
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
#31
Posted 18 June 2011 - 02:14 AM
#32
Posted 19 June 2011 - 12:34 PM
#33
Posted 26 June 2011 - 07:03 PM
Anyway, not much to say about the first movie. I still like it and will willingly defend it. It's got flaws and problems I absolutely did not and still do not like, but it does a decent job of keeping you vested and it's entertaining. Second movie? You know, this time 'round I made a point to go in wanting to hate it as odd as that sounds, since I never disliked it. But even so, I honestly can't bring myself to hate it. Certainly, it's an incredibly flawed film and I can totally understand why a lot of people dislike it, but I also can't help but think that a good deal of the venom and criticisms were just bandwagoning, similar to how a lot of the less desirable fans of people like the AVGN and Nostalgia Critic will leap on and immeidately bash on anything they review, even if they were positive/appathetic about it prior to the review....nevermind that off-the-record and out of character they point out that they don't hate or even actually like a lot of the stuff they rip apart. Plus, RotF has so many legitimate problems, yet people all focused on stuff like Devestator's balls (on-screen for 9 seconds plus a one-liner) Simmons' tong (on-screen for 3 seconds) humping (maybe 7 seconds, being generous) and other lowbrow humor. I hated all of that, but geez, it's such a minor part of the movie in running length and content it's ahrdly worth even mentioning beyond a note to say it occurs. How about complain about how the movie grinds to a screeching halt after the excellent forest battle and totally falls apart in terms of pacing and plot? Or how the above stupid humor is inserted into the worst possible places to ruin the flow and rhythym? Or that half the "confusing" story points were in fact in the script and just cut out due to directorial meddling, or maybe how some of the jokes were rather questionable given the fact that kids are watching this, PG-13 or no?
But no, it's pretty much just "This movie's stupid and you're stupid for liking it!" except with more cursing and worse spelling.
As for the Twins, you know, while yes, they are most certainly a stereotype, I honestly don't see what's so horribly racist about them. Again, full disclosure, I grew up in the suburbs, and one that was pretty decently culturally mixed and a pretty safe, nice place to live, but really, the cultural stereotype they were portraying was very much one I saw growing up that was not limited to certain ethnic groups. Hell, there were just as many of each ethnicity in the area that posed as wannabes because, frankly, Skids and Mudflap are the same as all those little knuckleheads - just a bunch of dumb kids who didn't know any better. If nothing else, I'm almost tempted to say the only people being overtly racist regarding them are the ones who are outright associating them to be of said group to which they're offensive to, but I'd rather not go that far over a movie that's selling toys. Really, they're just supposed to be a stereotype of dumb people, and before the movie came out, I was actually afraid they'd be hillbillies or rednecks because of the buckteeth and oversized "funny" facial designs rather then what they turned out to be. To be hoenst, their little character growth from a couple of idiot twins who couldn't even get along long enough to stay together in Ice Cream truck mode to a duo who decided to get serious and, when working together, acually got some effective hits in on the (at the time) monsterous and imposing Devestator was a nice touch.
Really, what bothered me about them was their language. Now, the first movie was PG-13 as well, but I was perfectly comfortable letting my at the time single digit cousins watch it with me. RotF, however, man, I....didn't feel right letting them watch it with me when the twins would call Leo a p*ssy and b*tchass among other words, to say nothing of Prime's awesome but holy crap violent take-downs of Grindor (helicopter guy) and The Fallen. That's obviously a personal deal, and aprents can decide for themselves what's appropriate for their kids, but to me.....eh, it didn't sit well with me, especially considering that this, like any other Transformers product exits to sell toys. Period. Being a good story is just icing on the cake, though fortunately Hasbro seems to take that latter very seriously, especially as of late. Though honestly, the Twins aren't nearly as terrible as Jar Jar Binks, not to me anyway, though they definitely toed the line that character outright crossed.
Oh, and Wheelie and Jetfire? Loved those two, other then the former humping Mikaela's leg. I still take issue with them being made stereotypes - goofy Italian Mob goon and quirky crotchity old Scotsman respectively - rather then being outright characters, they were pretty entertaining, though once more I wasn't too pleased with Wheelie's utterings of b*tch and sh*t. Jetfire falls victim to the movie's frenzied and insane pacing in the backhalf as exposition fairy, but that character/caricature himself was fine and enjoyable.
So, like I said, it's pretty obvious that the Writers' Strike hit this movie hard - when you realize that the movie wasn't so much a script as much as it was an outline prior to said strike, and the three writers ahd to finish it afterwards while locked in a hotel room by Michael Bay, it's painfully clear something ruined the creative rpocess of the typically excellent writing duo of Kurtzman and Orci. It's well documented that Bay essentially went at the script/outline during the strike himself, and as a result, a lot of it was his vision not tempered by the writers, and he was more willing to stand his ground on the stuff he changed or outright added then in the first movie. A lot of fansites where Orci posted and answered fans questions ahve them posing him the query of whether or not they had to fight Bay all the time, and in at least one case all he replied with was the

Not that I watch MLP - one of my cousins does and she loves it, you see. -cough-
So, yeah. Ultimately, while Bay's incredibly abrasive attitude and personality is good at keeping the executive producers meddling mitts off the script (except Spielberg's, for obvious reasons), it also made it tough to convince him some of his ideas weren't necessarily for the best, especially because he gained a (perfectly understandable) sense of ownership to the script he had to write due to the strike, and as a result, Orci and Kurtzman lost a lot of minor (Soundwave's voice not being VOcoded) and major (Twins) fights, they still won a few.....but what did Jolt end up doing, if any of you even remember who that is?

Well, there's that. It's a flawed and crippled movie, but yeah, I actually do somewhat sway into the positive side of the fence for RotF, jsut with major reservations. It's just a crazily bizzare movie in that a bunch of the people I know who loved the first movie hated it, but the other half loved it - yet on the flipside, a lot of the people who disliekd the first thought it was better and enjoyed it. It's not even divisive, it's just....wacky and fans some completely insane flamewars and incites totally unwarrented hyperbolic emotions for a damn movie.
Also, Twilight is a worse movie in every which way, top to bottom, from acting, directorial choices, cinematography, sound design, and even techncial competance. Geez louise, while I've been making an effort to try and tone down my own wild insane rantings as of late, anyone who says RotF is a worse movie then any of the Twilights is a lunatic.*
All that said, yes, I am cautiously optimisstic for the third movie. If nothing else, as GG pointed out above, these TV Spots?
Great googly moogly.

*No, not really. This is what's known as hypocritical humor. Except I'm explaining it, so it's not actually humor anymore, is it?
#34
Posted 27 June 2011 - 09:18 AM
I also watched the first two again. I absolutely love the first. I don't like that Barricade just kind of dissapeared, though he died in the novelisation and comic. I guess he's also supposed to appear in DotM. I have no idea how true that is. No other complaints.
I also loved the second one. I thin Arcee, Jolt, and Sideswipe could have just been completely left out. Especialy Jolt. There were other issues like why didn't they use the second shard to revive Prime? How did the Fallen just happen to know Sam had anything in his head? Then I remind myself that this isn't supposed to be 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hell, if you want a bad movie go watch Transmorphers from those hacks at The Asylum. Compared to that RotF is] 2001.
#35
Posted 28 June 2011 - 02:05 AM
If the Twins are racist then so was Jazz.
One key difference. We miss Jazz.
#36
Posted 28 June 2011 - 05:53 PM
#37
Posted 28 June 2011 - 06:06 PM
That said, got my tickets. 5 hours left!
#38
Posted 28 June 2011 - 10:06 PM
#39
Posted 29 June 2011 - 02:26 AM
#40
Posted 29 June 2011 - 02:32 AM
#41
Posted 29 June 2011 - 03:04 AM
DAMN. o_o
#42
Posted 29 June 2011 - 07:18 AM
#43
Posted 29 June 2011 - 11:12 AM
Got plenty more to say, but I'll leave it there. If you liked the first, watch it, it's great and satisfying. If you didn't.....I'm not entirely sure why you're even asking.
Oh, and Skids and Mudflap are clearly visible at the end of the line of Autobots as they enter the NEST base in DC. Michael Bay, you owe me $20,000.00.

Edited by DarkJuno, 29 June 2011 - 11:24 AM.
#44
Posted 29 June 2011 - 10:22 PM
But before I end this on a sour note, I loved the wreckers. I didn't think I would. But I did. And they were great. Yay.
Edited by JRSnerpaderp, 30 June 2011 - 01:11 PM.
#45
Posted 30 June 2011 - 08:20 AM

#46
Posted 30 June 2011 - 09:15 AM
This is where I almost cried.Spoiler
#47
Posted 01 July 2011 - 12:16 AM
#48
Posted 01 July 2011 - 07:12 AM

#50
Posted 02 July 2011 - 06:39 PM
Oh, and Skids and Mudflap are clearly visible at the end of the line of Autobots as they enter the NEST base in DC. Michael Bay, you owe me $20,000.00.
They die offscreen as
#51
Posted 02 July 2011 - 08:51 PM
-quietly re-arranges shelves-
Edited by DarkJuno, 02 July 2011 - 08:52 PM.
#52
Posted 02 July 2011 - 09:45 PM
Indeed.
Spoiler
-quietly re-arranges shelves-
Maybe deleted scenes?
#53
Posted 03 July 2011 - 08:32 PM
Not to mention, without the finished CG it'll basically just be two guys with pictures of the Twins' faces on sticks running around, while Mark Ryan (Bumblebee/on-set TF voice guy) shouts stuff.