Transformers Movie thread

[AshMat]

Wow, so some of the robots in the film will be actual real life models?

[Hero-of-Time]

Now that Bumblebee is a Chevrolet Camaro, will Hot Rod ever make it into the movies? because surely the designs would be very similar?

 

Also can someone explain how is plausable to have Scorponok (a giant mechanical scorpion) in the film! How's that going to be much of a disguise on Earth? Unless Scorponok just hides out in the desert for the whole film!

 

LMBO never thought of that, might aswell throw in the Dinobots for good measure aswell!

 

"Me Grimlock kick butt!"

[THE ganondorflol]

Just imagine how much cgi is being used.

[Mr. Bananagrabber]

The only thing more delicious than ths movie is the legions of Transformers fanboys complaining about the new designs

[Hero-of-Time]

The only thing more delicious than ths movie is the legions of Transformers fanboys complaining about the new designs

 

As we should be. This is one of my favourite childhood shows/movie and I dont want to see it get butchered.

[Iun]

I shall miss Quintessa... I mean, the Dinobots.

[Jamba]

Now that Bumblebee is a Chevrolet Camaro, will Hot Rod ever make it into the movies? because surely the designs would be very similar?

 

It has been more common in the more recent Transformers series to be having the Bumblebee character as the possible successor of Optimus. But it all got a bit weird in Energon and I'm not sure what happened.

[Konfucius]

Music video (and some terrible intro!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKlcOjIUuRo

 

Now imagine Prime looked like in that intro of that video on the big screen.

Sure they would make him look more believeable but in the end I think it still wouldn't be too far from what we saw there.

 

I'm now even glader (more glad?) they changed the design.

[Retro_Link]

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/764/764455p1.html

 

Preview: Transformers

 

IGN screens four clips from the upcoming film!

 

US, February 13, 2007 - Optimus Prime finally rolled out today at the International Toy Fair in New York City, courtesy of a special screening hosted by Hasbro and Dreamworks. The Transformers movie, set for release on July 4, is deep in production -- but even with 140 days before its theatrical bow, director Michael Bay and Dreamworks president of production Adam Goodman were feeling confident enough to pull back a little bit of the curtain.

 

Secrecy regarding everything from robot design to voice casting has made the film a constant source of speculation, rumor, and anticipation. After screening four incomplete scenes from the movie at tonight's event, Dreamworks and Hasbro executives basked in raucous applause from an audience composed of license partners, retailers, and specialized media. Perhaps this gamble on a 23-year-old toy property would pay off.

 

It helps, of course, that Transformers has blossomed into a $3 billion brand since its inception. The toy branding ranks third in awareness, trailing only Star Wars and G.I. Joe. In the lobby of the theater, Hasbro strategically placed four toys from the upcoming line for the audience to pick up and inspect. There was an Optimus Prime helmet with a voice changer, a large Bumblebee action figure, a regular-size Optimus Prime action figure, and a strange Optimus Prime that transforms with the touch of a button into a foam-shooting gun. These toys certainly drew considerable attention. With the din, however, it was difficult to discern whether or not the Optimus Prime toys were using Peter Cullen's famous basso profundo.

 

Before the screen, the audience listened to a short introductory question-and-answer session (attendees were sadly not invited to participate). Goodman was extremely pleased with the progress of the picture and had high hopes for its potential as a franchise. "We don't have a Die Hard or a Lethal Weapon franchise sitting on the shelf," the Dreamworks president pointed out. He hopes that Transformers fills that category, believing the movie is a "head-snapper… along the lines of a Jurassic Park or a Matrix."

 

Invoking one of executive producer Steven Spielberg's past blockbusters was by no means an accident. Goodman was quick to point out that Spielberg has long enjoyed a fascination with the property. He was familiar with the toys due to his children. "He knew the mythology," said Goodman. However, directing Transformers was not in Spielberg's busy schedule, so the studio reached out to Bay, whose previous credits include Armageddon, The Island, and the Bad Boys movies.

 

"I was the only one available," Bay quipped, regarding Spielberg's choice. It was a good opening line set to disarm fans that have derided Bay's involvement since the initial announcement. Bay was uninterested in the project, but remembered his days working for Lucasfilm and filing storyboards of a project Spielberg directed. Bay was convinced the movie was going to be a bomb. That movie was Raiders of the Lost Ark. Acknowledging that he had been wrong before, Bay phoned Spielberg back with a desire to learn more. "We're gonna take you to Transformers school," was the reply.

 

Before showing the four scenes from the movie, the audience was reminded of a few things. Namely, the special effects are far from complete. (This was especially obvious in a few shots of wire-frame robots.) It takes approximately 38 hours to render one frame of the animation, so while some robot effect shots looked solid, there were more tweaks scheduled between now and the theatrical bow. There are also no photographs or assets yet available.

 

The first scene unfolds in Qatar early in the film. This is the scene where a Decepticon disguised as a MH3 helicopter lands at a military base -- as seen in the current movie trailer. At the beginning of the scene, we follow a handful of soldiers arriving at the desert base in the hold of a helo. They banter about their "perfect days." Shortly after the soldiers land, another helo is spotted on radar. This is the MH3, which cuts a shadowy figure against the desert sky. The sinister helo is warned to turn back or face military response. However, an aircraft spots the MH3's tag -- it's a legit call sign, but it's also from a helo that was downed in Afghanistan months before.

 

The MH3 is allowed to land, but as it comes to a stop it is surrounded by soldiers. That's when you get the key shot of the hologram pilot dissolving. The MH3 starts to transform into a robot.

 

And that's when you hear the classic transforming noise from the cartoon. Yes, guys, it's in there.

 

The robot wreaks havoc in the base, destroying tanks and aircraft with shockwaves. Tanks are hurled across the base like playthings. The robot doesn't stop to worry about the pitiful response from the soldiers -- they're bullets don't even pit its hull. Only a rocket attack gets it attention, but retribution is brutal and swift.

 

The Decepticon finally reaches the base's information hub. It peels back the roof like an artichoke leaf and reaches in to access a huge server. The robot appears to be draining information from the server. Screens around the base light up with ream after ream of classified documents and photographs. This robot is looking for something. But before we can find out exactly what, the Decepticon is interrupted by a stronger assault from the humans. It responds by ejecting a smaller robot from its hull, which tears into the soldiers with ruthless abandon. Is this a Mini-con? Or is this Soundwave we're seeing, now a helicopter instead of a tape deck but still able to eject companion warriors? This is where the scene ends.

 

The next scene picks up with Shia LaBeouf driving a yellow Camaro -- Bumblebee. (This is driven home by an air conditioner hanging from the rear view mirror of a bee with the caption: Bee-otch.) However, young Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf's character) isn't yet aware of the full power of his wheels. He pulls into a park to get close to a young woman he rather fancies, but she's hanging with a pack of jocks. After some very spirited interplay between Witwicky and the jock, he leaves. But then the girl and the lead jock disagree over who gets to drive home so she decides to walk. This gives Witwicky his opening and he offers to give her a lift.

 

Bumblebee decides he needs to help this budding romance. The radio kicks in and plays "Who's Gonna Drive You Home?" It's a silly moment that gets goofier when Bumblee also plays a refrain from "Sexual Healing" when the young woman gets in the car.

 

The girl ends up being one of those too-perfect movie creations. She just loves the bad boys. But she hates the way they treat her. Oh, and she knows how to disassemble and clean an engine, too. But after pushing her too hard about the jock, she decides to keep on walking. That's when Bumblebee kicks in with "Back, Come Back."

 

The third scene is perhaps the roughest of the four, effects-wise. Witwicky is late getting home to his folks' house. As he pulls down his street, we catch our first glimpse of Optimus Prime in truck form. Ironhide is also with them. The girl and Witwicky try to get the robots to play it cool while Witwicky goes into the house to look for a pair of special glasses. The meaning of the glasses is not explained during the scene. While Witwicky and the girl look for the glasses, the three Autobots are trying to be nondescript. They don't exactly succeed, as they smash a fountain and almost shoot a dog that decides to urinate on Ironhide's foot.

 

In this scene, we get a close-up view of Optimus' face as he looks through Witwicky's window. Aparently, Prime does not have the mouthplate on the bottom half of his face as he did in the cartoon and the original toy. His exposed metal mouth moves. This is also where audience hear Cullen's voice work. He's definitely Prime, all right, but his voice has been processed with a metallic edge.

 

Eventually, the glasses are found, but then a top secret branch of the government called Section 7 arrives, lead by John Turturro. Turturro plays the agent with a little bit of wide-eyed flair, as if Barton Fink gave up "the life of the mind" to join the Feds. Using a sensor as odd as the Ghostbusters' PK Meter, Turturro deduces that Witwicky has been in physical contact with the robots. He orders his men to bag the entire Witwicky family and the girl as the scene ends.

 

The fourth scene returns to Qatar, obviously taking place after the first desert sequence. The squadron of soldiers from the helo is on the march through the desert, hoping to find a working phone line. Suddenly, they detect movement in the sand beneath them. The force rips beneath the dunes like a Graboid from Tremors before erupting behind a soldier. This is Scorponok. He deploys his stinger to skewer a soldier, but is spotted before the kill. The soldiers open fire and run from a small camp in the desert, desperate to make a stand against the robot and find some line to communicate with command.

 

As the soldiers engage Scorponok, the squad leader finds a cellphone in the home of a family. His call out is routed to a stereotypical customer service center where his pleas are met with indifference. He needs a credit card to pay for the charges. This leads him back outside to fish a wallet from a buddy's back pocket, while Scorponok continues to terrorize the village. Rockets, laser, gunfire -- the scene is loud and destructive.

 

Finally, the call goes through and the Pentagon sends in a set of Predator drones to check out the village. They cannot believe what they see. Air strikes are immediately ordered, but the first pass is ineffectual against Scorponok's thick hull. A second strike does more damage, forcing the Decepticon to burrow beneath the surface, but not before his stinger is blasted free. As soon as the robot vanishes and order is restored, the scene ends.

 

The four scenes composed roughly 20 minutes of footage, designed to highlight the balance between effects-driven mayhem and human relationships. 120 minutes of pure robot carnage would likely just be too expensive, so the need to bolster the human characters beyond the one-dimensional Witwicky family from the animated series is a necessity. LaBeouf is actually pretty charming in the footage.

 

As for the robots -- the reason we all want to see this thing -- these early scenes are promising, but inconclusive. It's patently obvious that the robots you remember from the original toy line and cartoon are out. Bumblebee is a Camaro. Prime is a flashy semi. And if that was indeed Soundwave in the first desert scene, he's now a helicopter. Even without finished effects, the models are incredibly intricate. The goal was to make the Transformers look real. There are no parts that magically vanish, such as Prime's trailer, or shrink and grow, such as when Soundwave would transformer into a cassette player. You can spot all four wheels on Bumblebee in robot form.

 

It's also important to note that Bumblebee did not speak in the two scenes he was in. Can Bumblebee speak at all? Has his voice not been cast? Or does he speak only through his radio, as hinted in the scene with the girl?

 

Megatron was also nowhere to be seen in this footage, something noted after the screening. One loose-lipped exec was overheard spilling the beans on what he turns into in the movie, but shot a withering glare when he (or she) realized the comment was louder than expected.

 

Unsure of when Paramount and Dreamworks will reveal more of "Transformers," and unable to provide you with images from tonight's screening, we're only left with giving you this peek at our peek. As mentioned, it was promising but inconclusive. If the effects shots are completed with the level of detail the filmmaker's want, these robots could be an awesome sight to behold. And the mention that the film is geared for a PG-13 rating gives hope to old-school fans that don't want these beloved characters juvenile-ized like so many other resurrected properties from the 1980s.

 

But in 140 days from now, we'll all find out together whether or not this next-gen take on the treasured property will have moviegoers rolling out again and again.

Sounds Cool!

 

Also IGN, the helicopter is not Soundwave! It's Blackout! Do your research!

Our forums are more knowledgable on the film!

[Ten10]

Soundwave is a tape deck just like blaster. And Blaster isn't in the damn movie.

[Dante]

Soundwave is a tape deck just like blaster. And Blaster isn't in the damn movie.

 

Frenzy

 

Frenzy (CD player): Originally scripted to be Soundwave, he was supposed to be a boombox that transformed into a human-sized robot. Don Murphy had said he would have the character a major part of the sequel instead of sidelining him.

 

The character was renamed Frenzy in homage to the G1 character who was a minion of Soundwave. His role in the film is that of a spy among humans for the Decepticons, using his alternate mode as a disguise.

 

Frenzy pops out of Barricade's chest, similiar to how the G1 version does with Soundwave. Frenzy has four arms, is thin and shoots blades disguised as CDs from his chest.

[Retro_Link]

Bumblebee

 

 

Jazz

 

 

Ironhide

 

 

Ratchet

 

[Dante]

Michael Bay Interview

 

Few figures are as polarizing to movie fans as Michael Bay. He's been knocked for his supposed style-over-substance approach to filmmaking even as his movies have nearly all achieved blockbuster status. From "Bad Boys" to "Armageddon," Bay knows big-time summer entertainment. And this summer, he's back with his most anticipated flick yet — the feature-film version of "Transformers." Do we really need to tell you what it's about? Cool cars turn into giant robots. Got it?

 

Bay recently spoke exclusively to MTV News about his upcoming film, slated for release this July 4.

 

MTV: So you have Steven Spielberg producing a Michael Bay film, a July 4 release — it seems like all the planets are aligned for "Transformers" to be huge. What can we expect from this film?

 

Michael Bay: It's a magical movie in a lot of ways. There's some awesome action in it. I've done action my whole life. I don't get excited about action anymore, but I'm excited about this. When robots transform at 85 miles an hour, you can do a lot with that. There are some mind-blowing visual effects and we're not even going to show them in the commercials. Normally when they advertise movies they show everything. Steven and I are just going to show a few pieces.

 

MTV: It's that old Spielberg axiom of never revealing too much.

 

Bay: Yeah. You've got to leave a lot hidden. We'll never show transformations. You'll never really get a good look at the robots until the release.

 

MTV: You've directed action of a pretty high caliber before. Can you compare the kind of action we'll see in "Transformers" to what you've done before?

 

Bay: You can do a lot with 30-foot and 40-foot robots. It's just very unique action. It's just mind-blowing. [Effects studio Industrial Light & Magic] does so many movies and I've never seen a crew so excited. A lot of them were "Tranformers" geeks and were totally in love with these effects. Ironhide's gun has 10,000 parts. It's because of the über-geeks at ILM who put so much craft into everything.

 

MTV: Is there one set piece you're itching for an audience to see?

 

Bay: There are 14 set pieces, actually. I counted. We got a lot of bang for our buck on this. It cost $150 million whereas the "Pirates" movies cost over $200 million.

 

MTV: What can we expect in the last reel of the film? You've hinted that it's pretty big stuff.

 

Bay: It happens in a city and it happens with a lot of robots fighting. The kids are at the center of it. You're going to have to go see it.

 

MTV: Cars turning into alien robots is about as far-fetched a concept as it gets. So how do you make it feel real to an audience?

 

Bay: It starts with the digital models and how you make these things emote. It's all about how they're made so they fit in the real world. I'm very adamant when we do computer graphics that it looks dead real. It seems like a dying art, but I'm one of the few directors that actually shoots a lot in camera. A lot will do these stunts in CG world whereas I will do it mostly real and add elements. There was one extremely dangerous stunt where we had to take a bus, jackknife it and split it with a guy driving and then we add the robot coming through. A lot of people would just make a CG bus and crash it [but] the audience can tell what's fake.

 

MTV: There was that famous tagline for "Superman": "You'll believe a man can fly." Do you think this summer we will believe that cars can turn into robots?

 

Bay: I've shown kids some of the movie and they've said to their dads, "Where did Michael Bay get those robots, dad?! Where'd he get them?!"

 

MTV: "Transformers" fans can be pretty fervent, and they were picking you apart from the get-go. Did you pay attention to what they were saying?

 

Bay: Absolutely. They all think I wasn't listening, but I was.

 

MTV: So what can the über-fan ...

 

Bay: Are you an über-fan?

 

MTV: I am.

 

Bay: I could see it. I could see it in your eyes!

 

MTV: So why should the über-fans be confident that Michael Bay has led us down the right path here?

 

Bay: Listen, I just didn't want to make the boxy characters. It's boring and it would look fake. By adding more doo-dads and stuff on the robots, more car parts, you can just make it more real. I was listening to the fans and I know they hated the Optimus paint job with the stripes. Why did I do it? Because I liked the ribs. That caused a lot of grief. [He laughs.]

 

MTV: Tell me about the voices we'll hear in the film.

 

Bay: The only one we have done is Peter Cullen for Optimus.

 

MTV: Are you casting name actors?

 

Bay: No, not name actors.

 

MTV: Will any other voices come from the old cartoon?

 

Bay: I can't really say yet. It's still an ongoing process. The voices are the next thing we're going to be doing.

 

MTV: Do you view this as an ongoing franchise? Is there an arc for future "Transformers" movies?

 

Bay: [He takes a long pause.]

 

MTV: I see a smile.

 

Bay: Yeah, of course you want to create a franchise. If you do "Transformers 2," we definitely have to go bigger.

 

MTV: Are there certain Transformers you'd like to get into a sequel?

 

Bay: Absolutely. Yeah. I can't tell you yet because the script's not written, but the writers, after they saw the movie were like, 'I don't know what we're going to write now.' It's like, what else do we do? We'll figure it out.

 

MTV: Do you feel like you made this giant film your own? Does it still feel personal to you?

 

Bay: Oh, come on. It's not personal. This is popcorn.

 

MTV: But there's that Michael Bay stamp ...

 

Bay: There's totally my stamp all over the place because I basically write all my own action. I do that to keep myself from getting bored from the stuff I've already done.

 

MTV: I can watch a couple of frames from your films and know it's a Michael Bay film. Is that something you take pride in? You obviously have detractors.

 

Bay: Oh yeah, there are tons of people that hate me and hate my movies. But hey, my movies have made a lot of money, two-something billion dollars. That's a lot of tickets. They said that I wrecked cinema. They said that I cut too fast and now you see it in movies everywhere. It's easy to bash a movie but until they know hard it is to actually make one ... Do I take pride in people knowing my style? I think it's nice people know a director has a style. And you can reinvent yourself too.

 

New Transformers Images

 

[Mokong]

I don't mind the look of the robot forms, i get what he's saying about "boxy" looking, but you'd think they could have made them similar so we would recognise them without a second thought.

 

But i think the change of the vehicle forms is what's hurting the fans the most.

 

On a side note...

 

 

 

Oh, I'd like to Transform Her :awesome:

[Retro_Link]

Oh, I'd like to Transform Her :awesome:

lol, that doesn't really work as an innuendo!

[Hellfire]

I would show who's got the touch and who's got the power.

[Hero-of-Time]

Im very excited about the set pieces that are in the movie! Im hoping for an all out battle at the end.

[Dante]

Optimus

Megatron

[Hellfire]

Optimus looks awesome. Megatron looks great too even though he's totally different.

[Konfucius]

They look a lot better than previous artwork suggested imo.

 

I didn't realize that Transformers will hit cinemas so soon : peace:

[Happenstance]

Yeah im really looking forward to it now. Its a good movie year for me.

[Ramar]

I didn't realize that Transformers will hit cinemas so soon : peace:

 

July isn't that soon.

[AshMat]

I'll ahve to hope i can get to the cinema soon, a while ago i got this transformers poster (free ones on the desk).

[Retro_Link]

The voice of Megatron;

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/775/775705p1.html

 

From Matrix to Megatron

Weaving to voice Transformers villain.

 

US, March 25, 2007 - Although Peter Cullen will once again voice the heroic Optimus Prime, Transformers fans everywhere may be disappointed to hear that Frank Welker, who voiced Megatron in the 1980s TV cartoon, will not be voicing the villainous Decepticon in the upcoming feature film.

 

But fear not, as the filmmakers have cast a very cool replacement: Hugo Weaving will voice Megatron in the Michael Bay-directed live-action film.

 

Weaving is certainly no stranger to major genre projects. He played the title role in V for Vendetta and portrayed Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 

Weaving first came to the attention of stateside audiences as the sinister Agent Smith in The Matrix movies. Weaving's casting was announced by SectorSeven.org; IGN's Transformers sources also confirmed the casting.

 

Transformers opens July 4.

[Hellfire]

Well I was hoping for the original, but Hugo Weaving rocks and as seen/hear on V he is fucking great with his voice.