[Znluvx]

I can live with Megatron as a tank, but Bubblebee NOT being a VW bug?

That's just wrong!

[WonderWomanGoddess]

I can live with Megatron as a tank, but Bubblebee NOT being a VW bug?

That's just wrong!

Amen, brother!

[FireStormTrooper]

from the www.wikipedia.com entry for "Transformers movie 2007"

Autobots
Optimus Prime as a Freightliner cargo truck.
Ratchet as an ambulance.
Ironhide as a pickup truck.
Bumblebee as a 1970s Camaro (upgraded to a 2006 Camaro concept later in the film).
Jazz as an exotic Lamborghini Murciélago.

Decepticons
Megatron as an alien jet.
Vortex as a MH-53 PAV Special Ops Helicopter.
Scorponok as a mechanical scorpion and minion of Vortex/Incinerator.
Starscream as an F-22 Raptor.
Soundwave as a four-foot boombox.
Devastator as an M1 Abrams tank.
Bonecrusher (Transformers) as a mine-clearing vehicle.
Brawl as a 2006 Ford Mustang Police Car.

I hope this is either not completely correct or still in flux. Optimus and Ratchet are the same, Ironhide makes sense, Jazz is fine, but Bumblebee has to be a VW ... unless VW isn't cooperating with the movie crew.

Never heard of Vortex, Scorponok is terrible, Starscream makes sense, Soundwave makes sense (if this was still 1986), Devastator's alright, Bonecrusher and Brawl are irrelevant, but Megatron should be a tank or a gun, nothing else.

Here's hoping they at least get Peter Cullen to re-voice Optimus.

[darth_paul]

I haven't checked the Don Murphy message board in a few days, so I'm not sure of any new developments, the rumors change daily, hard to keep up with it. However, BB isn't a VW bug b/c VW supposedly had a serious problem with his character way back in the 80's due to the idea of them being "war toys" and they don't want their name associated with anything like that anymore even if it is a huge marketing plus for them to have that character be one of their cars. Porshe also won't allow Jazz to be his classic car mode b/c of design issues that the company didn't like in the original toy and they don't think that anything better can be made so they just said no. As for the rest, it's mostly more licensing issues so they'll all be American cars instead of a mix of international cars like it was originally.

[WonderWomanGoddess]

Whoa, that's an interesting thing to know, about VW's reasons I mean. I wondered what in the heck would keep them from such a marketing gem. Sigh....stupid anti violence toys movement! It ruins all kinds of things!

You know when I was a kid, I could walk into any store with toys and find like whole row of guns and swords...all kinds. Old western ones, futuristic blasters, modern looking ones, fantasy, all of it! I remember when I was pretty young I bought one gun that said 'real laser action!' and I as SO disapointed when I got home...turned out what expected to be like a laser pointer typet thing, was actually a little red christmas light bulb in the tip of the gun. But my point is, now it's killer to find any cool gun or sword toys! :evil:

But if that's VW's reason, I doubt they'll change their mind. So said...but a camero? If you can't have a bug, they should go with some other cutesy gimmicky car...I dunno, (don't fry me!) maybe a mini cooper, a pt cruiser...even on of those boxy cars by uh scion? or something?

[DS]

Whoa, that's an interesting thing to know, about VW's reasons I mean. I wondered what in the heck would keep them from such a marketing gem. Sigh....stupid anti violence toys movement! It ruins all kinds of things!

Actually, it has more to do with Hitler's creating the Volkswagen back during WWII and the company now being overly-sensitive to anything remotely suggesting that they approve of their vehicles being used in any type of war situation. Even if it's a fantasy war between giant robots and the VW Bug is one of the good guys!

[Cake]

i heard b-bee was gonna be a 2006 camaro is what i heard.

[WonderWomanGoddess]

That's interesting, DS, and I guess it solidifies VW not giving in...I'm liking my mini cooper idea more and more.

[effektdmentality]

me too, wwg. i think b-bee should be a cutesy type car like the beetle or mini cooper. it just seems to add that variety and texture to the big, meaty other autobots like prime. i mean, c'mon, he's a trailer truck for pete's sake! how much more midwestern manly man can you get? a mini would provide a visual contrast.

[darth_paul]

Bumble' is going to be a 2008 Camaro which while now still a "concept car" will be the model in stores once the movie premiers in 2007. He will actually start out as a '69 Camaro I think, but get the upgrade to the modern version sometime in the course of the movie. It hasn't been confirmed as of yet, and it may never be and we'll have to watch the film and see, but I believe that this treatment is something along the lines of his getting the upgrade to "Goldbug". (As to whether or not they go with calling him Goldbug after the upgrade is unknown, but the idea is at least consistant to what's gone before.) Also, the Camero is basically all wrong for the character, but if you've seen the photos the car is gold and black so it at least invokes a similarity to the character even if it is the wrong type of car.

[WonderWomanGoddess]

Yeah I know Bumblebee is supposed to be a camero as of now, but it's still early and it could change, I hope. They could easily make another transformer into a camero, even Hot Rod as long he doesn't become Rodimus Prime. I doubt the marketing dept. of the Camero would care/know the difference.

I still think a cutsey car like the mini would be a great bumblebee and more in keeping with the spirit of the original...and like effekted said, makes a great contrast...remember all those times in the cartoon bumblebee's small size came in handy?

And we know already mini cooper is good to go with movie tie ins, deals etc. I say gimme a black and yellow mini and I'm sold! (on that part)

[darth_paul]

I don't think that it's still too early for changes. The news on the official DM board from Murphy himself back in April was that the cars are already built and that the script is pretty much finalized. So they are already going into production with this movie and using what's been shown. The only things that aren't for certian are what names are going to be used with what vehicles already slated to be used. What's for sure is this: (as far as the vehicles go, the names could still end up being different, but I am using the names that are supposedly "codewords" for "actual characters appearing")

Autobots:

Old '69 Camero/New 2008 Camero = Bumblebee?
Pickup Truck = Ironhide?
Blue Longnosed Cab Semi Truck or Old (1950's?) Airport Fire Truck = Optimus Prime?
Abulance or Fire Truck = Ratchet?
Mustang? = Jazz or Wheeljack?

Decpticons:

Tank(s) = Devastator or Megatron? (Devastator & Megatron?)
F22 Raptor = Starscream? (Lifted from current "Infiltration" comics series)
Cybertronian Jet? = Megatron?
Evil Black Police Car(s) = Brawl? (Some contention over this guys name or if there is even only one and actually not 2 of them. Another name being thrown around for this car is "Barricade" as if it were a new character. If there are 2 cars some are saying "Runnabout" & "Runamuck" or even "Dead End" and "Wildrider")
CD Player, Tape Deck, Ipod, something-or-other = Soundwave? (a Rumble or Frenzy sized SW at that :roll: )
Helecopter = Also rumored to be Soundwave or possibly Vortex.
Mine Sweeper Vehicle = Bonecrusher? (This one actually has a logo emblazoned on the side of a bulldog that says "Bonecrusher", and it's just like the logos that military battalions, etc. put on their planes and tanks.)
Scorponok = Supposedly they are changing him from the gigantic Decepticon Headmaster leader with the scorpion/city/base modes and turning him into a cassette/mini-con type support character that the other 'Cons just carry around all folded up and then he transforms into scorpion-mode to attack and cause destruction.

So, you see there are many liberties being taken with the mythos provided that all the above is true. Like I said, the names & characters are the only things that aren't completely set in stone, but the vehicles/alt-modes are supposedly done and all they have to do is the computer animation for the robots and assign voices etc. to attach actual characters to these things that they've already built. We all won't know for sure until the preview trailer gets released and that's if they show us much at all in that.

[FireStormTrooper]

Anyone heard anything if the Matrix will play any sort of role in the movie? I've always been conflicted about that plot device ... seemed to be too magical for a saga about robots ....



Who do you got winning opening weekend July 4th 2007? TF1 or FF2?

I say TRANSFORMERS beats out FANTASTIC FOUR 2. :D

[darth_paul]

The basic plot of the movie revolves around the Autobots and Decepticons searcing for an Energon Cube, not cubes (plural) as was the case with the original 'toon on how they converted energy to powe themselves, but singular as if it were one giant energy device that could power all of them and give them life. A lot of fans are upset by this because it's basically twisting the ideas of the Matrix and the Key to Vector Sigma into something that was never intended to be either object. So, therefore unless they use the Matrix as just a powerful object that is a symbol of leadership among the Autobots and not as the "creation matrix" like it was in the Marvel comics then, no the Matrix probably won't be in the movie, because this unpopular "super energon cube" idea is what the movie makers are probably going with.

[Pod]

Who do you got winning opening weekend July 4th 2007? TF1 or FF2?

I say TRANSFORMERS beats out FANTASTIC FOUR 2. :D

Yeah I think you may be right about that. But I also think it's a bit too early to say. Come on, there aren't even any teaser trailers out of those two movies.

[Cake]

anybody know what happened to the transformerslive board? Now when i go in turns into the official movie site...

[Pod]

Bumblebee. (http://www.aintitcool.com/images2006/bumble.jpg) :shock:

EDIT: Pic was removed so I'll try to find it. If anyone has another link I guess you should post it.

[Cake]

thanks for the pic 'Pod. the creative process behind this movie is AMAZING. love the pic of Bumblebee!

[darth_paul]

'Pod, I clicked your link but it didn't work. Were you trying to show us the pic of the actual robot Bumblebee that they built? If so, I've seen it at DM.net and yes it is quite impressive. I never knew that they were going to go that much all out for this thing. I just thought it was going to be all cgi for this, but now they've shown us that they are actually building in not only the cars/vehicles, but also the robots! :shock: Freakin' A!

As for the Transfomerslive board, I think that they took it down in favor of just having a movie promo site. DM.net has all the info. anyway since Don Murphy is a producer and all, but it's getting overcrowed and they won't be accepting any more new members after 7/7/06 when the first teaser trailer goes into theaters with the release of Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest. I want to see the new Pirates, but know that I won't be going to the theater on day one to see both the movie and the TF teaser. So, I'll probably be looking for the TF teaser online somewhere. I hope it's good. :D

[Pod]

'Pod, I clicked your link but it didn't work. Were you trying to show us the pic of the actual robot Bumblebee that they built? If so, I've seen it at DM.net and yes it is quite impressive. I never knew that they were going to go that much all out for this thing. I just thought it was going to be all cgi for this, but now they've shown us that they are actually building in not only the cars/vehicles, but also the robots! :shock: Freakin' A!

Yeah, that's the pic. Maybe try refreshing the page I guess. But as for the pic, yeah it's really suprising that so much work is going into these robots. I know they said they're making it half real/half CG but this is alot of detail for just one character! :shock: I can't wait for a optimus prime pic.

[FireStormTrooper]

Does anyone know when the 20th Anniversary edition of TRANSFORMERS THE MOVIE will be released on DVD? Has to be some time this year as the movie came out in 1986. Anyone know what special features are going to be included?

[darth_paul]

Actually, your link probably won't work anymore unfortunately because Don Murphy's in an uproar now over illegally leaked photos such as this being all over the internet and he's going on kind of a crusade/rampage treatening legal action against all sites that post this this stuff if they don't take them down after his request. Most have complied, but there is one set of guys who have a site called, "transformersthemove.com" as opposed to the offical "transformersmovie.com" registered by Dreamworks. These guys are running advertising on their site and while they do have a disclaimer they are making money off pretending to be the real site when they are not. DM.net isn't affiliated with either site, but it's still somewhat official and since Murphy is a producer, it's really probably the only place that anyone will be able to see pics like this after they are illegally leaked. Even still though, the teaser trailer is the next big reveal so here's hoping we see more in that. :)

[FireStormTrooper]

Checked out the TRANSFORMERS teaser trailer on their website.

Spoilers! *********************





Initial reaction: they haven't finished any of the CGI yet. You see the barest shadow of a transformer (autobot? decepticon?) destroying a Martian probe. It's a teaser, so you shouldn't expect to see much anyway, but compared to the SPIDER-MAN 3 teaser (a perfect 10 ... did they complete filming already ... is it technically even a teaser anymore?) or even the SUPERMAN RETURNS teaser from last fall (a more mundane 6 out of 10). This was ... a 3 out of 10. Could've been done much better. In fact, the flash intro to the website (w/ sound) was actually more impressive than the actual teaser. That's not right.

[Cake]

i liked the teaser because it DID tease.

so who do yall think was wrecking the rover? mega?

[Pod]

Just saw the teaser. Very very good tease I think. It's wierd to see them on Mars though but I'm not an expert on the Transformers so I don't know what's right and wrong.

My favorite part of the whole thing was when the letters transformed. That was really cool.

[darth_paul]

There is a lot of contention on who the 'bot trashing the probe is, but a guy on the DM message board broke it down into 4 frames and while it is still a blurry image it really does look very much like Megatron. There are a lot of rumors going around that this won't be very G1 at all, with what I've stated before with new alt-modes and such, but the robot that looked like Megatron in the teaser looked very much to me like the original gun-mode Megatron! It doesn't mean that that's how they are going to render him in the final version for the film, but it makes one hope that it will be more classic G1 than they are letting on and that much of these rumors are just to F**K with us until we see how it is really going to be. God, I hope so. Even if Megs isn't a gun, but really a tank/jet/car whatever at least I hope that he's along the lines of the "Alternators" and at least very G1 reminisent, and that goes for the rest of the charaters too. The Bumblebee pic seems to show that they will be and that eases a lot of my fears.

[Cake]

i also read on Michael Bay's blog that there won't be any Mars footage.

remember that this was just the teaser and they arent even halfway through production....

[FireStormTrooper]

Seriously, I would have been 10x more impressed if they just showed a 15-second graphic of a single ordinary vehicle transforming into an autobot and then close with the tranforming logo. That would have been better than the 1+ min long teaser that had nothing to do with the movie.

[imported_Robbo]

Does C2F need a Transformers forum?

If so, would anyone want to moderate...

[Pod]

Does C2F need a Transformers forum?

If so, would anyone want to moderate...

I think it's too early but I would want to mod it. Sounds cool. :D

And from seeing the teaser on the big screen, I think it was great to get people pumped up for it. They can't show to much for a teaser...well not counting Spidey 3.

[Pod]

Anyone else heard about this picture being released that shows the real Optimus Prime truck version? Well it's kinda wierd to see Optimus with flames but here's the pic if you can see it.

EDIT: Ugh, is it me or are all the Transformer pics getting cut from the internet right away? Damn...Well, sorry.

[WonderWomanGoddess]

aww, it's broken, I can't see it!

[easy D]

Where did you find that at?

Cause it's just as easy to take a pic of a semi driving by and say it's Optimus Prime.

Well, I doubt it's really him. Optimus has a flat front as a truck. If he were to transform from that, it'd probably look like he has a belly.

[Pod]

AICN is the source of the pic...which I have found once again.

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/9939/realoptimustruck0ux.jpg

These Transformers pics are really those hard to hold on to material. :shock:

[WonderWomanGoddess]

Uh....you do know how many times AICN's is wrong don't you?

The garbage man can send them a pic he found and they'll post it as credible 'leaked' images. They've posts images from our gallery as production leaks more than once...they never verify anything.

I'd wait for a better source, or for it to pop up like all over the place or something...and even then...hmm, not impressed. Like he said, could be any semi just driving down any road...Optimus with flames...meh. I'm ambivalent.

[The Xenos]

AICN, the internet movie news version of throwing spagetti on the wall.

[darth_paul]

Anyone else heard about this picture being released that shows the real Optimus Prime truck version? Well it's kinda wierd to see Optimus with flames but here's the pic if you can see it.

EDIT: Ugh, is it me or are all the Transformer pics getting cut from the internet right away? Damn...Well, sorry.

1.) Yes, all leaked pics are being cut from the internet right away 'Pod. Don Murphy the producer is very serious about that and is having the Paramount legal dept. immediately go after any and all non-official movie news sites that post anything they didn't approve, which as of right now is basically nothing. So, anything that we have seen so far have been illegal leaks by someone in the production crew. There is a huge 45+ page thread about this supposed "Prime" image on Don's own message board www.donmurphy.net and the regulars over there are not pleased to put it mildly. [Where'd you get the picture though? I haven't even been able to find it at Don's official site.]

2.) If you need a TF moderator, and you can't do it 'Pod, I would. However, you probably have more time than I do since I can't be on here more than 3 days a week at the most. :( [I'd be more than happy to fill in though as much as I can if you ever needed a sub though. :) ]

[WonderWomanGoddess]

When everyone feels the time comes for a forum for this movie, more than one mod would be great darth paul. So we shall keep in mind, we've got Pod and Paul all lined up!

[darth_paul]

When everyone feels the time comes for a forum for this movie, more than one mod would be great darth paul. So we shall keep in mind, we've got Pod and Paul all lined up!

Thanks WWG, just let me know if and when you'd need me and I'll be happy to help out as much as I can. Transformers are right up my alley and as I already have been doing with providing what I've learned from the producer, Don Murphy's website I can always offer more. 8)

[FireStormTrooper]

I just hope the human interaction is NOT too great. Yes you do need it for the whole "Robots in Disguise" angle, but I do not want to see Spike wrestling with his feelings for Carly (that was his gf's name in the cartoon, right?) while the actual TF storyline takes a back seat. That's why I'm a little concerned that they're casting celebrities like Tyrese for human roles who may draw too much attention away from the real stars: the Autobots and Decepticons themselves.

[Pod]

I was watching Extra a few days ago and I saw them showing a sneek peak at Transformers. And they had alot of famous B-list actors there as army soldiers. Even Shia LaBeouf was there, if anyone didn't know he was in the movie...well I didn't. :oops:

I don't think the whole movie will have robots. I think it's going to be a split. The humans are really who we can connect to so that can be the reason why the script might have alot of human characters be involved.

[Batman15]

I'm all for story and Character interactment but I do hop that there will be more robots than humans because that is the main reason that myself and I'm sure alot of other people are going to see the movie for. Although I hop that they can balance alot of robot scenes with a great story.

[The Xenos]

Someone did leak a peek of Optimus in vehicle form. It was pulled. It seems Bay wants to keep everything a secret until people are in thearters watching the film. (Perhaps I should say until after they've given up their money to Bay.)


http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23858

" They (Bay & Co.) are commited to maintaining total secrecy about this project until it hits the screen. We spoke of how there was no surprise factor to Peter Jackson's King Kong. You knew the whole movie ahead of time. There are some in the team who believe the audience's first peak of the robots in their normal mode should be when they sit down to watch the movie in the theater (in other words, no sneak peak of them in their normal mode in the trailers)."

If you ask me, this stinks like rottnen eggs.

[FireStormTrooper]

I agree. I don't want them to go the route of 1998's GODZILLA, where the character's appearance was kept secret for shock value and wound up not being enough of a pull when revealed after all the hype build-up.

I say they just show a single autobot transforming from something ordinary into an awesome robot. Seriously. That's all they need to really spark interest.

[effektdmentality]

I think that all they would really need is take either Optimus or Megatron and have them transform. No need for every Autobot or Decepticon in a trailer or teaser; if Bay & Co. can show us either of them tranforming in classic form, i'm sure fans will be more than pleased. i would be.

[The Xenos]

I sense a lack of trust. Seriously, Bay doesn't trust fans and their reactions. He refuses to show us what the main characters look like. Love for the characters is what will bring us to see this film and yet he refuses to show us them? Why should return any trust by going to thearters if none is given and nothing is shown? I am not going to go see this film based on the name alone. Hollywood can't just buy rights to a name and then do whatever they want. Sure, fans are jaded. Yet after crap like Catwoman, Batman & Robin, Godzilla, and even some would argue Superman Returns; I think we have every right to be cautious to big studios remaking things we love.

[darth_paul]

I sense a lack of trust. Seriously, Bay doesn't trust fans and their reactions. He refuses to show us what the main characters look like. Love for the characters is what will bring us to see this film and yet he refuses to show us them? Why should return any trust by going to thearters if none is given and nothing is shown? I am not going to go see this film based on the name alone. Hollywood can't just buy rights to a name and then do whatever they want. Sure, fans are jaded. Yet after crap like Catwoman, Batman & Robin, Godzilla, and even some would argue Superman Returns; I think we have every right to be cautious to big studios remaking things we love.


Totally Agree 100%! The message boards for both Director Michael Bay and Producer Don Murphy (the one I frequent), were set up specifically to guage fan reaction and to gain input from the fans on the decisions being made by TPTB on this Transformers Movie, and yet every time I go over to that board to get any info it's all hush, hush and "You Can't Handle The Truth!" Well, you wanna know why we can't handle the truth, it's because the truth is stuff like 6 ft. boombox "Soundwave" and Optimus with flames, but when there is across the board outrage by long time fans they don't do anything to change it or at least say that they are. No, we have to wait and see, it's always the waiting game. Spoilers don't bother me, but I understand the need to keep a lot of things quiet. It's just that a large sentiment going around is the usual Hollywood BS that they don't pay any respect to the source material and just go and do whatever they want with the property that they got their hands on and unfortunately Transformers is the latest vicitm. :x

[FireStormTrooper]

Comic-Con 2006: Transformer Voice Cast Buzz

Will Peter Cullen be the voice of Prime?
by Chris Carle

July 21, 2006 - This year's Comic-Con is the last where Transformers movie news can possibly be revealed, as the film releases next year on July 4th. As such, plenty of aspects of the film are being hinted at while the main, big secrets of the film remain under lock and key. At today's Hasbro Transformers toy panel, the toy company debuted the new 20th Century edition DVD box, and talked briefly about the upcoming live action Michael Bay film based on their toys.

Toy Designer Aaron Archer, who has been working closely with members of Bay's production team, stated the film "has a lot of heart; very cool," and told fans that the changes being made to the core Transformers are "nothing to worry about." He went on to say that the characters are not complete departures. "I think they're new interpretations," he stated.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit gleaned from the panel is the fact that Peter Cullen is seriously being considered by the filmmakers for the voice of Optimus Prime. Cullen played the voice of Prime, and several other Transformers, in both the animated series and Transformers: The Movie. Fan support for Cullen as Prime has blossomed on Internet message boards, and according to members of the panel, Michael Bay and company are looking into using Cullen as a result.

Archer went on to state that "the movie stands alone at this point," and probably will not weave into the various storylines of toys and future television series. Stay tuned to IGN's Comic-Con coverage of this film, as more details are sure to be unveiled as the weekend continues.

This is the best rumor I have heard about this movie so far.

Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus? :shock: :) :D

[Sonic1002]

I have to admit... that is the best news about this movie thus far.

[Cake]

I sense a lack of trust. Seriously, Bay doesn't trust fans and their reactions. He refuses to show us what the main characters look like. Love for the characters is what will bring us to see this film and yet he refuses to show us them? Why should return any trust by going to thearters if none is given and nothing is shown?

it's not a lack of trust. let's not forget, even as devout transformers fans, that movies are not made like a choose-your-adventure book. we aren't writing the screenplay. just because we're fans of one thing does not entitle us to direct the creators of a movie adaptation of that particular thing. we have to trust the vision of bay, murphy, and spielberg.

and as far as leaks go, i dont want any. call me old fashioned, but i would like to go to the theater NOT knowing about every last detail.

[Cake]

I have to admit... that is the best news about this movie thus far.

It's being reported by a variety of sources that it was announced at ComicCon -- it's a fact not a rumor. And it's a GREAT move. Hopefully people will relax a little now.

[darth_paul]

Peter Cullen isn't just seriously being considered, it's been confirmed on don murphy's message board that he will be the voice of Optimus once again! 8) :D

[dperceful]

hopefully they get smart and pick up Frank Welker as Megatron. these voice actors are just that voice actors. they obviously have the skill to turn up the professionalism for a big budget movie like this. might as well get Starscream as well, that whiny cocky voice is perfect for a villain.

dan

incidentally, shouldn't this topic get moved over to the Movies thread?

[darth_paul]

Unfortunately Chris Latta the voice of Starscream is disceased as is
Scatman Crothers the voice of Jazz. However, Dan Gilvezan the voice of Bumblebee is available to reprise his role as the little guy if they want him to. He has the support of fans so let's see if they give him a shot. Welker is being talked to as far as I know, but there have been no answers as of yet as to his status.

[The Xenos]

Yes, Chris Latta the voice of Starscream has passed away. I can only think of one person to fill his shoes. Scott McNeil. McNeil filled in for him as Cobra Commander later in the GI Joe toons. He's also done a bunch of voices for Transformers Beast Wars. The guy is pretty amazing. Seen him at a couple of cons.

[Cake]

as is Scatman Crothers the voice of Jazz.

loved that dude. great name. too bad he cant be in the movie but it does open the door for a new talent to come in.

[FireStormTrooper]

Any news if Hot Rod (not Rodimus), Kup or Ultra Magnus will make the cut?

[darth_paul]

Any news if Hot Rod (not Rodimus), Kup or Ultra Magnus will make the cut?

Not likely FST, this is from a poster at www.donmurphy.com about something Roberto Orci (one of the guys working on the movie) mentioned about an interview with director Michael Bay:

"Roberto let us know that Michael mispoke in that interview, erring on the side of secrecy. The names have changed from what they once were. The alt mode roster has not.

Decepticons:
"Cybertronian Jet" - Megatron
F22 - Starscream
Helicopter
Boombox
Tank
Mineclearer
Police Car

Autobots
Longnose truck - Prime
Yellow Camaro - Bumblebee
Ambulance - Ratchet
GTO (possibly) - Jazz
Pickup truck (likely) -Ironhide

The autobots are the reverse, where the roster itself is confirmed, but only the first three alt modes are."

The above mentioned 'Cons with no names, but just having vehicle modes are so called "temporarily named" as such -

Helecopter - Soundwave or Vortex
Boombox - Soundwave or Rumble/Frenzy
Tank - Devastator
Mineclearer - Bonecrusher
Police Car - Brawl

The quote I took pretty much says it all as far as the core group of characters goes. However, I took this quote from a thread showing a pic of a Steam Shovel in the movie which someone suggested was the Constructicon Scavenger so now there is a rumor going around that Devastator won't be the name of a singluar "tank character" but the acutal combiner will show up! :shock: :? Don't get your hopes up too much, because nay sayers point out that it could just be a stand-in vehicle for effects shots of Transformers ripping off building roofs and throwing around cars. :wink: I don't know what to think anymore, and neither does much anyone else :( . There is a possiblitiy for cameos of other characters still, but from the crazy designs leaked so far – Flame Prime, Insect-like BB, and all the different non G1 alt-modes matched to supposed G1 characters, and I mean that these are supposed to be the original G1 characters and not their similar named counterparts of recent toylines and cartoons, it would be a huge shock to acutally get anything in this movie that looks even close to how it was originally portrayed. A Devastator made up of the proper six construction vehicles? I and many other fans would love it, but shown the evidence of other choices, we're not holding our breath. :roll: So, in conclusion, out of the '86 movie guys, Hot Rod, Kup and Ultra Magnus… Magnus would be most likely to show up because his car carrier mode is the least "futuristic" of them. There will be a scene of Cybertron somewhere at the begining I think though so HR and Kup could be shown there, but I hear that they're going to blow up Cybertron so that would be a bad thing to show any fan favorite characters in any form if they do that. :cry:

[Cake]

anybody see the Access Hollywood piece this weekend? Pretty cool behind the scenes look:

http://www.shootfortheedit.com/media/tfaccess01.mov

[Cake]

We will be having an exclusive live online chat and webcast with Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci - writers of The Transformers. Here is your opportunity to get answers to the questions you have all been asking.

The Chat & Webcast will take place on Friday, August 18 2006 at 11:00 AM PST. The event will be hosted on Yahoo.com and viewers will have the opportunity to ask their questions in a chat room and Alex & Roberto will respond live via streaming video to the audience.

As a special thank you to the members of the Transformers Boards you can ask your questions ahead of time. Send an email with either your name or forum user name, city and question to:

questions@transformersmovie.com

Check back here or at www. transformersmovie.com tomorrow at 10:00 AM PST for the link to Yahoo.

http://boards.transformersmovie.com/index.php

[effektdmentality]

concerning the lineup.... *&%$#!!! where's Hot Rod?! man, if they just added him, it'd make it sooooo much better. though that'd be way too many sports cars (bumblebee, jazz, AND hot rod). maybe make bumblebee a mini or something? that woulda been cool, though it's obviously too late. oh well, i'm still hyped on seeing this movie.

concerning the prototype and production shots of optimus, bumblebee, etc..... blargh. they look more like bionicle than transformer. i know that they're robots and such, but could they at least make the robot mode more vehicle-like? like olds chool optimus, where his torso actually LOOKED like the front of a truck.

http://www.comics2film.com/FanFrame.php?f_id=21589

[Pod]

Those designs look really cool. Man, I hate waiting a year for this movie.

[effektdmentality]

just looked at the image of optimus from the front page link. i dunno, his feet still remind me of nightcrawler. oh well. the design is still good, and the movie looks good enough to get me to see it.

[Pod]

http://www.aintitcool.com/images2006/opt1.jpg

He has bat-ears?!

[The Xenos]

Screw the ears, man. I'm pissed off that Optimus as a huge front end in truck form. Plus have you seen that paint job? Did someone get him drunk and take him down to Tijuana?


Geez. It reminds me of that episode of Venture Brothers when Hank and Dean Venture wanted to make their robot H.E.L.P.eR. look cool while visting TJ. Why would anyone let people like the Venture Brothers give Optimus a flashy new paint job? There's something classic about fire truck red and whoever tossed it out is a total crum bum.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/6752/ep12xw8.jpg

Geez, next thing you know they'll take the mask off the old Lone Ranger and turn Superman's cape almost brown.

Oh.. wait...

[darth_paul]

Screw the ears, man. I'm pissed off that Optimus as a huge front end in truck form. Plus have you seen that paint job? Did someone get him drunk and take him down to Tijuana?


Geez. It reminds me of that episode of Venture Brothers when Hank and Dean Venture wanted to make their robot H.E.L.P.eR. look cool while visting TJ. Why would anyone let people like the Venture Brothers give Optimus a flashy new paint job? There's something classic about fire truck red and whoever tossed it out is a total crum bum.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/6752/ep12xw8.jpg

Geez, next thing you know they'll take the mask off the old Lone Ranger and turn Superman's cape almost brown.



Oh.. wait...

QFT :wink: :lol:

[The Xenos]

QFT? WTF? QFT? That's one I haven't heard before. Quite the funny?

Anyway, we got an interview with one of the actors from the film, SHIA LABEOUF.

http://www.comics2film.com/FanFrame.php?f_id=21780

I just started reading it.. and he sounds like a grade A Hollywood moron. Oh and I had to edit the quotes a bit for his foul f(beep)' language.

QUINT: Well, nothing seems to be too big for this guy. If he needs an army or their weapons, he goes out and gets them to cooperate...
SHIA LABEOUF: Yep, right. Right. But when you look at it recruiting numbers go up when movies like this come out. It's very political, you know? And when you realize the magnitude of what you're making, it is kind of like, "Oh, my God!" I've done that a couple of times.
I mean, at first you make it either a business decision or a creative move and then you get here and it's a whole different thing and you realize you're in this special little club, you know? At least for me, this is historical American folklore. It's historical. I mean, I have friends that haven't read the Bible, but have read comic books. And comic book movies are that for us, at least for my generation. It's folklore, it's mythology. Religion is dead and this is the s(beep) that people eat up, this is what we eat up!

Religion is dead in this country? Comic books are the new religion? Michael Bay's Transformers is gonna get people to join the Army (and fight in Iraq presumedly)?

Wow. What typical liberal Hollywood bullcrap. They can't make Optimus red, but they're ready to proclaim Transformers as a religious experience that will drive up army recruitment. And you wonder why people question the morals and sanity of Hollywood?


SHIA LABEOUF: (laughs) You know, I asked him if was going to use that synthesized '80s s(beep) and he's like, "What're you crazy? Never!"
There's a lot of stuff... you know, there's new robots that he'll create. Or he'll take something like Soundwave and turn it into Soundbyte and it'll become something else. That's understandable, but in no way is he tainting this at all. If anything he's turning it up and modernizing it.

So, Michael Bay isn't tainting what we knew. He's just 'turning it up'. Whatever bullcrap that is.

Hell, I think Peter Jackson shoulda 'turned up' Lord of the Rings. Legolas shoulda had a totally bitchin skateboard. They should 'turn up' and modernize To Kill A Mockingbird. Set it in LA and have Sean Penn as Aticus and Eminem as Boo Radley.

Hey, Hollywood. Some thing don't need to be turned up or morderinzed.


(SHIA LABEOUF: )There are certain things, like Megatron wasn't a jet, you know?
QUINT: I'm curious how that's going to translate. I don't mind that he's a jet so much because even as a kid I thought it was a bit weird that the king of all badass villain robots could turn into a gun that somebody else had to use. It kind of took some of his power away...
SHIA LABEOUF: Right, right. That's sort of what Soundwave was about. Those characters all had meaning because Megatron needed that crutch. Now that that's gone, it's done in other ways. Megatron's crutch now is that he's frozen. But it's modernized. You can't have a toy gun. You've got 9 year olds watching this movie and yes, we're creating mythology, but you can't make a toy gun your antihero and then have Hasbro go out and sell toy guns with the little yellow cap on it, you know? It'll look f(beep)' ridiculous to have Megatron with a yellow nose, you know what I mean? It'd look retarded.
The fact that it's a Razor, a plane that nobody's seen before, that the military is giving us... that nobody has filmed or seen. I mean, CNN has not seen this plane and we're filming it. It's cool. It gives it that edgy shit. People have seen guns before, but to make Megatron something that nobody's ever seen and make it an edgy presence... it does, it modernizes it and makes it dangerous again. Guns aren't dangerous. How crazy is that to say? But guns aren't dangerous! You've got guns in movies that aren't dangerous at all, you know? I feel like HERBIE THE LOVE BUG could have had a gun and nobody would have questioned it, you know?
QUINT: Maybe stashed in the glove compartment...
SHIA LABEOUF: (laughs) Exactly, it could have been in the glove compartment! But a Razor, you know, with nuclear weapons... Nuclear weapons is what's dangerous. In the '80s it was the gun, but we've been (desensitized), so you've got to amp it up a little bit. And Michael Bay is the dude to amp everything up!

-stares blankly- Did he just say the US Military first revlealed a top secret nuclear equipped jet to Michael Bay for Transformers? It's it's true. That's messed up. It's it's not, it's still messed up because they're fundamentally changing characters and acting like it's no big deal. Megatron didn't need to become the plane from that crappy Steath movie.

Also, this talk about guns is so messed up, I can't tell if it's liberal anti-gun BS or pro-gun. All I know is that it's bullcrap that you can't have a toy gun on the market. Bullcrap. And it seems Hollywood is more than happy to comply.

I seriouisly don't know if I can read anymore of this bullcrap.

And mind you, I'm only a casual Transfomers fan and I think this is stupid. I know there are huge fans of the show that know much more than me, that have followed Transformers more than I ahve. Hell, I never even saw the movie back in the day. I know friends who are much more die hard than I. I can only imagine how pissed off they are.

Again, if they were doing these changes to some new toon, like they have been, we wouldn't care. Yet this is THE Transfomrers movie. This should be THE ultimate distilled form of Transformers, not Michael Bay's Playhouse of Military Weapons.

This seems almost like the same bullcrap X3 went through. Instead of Ratner caring about characters and story, like a real filmmaker adapting something, he just took characters reinvented them an then had a sandbox and blew stuff up.

This movie doesn't sound liek they pay any respect to fans or what the fans loved about the franchise. It seems Michael Bay cares more about his ideas and his 'turning it up and modernizing it' than he does about the characters.

So you know what? Screw them. You think fans are just whores who will buy anything with a Transformers name on it? You think fans will just be pushed around? Bullcrap. We can push back. I know I'm telling everyone not to see this Hollywood drivel.

Hey, let's not forget what happened to Bay's last film, The Island. It flopped and it didn't even have to piss of thousands of fans first.

[The Xenos]

And just when I thought they couldn't stick their foot futher into their mouths tossing digs at fandom...

As far as I've known comic books, and I've done CONSTANTINE, a lot of comic book stuff... I've been reading comic books, Vertigo, all my life. Neil Gaiman is my god. I'm all about the truth of the comic, it's my world. But when you get into the pop culture comics... Even Mike said, "SUPERMAN wasn't our thing. BATMAN wasn't our thing. It was always kinda fruity. Dude in tights with a fuckin' cape. I'm just not buyin' it." I didn't buy into it. I was never the dude to do that. I was into the fuckin' TRANSFORMERS and GO-BOTS cartoons. I was into the tangible. Things I can look at and go, "This is for real!" Rather than walking down Hollywood Blvd. and seeing a Batman guy with a Batman costume going, "Yo... you're a bum. What're you doin'? You're not a superhero. C'mon, bro."

Ok, if he really was a Vertigo fan, he would know that abortion of Vertigo's longest running book is not anything to brag about.

Nevermind the ignorant remarks about Batman and Superman. These idiots can't see past the costumes and dressing.

Hell, now that I know their insults against Batman, I definately don't want to see Bay's Transformers. Batman turned out a great and quite tangible film not that long ago. Goes to show how far up their butts these guys have their heads.

I only with Transformers got someone like Nolan and Goyer, or Peter Jackson, or Del Toro. Instead, Transformers got stuck with some Hollywood hot shot that thinks his s(beep) smells like roses.

[FireStormTrooper]

To paraphrase an internet icon:

"This does not look good for the Homestar Runner."

[darth_paul]

Way to go Xenos! 8) BTW (By the way) QFT means "Quoted for Truth" (athough Quite the funny could be used as well as seeing how absurd this "Transformers" farce is turning out to be. I am so glad that you took the time to pick apart and flame that aweful so called "interview" with that punk. He was the kid from "Constantine", geez I hated him. He was so annoying. Good Lord, one more thing to hate about this crapfest with the good Transformers name tacked on it. I am one of those hardcore fans, I don't follow any of the new cartoons, but I have seen a few of the episodes, yet I do read all of the current comics and take the good with the bad. This "movie" - that's what you want to call it hasn't given me anything to compare good to bad with though, it's all bad. :cry: They might as well just call it "Masters of the Universe 2" or "Godzilla 2" because that's the category of film that this belongs with.

[The Xenos]

Yeah, Masters of the Universe and the American Godzilla sound like apt comparisons. Halle Berry's Catwoman or The Cat in the Hat with Mike Meyers also sound about right. Too many Hollywood dim bulb bright ideas overshadow what made the original good. This is Transformers-in-name-only.

Throw the baby out with the bathwater, because Michael Bay is &#$9in' turning it up and modernizing extreme, motha&*(#$#!!!! Put it in your face and slam it!! (TM)

Sure, they can convince way too many 14 year olds now adays that this is Tranformers, but anyone at least 20 knows better. We've seen this Hollywood BS before and we are not buying it. We will not be good little sheeple and buy whatever the Hollywood big shot thinks is cool and "turned up".

I was just astoudned how in their own little world Michael Bay and LeBeouf sounded. They're spending millions upon million of dollars... on this?

I call for this movie to flop. Who else is with me? Who else is going to help get the word out that source material is not to be tossed out and a name is not just a marketing gimmick. A name, ood or bad, means something. It's not whatever some hotshot director thinks it is.

[The Xenos]

Oh yeah, I must comment that I finally saw the old Transformers The Movie last night. It was... okay. They did some really weird things in it, but it was still pretty interesting. Not terrible, but not that great. It felt rather rushed.

[darth_paul]

I am definately going to deride this "Extreme Transformers" crap to anyone who asks about it, be it oneline or to anyone I know who mentions it. Yet, the sad thing is that unfortunately as much as I will down it, I'll probably still see it. :oops: Although, that's just so that I can honestly confirm how much of a crapfest it really is! :x Anyway, about the original TFTM, Xenos, you said that it seemed rushed, well that's because in a way it was. There's a reason that a lot of characters from the TV series are not even in the 1st movie. When it was made all of the first season and about half of the 2nd season had aired even though when it was finally released the 2nd season had already finished. When the movie was ready for release it was done and too late to go back and redo just to ad more characters that would have made more sense such as more gestalts other than just Devasator, and besides the point was to introduce and focus on the characters created for the movie and not so much the older ones, thus all the needless deaths of many fan favorite original characters. So, the end result became an enjoyable film, but one that was rushed out without taking the time to make something better just to sandwhich the movie between seasons 2 & 3 beacause 3 was going to show all of those new movie characters, and we didn't get the older characters we missed from the movie until season 3 anyway go figure. :roll:

[The Xenos]

Figured I'd share this commentary from the web comic AppleGeeks:

http://www.applegeeks.com/lite/index.php?aglitecomic=2006-09-08

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/537/aglite42ca4.jpg

First Spider-man and now Optimus. Dear crap everyone's turned into a pouty emo &*$.

Man, I get enough emo &*$# in my life. I don't need my super heros to be *&($#ing emo

Well, at least it's Michael Bay, so he's also "turned up", modernized, and extreeeeeme.

[Kwick22a]

Just out of curiosity are extreme Transformers powered by Energon Cubes or Mountain Dew?

[darth_paul]

Just out of curiosity are extreme Transformers powered by Energon Cubes or Mountain Dew?

The new "Energon Cube" in the new film is probably
one of those cube packs of Mountain Dew with 24 cans of soda that all the TF's featured in the film will split up evenly and chug! :lol: :wink: :roll:

[effektdmentality]

Hey guys....

Was browsing and found some TF movie pics, decided I should try and condense as many as i could find into one place. came across these decently-detailed pics of OP, here....

http://www.canmag.com/images/front/transformers/optimus.jpg

and here's a back view...

http://www.aintitcool.com/images2006/prime2.jpg

and a head....

http://www.aintitcool.com/images2006/prime3.jpg

OP arm cannon concept art...

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/5227/optimusboardsminiag0.jpg

supposedly megatron encased in ice (see the pic of his head in the upper part of the image)....

http://www.cinemablend.com/images/reviews/1568/_11559558222970.jpg

megatron's head....

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/29/504/1600/Megatron3.jpg

megatron design...

http://www.themovieblog.com/archives/megatron1.jpg

bumblebee's real-life version, lying on a truck....

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/imagehosting/441824504a1ef2cfd4.jpg

starscream....

http://www.forceforgood.co.uk/junk/screamer.jpg

starscream model.....

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/imagehosting/3941344e686dd5ca67.jpg

and a model of a city street with TF cutouts to presumably show scale...

http://img28.imagevenue.com/aAfkjfp01fo1i-12353/loc310/83675_autobotspike002_122_310lo.jpg

[Pod]

The thing I hate the most from the designs is the amount of inside metal the look reveals. It's like they have pieces on them and you can see half of all the metal inside...which isn't so great.

And those heads...oy... :roll:

But still, the movie is something I just have to see even with complains.

[darth_paul]

The thing I hate the most from the designs is the amount of inside metal the look reveals. It's like they have pieces on them and you can see half of all the metal inside...which isn't so great.

And those heads...oy... :roll:

But still, the movie is something I just have to see even with complains.

I've seen most of these already, except for the one with BB lying on the truck which is new to me and a better overall pic of him than most others I've seen before. I agree with you on your comments about the designs, which is what most people are saying that they don't like. I don't think that it sould cause an outright boycott though. Even if it is junk, I will still have to see it so I can fully jusitfy bashing it some more. :lol:

[Sonic1002]

OP arm cannon concept art...

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/5227/optimusboardsminiag0.jpg


...Why does Optimus have the arm cannon and not Megatron?

[effektdmentality]

i dunno, sonic. i guess to give the autobot leader the biggest weapon....? i dunno, you stumped me.

anybody check out the trailer? it looks cool, but i wish there was some dialogue from the transformers or the main characters, like OP or Spike. or maybe some recognizable music, like a faint orchestral version of the transformers theme, like some fan trailers i've seen. or at least use the iconic transforming noise.

in summary, the look is cool, but i would like to have some more AUDIO.

[effektdmentality]

new OP and megatron toy prototypes.....

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/imagehosting/4418245ac31d49e1f3.jpg

if you ask me, THAT's how Prime shoulda looked. All bulked out and blocky, but still a little of the alien look. The CG pics from above make him look too alien for my taste.

[effektdmentality]

compliation of TF pics....

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=115458

[darth_paul]

Interesting very interesting. I could gripe some more, but I won't because I'm pretty much done with that. Let's just say that some of these guys could have been named differently based on the designs they chose and I'm sure other fans know what I'm saying. Well, I'll comment more after I've seen the finished film.

[The Xenos]

They released some new clips/trailers.

http://www.comics2film.com/FanFrame.php?f_id=25693

I admit. That Starscream blip of a scene alone looked amaizing.

Still I don't like the redesigns and the creative decisions. I read interviews with Bay and other involved. I haven't liked their attidude and disregard towards fans and the source material. Yeah, I know it was a kids show from the 80s, but they really don't give a crap. They just want to do their thing and I can't stand directors like that.

Sure, the movie looks amazing. You throw tons of money into an effects budget and blow a bunch of stuff up with giant robots, it's a no brainer that it's amazing. Just because Bay had giant robots blowing up stuff and fighting, that doesn't mean this is a transformers movie I want to see.

As amazing as some of the scenes look, I'm still going to pass. My reason? Let's call it, creative differences.

This is about respect. Michael Bay just didn't have it for Transformers or its fans. Yes, it's a kids cartoon from the 80s. Yes, fans can be demanding. Still, this guy didn't have any repect. He's a Hollywood big wig who thinks he's above everyone else. We don't need more directors like him.

[darth_paul]

They released some new clips/trailers.

http://www.comics2film.com/FanFrame.php?f_id=25693

I admit. That Starscream blip of a scene alone looked amaizing.

Still I don't like the redesigns and the creative decisions. I read interviews with Bay and other involved. I haven't liked their attidude and disregard towards fans and the source material. Yeah, I know it was a kids show from the 80s, but they really don't give a crap. They just want to do their thing and I can't stand directors like that.

Sure, the movie looks amazing. You throw tons of money into an effects budget and blow a bunch of stuff up with giant robots, it's a no brainer that it's amazing. Just because Bay had giant robots blowing up stuff and fighting, that doesn't mean this is a transformers movie I want to see.

As amazing as some of the scenes look, I'm still going to pass. My reason? Let's call it, creative differences.

This is about respect. Michael Bay just didn't have it for Transformers or its fans. Yes, it's a kids cartoon from the 80s. Yes, fans can be demanding. Still, this guy didn't have any repect. He's a Hollywood big wig who thinks he's above everyone else. We don't need more directors like him.

I agree with your sentiments on Bay and the others involved in this debacle. However, being a huge Transformers fan, I'm going to have to swallow my pride and still see it. Some more news:

1.) Hugo Weaving has been cast as the voice of Megatron over original Megs VA Frank Welker! :shock: Welker still has a part in the film, but it is unknown which robot he will be voicing instead. Fans speculate that it is Frenzy b/c he also voiced that character back in the day.

2.) Images of the movie related action figures are up over at www.seibertron.com. They actually look better than how the TF's look in the movie. :lol:

[The Xenos]

I still don't like how this whole thing was made. You know what it reminds me of? X-Men 3. Going in I had a bad feeling. I should have listened to it. I should have ignored friends who were going to the movie. X-Men 3 was crap. They barely got the characters right and the movie was a mess. The director was like a five year old with a bunch of action figures and no real clue who the charcters were.

I'm not falling for this crap again.

Example. No Energon. Instead they invented a new MacGuffin using a name from something different from a Transformers show. This may be spoilers so..
Possible spoiler:
They replace Energon in the movie with The All Spark, I had to double check what that originally was. (Go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allspark) /possible spoiler

And you don't want to know where it's hidden or how the Transformers find out about it. Ugh. Typical Hollywood stupidity.

So Bay's Transformers replaced Energon with an energy source named after something totally different from Beast Wars/ Beast Machines? Wow. They really are just randomly grabbing stuff from everywhere. That's in addition to making s--- up.

Next thing you know they're going to have Juggernaut not be Xavier's brother, have him be a mutant, and make that a key part of how they defeat him. Oh.. wait..

Yeah, I'm not lining up for this crap again.

[Marvel Master 1]

They replaced the Energon with something called the Allspark,

The Allspark is just one ultimate source of energy

[effektdmentality]

I just caught the new trailer from Yahoo movies, and all I can say is that I'm totally stoked for this movie. I'm taking this as a new way to experience Transformers, I don't want to be bogged down by whether it's in continuity or not. As long as it's a good movie with my favorite transforming robots, I'm all set.

[The Xenos]

New Transformers theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYS6vzAeCUw http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32910

Anyone else get an "America, f___ yeah!" feel from it?

Transformers! F___ YEAH! Coming again, to save the mother f____ing day yeah, Transformers, F____ YEAH! Freedom is the only way yeah! Decepticon, your game is through cause now you have to answer to America, F____ YEAH! What you going to do when we come for you now! It’s the dream that we all share; it’s the hope for tomorrow.

Though I guess another song in Team America is apropriate.

"Why does Michael Bay get to keep on making movies? I guess Transformers sucks just a little bit more than I miss you."

[effektdmentality]

Rumor has it that the American Hi-Fi version of the theme, the one that Xenos is talking about above, will NOT be on the soundtrack, and that THIS version, by Mute Math, is in fact on the soundtrack in reality:

http://www.myspace.com/mutemath

i personally liek it better than the AHF version. It's got this ambient, alien feel to the synth music that I think works for a sci fi film. i also like the old lyrics from the theme rather than those rapperish new ones in the AHF version.

[darth_paul]

New Transformers theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYS6vzAeCUw http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32910

Anyone else get an "America, f___ yeah!" feel from it?

Transformers! F___ YEAH! Coming again, to save the mother f____ing day yeah, Transformers, F____ YEAH! Freedom is the only way yeah! Decepticon, your game is through cause now you have to answer to America, F____ YEAH! What you going to do when we come for you now! It’s the dream that we all share; it’s the hope for tomorrow.

Though I guess another song in Team America is apropriate.

"Why does Michael Bay get to keep on making movies? I guess Transformers sucks just a little bit more than I miss you."

ROTFL! Check out my myspace page for the pic of Optimus Prime that I have posted there for something exactly along these lines! www.myspace.com/darthpaul99

[The Xenos]

On a somewhat related note, a promo for the new animated series.

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7623/transformersanimated200dg6.th.jpg (http://img140.imageshack.us/my.php?image=transformersanimated200dg6.jpg)

also found here
http://www.seibertron.com/news/view.php?id=10778

I think I seriously started to well up with tears from seeing that. No, not happy ones. Ugh. This is just beyond disgusting. I like some crazy cartoon network designs, but not for Transformers. Optimus Prime should not be drawn by Picasso. It's like they took this icon from my childhood, and crapped all over it.

[The Xenos]

Ain't It Cool News is posing some positive reviews of the movie.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33101

Here's one gem.

If you like the great popcorn movies like ID4, Mummy Returns, Armageddon or National Treasure you will want to f___ the s___ out of Transformers, just bend it over and just start thrusting, you know. This is NOT for you film school professors and snob critics who want everything to be a snoozefest like Floating Weeds or The Godfather. Go back to the library, egghead. This is for people who are the real fans! I can't wait to watch it again with my frat brothers, they will literally explode when they see the freeway scene. You don't have to be a geek to have a geekgasm and just spray geek c__ all over the movie's face and t__s. This movie will be F___ING HUGE.

So.. Transformers is a good movie, unlike The Godfather.

Sure. This is a positive review for Transformers. And a negative review for all of humanity. Dear crap, dear crap. This is the crap that America thinks is good? Times like this, I realized the movie Idiocracy is just a documentary from the future.

Also, we get this gem of a quote from Bay (http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/06/20/unhappy_transformer_fans_threatened_mich).

"I took time to listen to fans on the net and hear their comments, but I'd be like, 'I'm still gonna make my movie and I'm still gonna put flames on (lead robot character) Optimus Prime. I got the impression that the fans wanted me, literally, to take these cartoons and blow 'em up and it would've been clearly the equivalent of Ghostbusters. It just wouldn't work. The robots needed to be much more complex."

It isn't enough he goes out to piss on the Transformers toon by calling it amateurish and saying his is so much better. Now the jerk has to go insult Ghostbusters. Hell, I'm an even bigger Ghostbusters fan.

Just when I thought I couldn't... despise him anymore.

Gee. And you wonder why Bay gets death threats from fans, with such a charming personality like that?

[norrinraad]

Well, the public has spoken and it looks like Michael Bay has another huge blockbuster on his hands. So much for disgruntled fanboys boycotting the film because Optimus Prime is shooting fireballs or something :roll:

I'm actually looking forward to seeing this tonight, the effects look amazing. And it really must suck to be Shia Labeouf these days. The guy is starring in one hit after another, the offers are rolling in, he's gonna be a multi-millionaire soon (if he isn't already), not to mention all the beautiful young women throwing themselves at his feet. And they say life is fair...:D
_____________
"Take this song, at least we'll have each other
When everything else is gone."

[darth_paul]

I went to see it July 4th and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised! :shock: :D 8) Despite all the changes to the mythos, it was quite an exciting and action-packed film, and the special effects were outstanding! It also had just enough "inside jokes" about the old series such as a yellow beetle in the used car lot next to the new camero Bumblebee and various lines pulled from the past such as "More Than Meets The Eye" and "One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall!" Plus, Peter Cullen reprising Prime was just gravy!

[The Xenos]

Please. Instead of making a joke about a VW bug, why not keep it in the movie? Oh yeah, Bay and company got paid millions to feature the new camaro and Volkswagon couldn't pony up the bucks for product placement. There's nothing creative about the decision like Bay keeps saying.

I first was saying that this is on par with Batman & Robin. Though I think this is more like Batman Forever. That did enough good business that it got a sequel. And I'm sure if that was released on the July 4th weekend, that crap would have done a little better too.

It had little bits of the Batman characters to keep the fans happy. It had little bits like that "One shall stand" line in this one. Batman Forever had insides jokes too, like "Holy rusted metal, Batman!". Yet it was done in a goofy campy way, just like this turd of the movie. Yet we accepted it because Hollywood was in control and this is what they gave us. To be honest, I enjoyed Forever back in the day. Now I know better. Now I don't just accept the crap Hollywood tosses on the wall. I look back at it now in disgust. I think, THIS campy piece of crap is the best Batman movie they could have made? Disgusting.

Again, people just accepted the stupid changes because Hollywood told them to. They have no power over it, so they just accept it. They don't realize they do have power, the power to just say NO and not go see it. Sadly, we've been brainwashed into seeing crappy movie after crappy movie. We're told we can't judge a movie until we've already each paid our $8-10 to see it. It's just one ticket to you. That's only some dollars to us, but that's millions upon millions to them. We really need to stop feeding the trough.

As for Shia, well, that's what happens when you get handpicked by Spielberg to be the next big star.

Really, I can't get over how many people just don't see what's happening and how Hollwyood really works. They like to make you think YOU are the ones in control of what movies are hits, but they're the ones pulling the strings.

I know, it sounds like I'm just a fan overreacting about one summer movie I disagree with. Yet I see so much more. If people would just look at the bigger picture, maybe they'd realize the monster they keep feeding.

[effektdmentality]

my two cents.....

i saw it monday night, and i liked it. i knew very little about transformers save for the most basic G1 stuff (autobots vs decepticons, optimus was a fsemi, megatron was a gun, the robots turned into other things, etc), but really, i was born in '87, a little too late to remember transformers in its prime (no pun intended). i went in with no real biases for or against the movie itself, and enjoyed it as just a movie of big, destructive robots, and all the little inside jokes were enough to get what little nostalgia i had for G1 out of me. while i understand the points xenos and other folk make regarding the hollywood aspect, i come from the perspective of "i'm just going to see a movie of big alien robots beating the crap out of each other", and really, who better to do a blockbuster type film with giant cgi robots and big explosions but Bay? i'd probably be more against the film if i had been born early enough to remember the original stuff, but fortunately for me (as it seems), i went in with enough of a blank slate to enjoy the film as a completely different form of TFs and not have to compare it to the era of the original G1 TFs.

does paying $8 and going to see the movie make me any more of a gullible person? i shouldn't think so. does enjoying it make me a sucker for big summer blockbusters? maybe. i dunno, but for me, i'd rather not worry about the ethics of what hollywood does behind the scenes. if it's an enjoyable movie (and it was), then i'm okay with paying my $8. i'm paying for a good time, and as long as that good time delivers, i'm cool with it.

eff

ps: surprisingly, i also found and downloaded a pirated recorded version of transformers. while the picture is only the right 3/4 of the screen, the quality is good enough where the movie is still enjoyable on my computer

[norrinraad]

Went last night to see Transformers, then snuck into Live Free Or Die Hard right after, and enjoyed the snot out of both films. Transformers in particular was particularily enjoyable. It's loud, big, dumb, and made almost no sense whatsoever, perfect escapist fare for a summer evening. As Eff so astutely pointed out, I really don't care what goes on behind the scenes in regards to the creation of films like this. When I plop down my $12.50, I expect to have a good time, and this film delivered in spades.

Just to address a couple of points, product placement is hardly a novel concept in Hollywood. Wasn't ET into M&Ms or something like 25 years ago? I don't care how studios raise capital. As long as I get to keep seeing the films I want to see, I don't care how they get made. As for Bay subverting the original Transformers mythos or whatever, please. The thing was originally created as a cross-platform marketing scheme to sell comic books, toys, cartoons, and Happy Meals. It's not like the source material had any artistic merit whatsoever. It's about feaking giant robots choosing Earth as their battlefield. This ain't Shakespeare folks, the concept behind this creation is as dumb as they come. So it was tweaked a bit for the big screen. What else is new?

As for Shia, it's quite astonishing how he effortlessly moves from one genre to the next, while still appearing sincere, authentic and relateable. There's a reason why he's going to be a huge leading man; it's because he has talent. Spielberg could get behind anyone he wanted to, but the bottom line is that the public has to accept his endorsement. I don't buy into this whole idea that the movie-going public are all sheep being fed a steady diet of crap. If this were the case, films like Catwoman would have been huge hits and Ben Affleck would still be an A List movie star. I believe the public is far more discriminating than given credit for. What was fascinating about Distrubia was how much of a platform it was for Shia Labeouf himself. He was in practically every scene. Watch Shia play video games. What Shia watch TV. Watch Shia eat ice cream. Watch Shia decide which pair of shorts to put on. The fact that the movie made several times its budget is a testament to his likeability. This was a case of public acceptance of an actor on a purely personal level. Spielberg could have pushed anyone he wanted, but teenage girls could care less what an aging Hollywood mogul thinks, anyway. If audiences didn't like Shia on a personal level, he would not have gained the stature he's enjoying now.

[The Xenos]

Here's a review from web comic VG Cats:

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=241