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Post by grahamthomson on Apr 30, 2009 9:03:53 GMT
Officially going online sometime this afternoon in the USA. So, late tonight for us!
There was a cameraphone bootleg on Youtube yesterday, but I think it's been pulled.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 30, 2009 17:32:20 GMT
There's a couple of dodgy copies up there now. Looks like they're doing a revamp of the plot where Buster (Sam) had had contact with the Matrix (Allspark) and it left a message in his mind that holds the key to the future of the Autobot and Decepticon races. I wouldn't be surprised to find he's carrying a remnant of the Allspark's life-giving power. 'Brainstorm'/'Prime Time' and 'Devastation Derby'/'Second Generation' were good Budiansky and Furman stories, and the more they rip them off the better, I say. Martin |
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Post by Mark_Stevenson on May 1, 2009 0:20:21 GMT
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on May 1, 2009 6:30:33 GMT
Who's the red Autobot? Mudflap? Things don't look too hopeful for him, judging by that last clip... Martin |
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Post by grahamthomson on May 1, 2009 7:54:03 GMT
Looks like fun! The Marvel "Brainstorm" storyline immediately sprang to mind with me as well, Martin! |
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Post by The Doctor on May 1, 2009 10:14:08 GMT
Each successive trailer makes me want to see this less and less!
-Ralph
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Post by Fortmax2020 on May 1, 2009 12:52:39 GMT
Each successive trailer makes me want to see this more and more!
Some cringeness at the start but like where they might be taking the story with Sam and the Allspark etc.
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Post by andrewbcalculating on May 1, 2009 15:20:29 GMT
"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."
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Post by The Doctor on May 1, 2009 17:22:06 GMT
"Neither does diahorrea."
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on May 1, 2009 18:40:30 GMT
Well, the _teaser_ trailer for the first film gave the viewer a very inaccurate impression of the tone and direction of the film itself, while the _full_ trailer for the first film gave a very accurate impression of the end product. Noting also that the same people have made the second film, and this full trailer matches the tone and direction of the first film, I think it's safe to say two things: (a) that _this_ trailer (unlike the teaser trailer) accurately reflects the merits and demerits of the end product, and (b) that whether or not you still enjoy watching the first film, despite its shallow script and characters, will determine whether or not you are going to enjoy the sequel. Personally, I'm pleased that despite the juvenile humour and crap characters, the live-action films are sticking to what I consider to be the concepts and plot ideas that made the Transformers the Transformers - i.e. mostly giant, super-powerful, alien robots that disguise themselves as Earth machinery and fight their alien war amongst and fully interacting with humans. They've got combiners and facsimile human drivers (albeit holographic) and a Pretender (apparently) and ones that turn into portable machinery - in short, they explore the alien-robots-in-disguise-on-Earth concept to the full. And that's the most important thing. Yes, it would be great if the characters were good too, but if they were, but they lost the aforementioned concepts, it might as well not be Transformers at all. They are shallow and lowest-common-denominator in their target audience, but at the same time they are spectacular and use all the best Transfomer plot ideas - except for binary-bonding, which I would like to see in film #3, though I choose to expect the worst, namely that it will instead be full of generic, non-Transformer-specific sci-fi/robot plot ideas such as planet-eaters, space quests and time-travel, which don't actually require Transformers to be in them to make them work. But I feared film #2 would be a return to Cybertron (a place where TFs just aren't special), and appear to be happily proved wrong. In short, generally, I like to see good films, but if a film franchise is going to be called 'Transformers', and there's only going to be 2 or 3 such films, I'd rather they were better-seen-when-drunk popcorn flicks than not actually be about alien robots in disguise on Earth. The original animated movie, sadly, was both those things, so this franchise is to me at least a step in the right direction. I'm pleased that the great Transformers story concepts have been brought to the population at large through crowd-pleasing, high-production-value blockbusters. They're not the films I would prefer them to be, but if they were, they might not be so successful. (I think Michael Bay is very good at making exactly the kind of films he sets out to make, and knows exactly what he is doing.) So I welcome their contribution. Unlike that of the original animated movie which appeals to a narrow fanbase and doesn't have anything to do with the unique Transformers concept. Must remember to have a drink beforehand and switch off brain, though. Martin |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on May 1, 2009 18:51:22 GMT
I liked that trailer. Definitely in keeping with the first film, big dumb popcorn film.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on May 1, 2009 19:24:38 GMT
More of the same does not interest me. For dumb fun, I'll stick with GI JOE: RISE OF COBRA which looks unintentionally hilarious. Transformers needs good characters and intelligent humour to work for me. A big dumb action film worked once and I enjoyed it for what it was on the cinema screen. I just don't need to see it again, personally. The films are not extra special to me: I can already watch hundreds of Transformers cartoons or read hundreds of comics or play with hundreds of toys, etc if I want to. I get plenty of fun TF 'fixes' already! The films are merely another iteration of the concept/franchise. I feel the premise could provide for intelligent thought-provoking SF films (imagine a TF film directed by David Fincher with a script from William Goldman and FX designed by Douglas Trumbull, for example), but that is not the current direction, which has yielded great financial results so it makes sense to have more of the same really. Horses for courses. What I'd rather see isn't going to be made so I'm not going to complain about it and besides it plays really well inside my own head already anyway! Ho ho.
I do, however, genuinely hope ROTF does well and makes people happy. I'm glad it's been made. I'm glad it is exciting people. A successful film means Transformers rolls on for a few more years in toys/comics/cartoons/socks, and I can always find things to enjoy within those areas. And I would never begrudge folk enjoying whichever aspects of Transformers they particularly enjoy. I'm looking forward to seeing all the tat, looking at toys on shelves and seeing Transformers movie posters on bus stop shelters. I'm just not interested in spending what is for a me a lot of money on a cinema visit. I'll likely see it at a later date round a mates house on DVD and with a few beers, which is when I'll probably be best disposed to it!
-Ralph
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Post by legios on May 1, 2009 20:29:53 GMT
I'll likely see it at a later date round a mates house on DVD and with a few beers, which is when I'll probably be best disposed to it! -Ralph A rental, accompanied by drinks, will likely be arranged at some date in the future. I have yet to see the official trailer for the new film, but it is going to have to go great guns to overwhelm the sense of "meh" that the the "sneak peek" footage gave me. EDIT: I have now seen the afore-discussed trailer. Definitely feels very much a case of "Second Verse, Same as the First". The trailer pretty much confirms my expectations regarding the film - based on the previous film, and the "schtick" of the director. It looks like it is a very well-executed Big Dumb Action-movie. Michael Bay does what he does very well - and it shows in the fact that his films are very successful where it counts, at the Box Office. I wish the film well - its existence is good for Transformers as an entity, and gives it more momentum - but I remain somewhat ambivalent about it personally. Whether I shall see it first in the cinema or as a rental at some later date I am currently undecided. I think I know which way I will fall, but that may change over time and circumstances. Karl |
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