Not been around for a while again, got loads going on, hopefully i'll have a bit more time once the ...
Not been around for a while again, got loads going on, hopefully i'll have a bit more time once the kids are back at school.x
Member since:06.02.2007
Reviews:265
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A few years ago now my husband and I were sat happily watching the television when the show broke for adverts, we sat in amazement as a Citroen car unfolded itself standing up and began to dance, we looked at each other "you know what this means" he said to me "Transformers" I replied excitedly "imagine if they could make a live action movie!" little did we know that at that moment the movie was actually in production, the technology used in the adverts had made it's way to the Hollywood world of movie making. Two years later and the movie that most 80's children have longed for was released, naturally there was some apprehension by the original fans worried that their iconic characters would be changed or the storylines distorted. I was lucky enough to go and see the movie (I don't get out much without the kids) and I was far from disappointed, in fact I loved it so much I couldn't possibly wait until the DVD release to review the movie.
A Little Background- There are going to be many people who have never seen Transformers in either cartoon, toy or movie form, it was a hugely successful 1980's cartoon and toy line which has now reached cult status. The Transformers are alien life forms in the form of robots, they are able to transform into different forms usually vehicles. The Transformers are split into two factions "Autobots" are the side fighting to protect the innocent, the "Decepticons" are the evil side determined to wipe out the Autobots and any other beings who stand in their way. Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots while Megatron leads the Decepticons, the battles between the two are legendary and the characters are what held the show together.
Transformers The Movie- The Story- Years ago on the planet of Cybertron A war was waged to gain control of the All Spark, a mystical cube that granted is holder unlimited power. Cybertron was eventually destroyed in the war and the All Spark was lost to the Transformers. Years later it has been traced to Earth and both sides that fought the war are in search of it.
Meanwhile Sam Whitwhickey is trying to get along in school, make a little money by selling some of his explorer grandfathers belongings and buy his first car. Little does he know what adventure awaits him and his schoolgirl crush Mikeala when they take a ride in his new, slightly beaten up, car.
In the desert of Qatar the US military base has been attacked by a weapon never seen before, the attackers attempts to hack into the defence files system to retrieve information. The US defence agency drafts in specialists to determine who their attacker is, believing it to be another country. Young Australian specialist Maggie is one of the people assigned to discover the true nature of their attacker.
The stories all merge together in the Transformers fight to find the All Spark before their opponent and both humans and Autobots have to understand each other and work together to defeat the evil Decepticons and their leader Megatron before they destroy the human race.Cast and Characters- Shia LaBeouf ... Sam Witwicky Megan Fox ... Mikaela Banes Josh Duhamel ... Captain Lennox Rachael Taylor ... Maggie Madsen Anthony
Anderson ... Glen Whitmann Jon Voight ... Defense Secretary John Keller John Turturro ... Agent Simmons Peter Cullen ... Optimus Prime (voice) Large Articulated Lorry Mark Ryan ... Bumblebee (voice) Yellow and Black Camaro Darius McCrary ... Jazz (voice) Silver Sports Car Charles Adler ... Starscream (voice) Jet Plane Reno Wilson ... Frenzy (voice) Tape Recorder Robert Foxworth ... Ratchett (voice) Ambulance Jess Harnell ... Ironhide (voice) Large Truck Hugo Weaving ... Megatron (voice) Jet Jimmie Wood ... Bonecrusher (voice) Armoured vehicle
Other Transformers were Decepticon- Barricade, Police Car Blackout, Helicopter Devastator, Tank Scorpinok, Scorpion
Jon Voight (Anaconda, Zoolander) as the US defence secretary is really the only real "star" in a human role. He plays the part well with the right combination of authority, wisdom and scepticism to make his character believable. Shia Labeouf (Holes, Constantine) as Sam plays the part of the school boy geek perfectly, he easily carries off the awkwardness around girls and tendency to say the wrong things but his character develops into a braver person, overcoming his initial fear of the Transformers and developing a real connection with Bumblebee, this is acted really well because of course the robot is not really there and so the relationship developed is all of Labeoufs imagination and acting talent, the relationship between his character and his parents is also well represented summing up the awkwardness and embarrassment between teens and their parents. Josh Duhamel does a good job at playing Captain Lennox, he has the right level of guts and determination to play a soldier yet it is not done with the usual over the top attitude of "We're American!, lets do it for our country!" which can often ruin films. There is good interaction between the characters and they have real stories, lives beyond the initial action causing you to hope all ends well for them. The only character I didn't feel truly developed was that of Mikeala played by Megan Fox (Hope and Faith, Confessions of a teenage drama queen) while she did go from "shallow girlfriend of the popular boy" to a friend to Sam, fighting on the side of good I really didn't feel she was as well played as other characters, she is however still believable and not out of place, I simply did not feel as attached to her character as some of the others.
The robot voices are really accurate, with Peter Cullen appearing as Optimus Prime, as he had done in the cartoons, he really gives the character the realism needed to convince original fans. Hugo Weaving (Matrix and Lord of The Rings) appears as the voice of Megatron and provides a suitably evil and threatening tone to the character. While the voices of the Decepticons, Ratchet and Ironhide of the Autobots are not too far from the original cartoon characters Jazz's voice is quite different (granted because the original voice actor has died and obviously couldn't return) his phrases are more street and hip hop based but wonderfully summed up when Optimus explains that they learned to speak English via the internet.
Despite the fact that the Transformers are robotic aliens and are actually CGI you really get a feel for the characters. The Decepticons come across as brutal killing machines, pure evil destroying all in their path but the Autobots are real individuals with Optimus coming across as the brave and noble leader, Ironhide is somewhat impatient and gun happy while Jazz is a real scrapper, smaller than the rest but brave to a fault. Ratchet is a bit more reserved then some of his companions, intelligent and factual. Bumblebee, alongside Optimus, is bound to be a real favourite among the audience, he is funny, loyal and brave, his voice does not really appear until the end of the movie meaning he amusingly communicates via clips from shows on his car radio.
My Opinion- Well if you haven't guessed already allow me to tell you I loved the film. I sat through every scene with the Transformers in with sheer delight and amazement partly at seeing my childhood heroes bought to life but also at the pure genius of the technology and graphics which created them. The robots are created with amazing detail, every movement is perfect and convincing, when they transform from vehicle to robot and vice versa it is pure magic, never do you doubt that it would not be possible. They are created so well and voiced over so perfectly that I found myself feeling emotion from them and for them, concerned when they were in trouble, delighted when they were victorious. Naturally I was on the side of the Autobots, the good guys, but the Decepticons were portrayed so evilly that you were bound to dislike them, that's the point if the Decepticons and a sign that the animators and cast did their job well.
The initial scenes where the Autobots (except Bumblebee who is already on earth) land in the form of meteors and then assume their robot form is incredible and when you see them choose how to appear and then assume that shape is magnificent. Bumblebee also has a change of image after Sam and Mikeala complain about his appearance, in a comical scene where he kicks the teenagers out of the car and drives off returning with an improved new look. Watching the scenes where the Transformers are travelling in vehicle form is breath taking especially when they transform midway into their robot form.
The story is evenly balanced between human scenes, which set up and supported the story, and the stunning action scenes between the Transformers. There was no point in which I thought "come on, get back to the robots" because it was so well balanced. I also think there's a little something here for all movie fans, there's sci-fi, there's warfare, there's comedy and romance, I found myself laughing at the comedy and speechless by the action, it was incredible. Megatron is quite late to appear, which actually works perfectly in building up the drama and excitement around his character, this works with all the characters as you spot them in vehicle mode in scenes before they are brought into the main storyline. There is a really funny scene where Sam has returned to his parents house with Mikeala and the Autobots to retrieve a set of glasses, the scene that unravels with the teenagers trying to distract his parents from spotting the giant robots that are trying to hide in their garden is hilarious, you see Bumblebee trying to hide below the balcony, Optimus pressed up against a wall, Ironhide gets caught up in the electrical wires falling over and destroying Sam's fathers precious garden, it's very funny as are some of the cheaper gags like when Bumblebee pops off his fuel tank cap and "lubricates" on the head of a government official. One scene, which actually becomes quite helpful to the audience, sees Optimus Prime introducing the Autobots one by one to Sam, this is a great introduction to the characters for people new to the world of Transformers.
The plot line, to some, is a
Pictures of Transformers - The Movie (Animated) (DVD)
Optimus Prime, movie poster
bit thin in places, the battle between the 2 sides to find the cube to either save or destroy the human race might sometimes become lost, or overshadowed by the amazing graphic effects and battle scenes. The sub plot involving the US government trying to detect their attackers origins and stop further attacks seems to get forgotten by many viewers yet is an integral part of the movie as it is only with the collaboration of both humans and Autobots that the Decepticons are defeated. Personally I had no complaints about the plot line and thought it worked well in conjunction with everything else that made up the film.
At well over 2 hours long you would be forgiven for being daunted by the film but I came out of the cinema wishing it could have been longer. At no point did I think about how long I'd been in the screen and certainly never wished it would hurry up.
The sound track to the film is suitably dramatic and fits well with the modernised take on Transformers, back in the 80's it was all very soft rock and cheesy which would not have fit in with the modern setting of the movie, or with today's society and culture. The only disappointment which comes from the modernisation, as far as music is concerned, is that the classic theme tune is gone as well as the jingle which appeared in between Decepticon and Autobot scenes, I can see though how that would have made the movie too comic book and cartoony which would have defeated the object of creating the movie in live action.
There are some interesting references to modern interests and to Hasbro, the maker of the original toys. Both My Little Pony and Furbies make an appearance, Ebay is also mentioned alongside the internet, x-box, The Strokes, the movie "40 year old virgin" and more, it gives the movie a little something extra as you not only spend time enjoying the story and admiring the graphics but also looking out for those added little appearances.
For hardcore fans of Transformers there will be a few complaints, there are limited uses of the transforming noise, Bumblebee is now a Camaro instead of a VW beetle, (apparently because VW didn't want their car in a violent movie) Optimus Prime is a different shape to his 1980's form and Devastator the tank should actually have been called Brawl (his original name) an armoured vehicle also appears called Bonecrusher but Bonecrusher was actually part of a different Decepticon Transformer in the cartoons. I'm sure there will be many upset fans as a result of this, naturally not everyone is going to like the movie, it's plot or it's modernised take on the cartoon, I however found no complaint with these changes while actually watching the movie (despite many complaints before seeing it over the Bumblebee issue) if nothing else the effects and action is enough to distract you from the differences and people new to the world of Transformers wont be aware that the characters were ever any other way. Frenzy, while a hilarious character that provides amusement and action throughout the film, is based on the original cartoon Decepticon Soundwave, this is probably the only complaint I would have as far as the character changes go but purely because Soundwave was such a main character and very distinctive, he was also my favourite bad guy! The hardcore fans however will appreciate the relationship between Megatron and Starscream as it remains the same as ever, with Starscream failing Megatron and being told off for it, just as it had always been in the 80's.
I have no real complaints about the film, as a whole it was well made and very enjoyable. I would happily go and see it again and can't wait until the DVD release, which is rumoured to be this Christmas. The one thing I will say is that the film is certified as 12A, I know it is the parents responsibility to ensure the film is not too violent or scary for their kids but I don't think it is suitable for under 12's, there is a lot of violence and the robots, certainly the Decepticons, are quite scary. Megatron is near terrifying and there is no way I would take a child under 12 of mine to see it, not because it's a bad movie but because it's very action filled and dramatic, a bit too much for someone so young, I felt devastated by what happens to Jazz and Bumblebee in particular and I'm 26, how would a child feel seeing their heroes suffer. I know it's not the film for everyone but I loved it, if babysitters were available to me right now I'd go and see it straight away, forget the housework, garden, kids and animals!
I think the film is an absolute wonder and with a sequel in the making, 2009 cannot come fast enough for me (especially as the real Soundwave is set to appear) If you haven't seen the movie in the cinema yet, get there while you still can, there's nothing quite like seeing a movie like this on the big screen.
Thank you Citroen!
PS-in regards to the term animated in the category title, the robots are technically animated as they are created by computers, yes the humans are real though. Think "Monsters inc" or "Shrek" they are animated rather than cartoon, created by computers, Transformers is the same, it's just grittier and darker because of it's older audience.
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I take your point about the "Animated" bit, but still believe this is in the wrong category. I believe this topic relates to the 1986 film "Transformers - The Movie", which was a true animated version, as opposed to what you've reviewed here, which is the 2007 version, just called "Transformers". Ciao should have made it clearer, though.
kiss_me2070 16.10.2007 23:18
Great review, me and my boyfriend are still yet to see this, sounds great!
baalzamon 11.09.2007 13:15
For a moment I thought you'd put this in the wrong category because it's clearly not animated. After checking out the product listing it looks like ciao's mistake, so well done on another good review! I'd have seen it at the cinema, but I figure the changes from the original will grate on me, so I'm waiting for the DVD. John
The earth is a battleground. An age-old struggle for control of the universe is taking ... more
place. Ordinary looking planes, cars and vehicles suddenly transform into mighty robots that wage war with the advanced armoury of super technology.An erupting volca...
![Transformers The Movie [1986] [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78520969.jpg "Transformers The Movie [1986] [DVD]")
Sep 5th, 2007
(Sep 28th, 2007)
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