Why are the movies so criticised for not being 'G1-accurate'?

Design & messing with Transformer lore was the major flaw for me. Too many bits & pieces made them look like they were experiments grown in test energon cubes in Shockwaves lab. Didn't mind the vehicle modes so much but in robot mode none of them looked like they could handle a fight. If Meg's smashed Optimus in the chest I swear bits would fly everywhere. I get trying to establish a new look, but not a new look where it's obvious someones stapled the creative artists drawing arm to the the drawing board while they're looking through a kaleidoscope. Reminds me of when the G2 comics came out & most fans who wrote in wanted Manny Galan's head under Omega Supreme's foot when he took over from Derek Yaniger. Was so hoping some Autobot would just step on Frenzy & Wheelie. I think lore was the major problem for die hard fans. You cannot take a well loved franchise & rewrite the whole history the way you see fit! You're disrespecting the creators, the fans & anyone else that brought a contribution to the Transformers. After the G1 comic came out I think any fan would find it hard enough to draw up a Transformers timeline let alone all the other directions writers have taken Transformers & then this happens! Was open to a non G1 take (kinda expected it as we know movies are not made to cater to fans but are aimed at the general public) but I am not open to a hollow piece of crap. Overall this was just a bad movie. But I only pay out Bay & not the fans as each to their own. Hell, alot of fans hated Beast Wars & I love it. I must admit though, Bay had me at the beginning with Blackout's opening scene (How epic was that!?!), then the movie died for me. The only thing that kept me in the theater were the easter eggs & a bit of hope that the movie would get better. ...my 2 cents anyway.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Ever tried doing a Transformers Cosplay? Cos I gotta tell ya, those traditional blocky G1 designs are NOT easy to move around in! In a photorealistic movie, slavish G1 designs would make the Transformers look like Power Rangers Zords. :eek: Having said that, they didn't have to be that alien (and adding beards and other weird body/facial features flies against making the Transformers look alien). Perhaps something more like the general aesthetic of some of the Pacific Rim Jaegers might be better, as it seems to strike a better balance between Japanese Mecha & photorealism to me. Of course, the Jaegers were man made, so it would make more sense for the Transformers to look a bit more otherworldly. But yeah, some of the Transformers in the sequels looks just cartoonishly goofy... like Drift. :rolleyes:

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Sure i can understand that but I still think it comes down to the filmmakers in how they approach the movie. I dont think a 1:1 translation of G1 is necessary for a faithful adaptation.

And yeah, if the writers went so far as to question the logic of alien transformers then how did we even get bearded, cigar smokingtransformers and samurai transformers with Japanese accents. Seems like there's zero logic to any of their design decisions other than for ones they bother to make excuses for.

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Originally Posted by Ralph Wiggum

I can understand the rationale behind the character designs truth be told: G1 designs were blocky and wouldn't translate to screen. The look was alien first, Earth based second.

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Originally Posted by Smint

If they can have the general audience accept the look of the alien proto form, which frankly looks awful, then theres no reason why they cant create a movie with the more traditional look. They just need the foresight and vision to do so which obviously seems lacking.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Ever tried doing a Transformers Cosplay? Cos I gotta tell ya, those traditional blocky G1 designs are NOT easy to move around in! In a photorealistic movie, slavish G1 designs would make the Transformers look like Power Rangers Zords. :eek: Having said that, they didn't have to be that alien (and adding beards and other weird body/facial features flies against making the Transformers look alien). Perhaps something more like the general aesthetic of some of the Pacific Rim Jaegers might be better, as it seems to strike a better balance between Japanese Mecha & photorealism to me. Of course, the Jaegers were man made, so it would make more sense for the Transformers to look a bit more otherworldly. But yeah, some of the Transformers in the sequels looks just cartoonishly goofy... like Drift. :rolleyes:

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If you look at the blocky, boxy, man-in-a-suit Marvel/Sunbow designs, they actually have terrible joint mobility. How many times have we seen joints 'floating' because the design doesn't allow the desired movement, or parts made of solid metal bend or stretch to allow a character to move? It's even more noticeable in Beast Wars. The complex movieverse designs allow for far greater freedom of movement.

As said before, the other problem with the G1 designs look far too terrestrial. That's why the movieverse Transformers have odd proportions, despite the humanoid layouts of their bodies; it emphasises their alien nature. Then again, I wonder if the slow evolution towards human features in the sequels was a response to initial feedback about the weird looks of the Transformers in the first movie.

I enjoyed them for what they were. Giant robots blowing stuff up fighting each other. I didn't need character development for that. They are popcorn flicks that puts butts on seats and makes a lot of money. And all the money that has been generated has given Hasbro a lot of spending money for a lot of the toys we now have

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Originally Posted by Ozgardian

Design & messing with Transformer lore was the major flaw for me.

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I think that significantly altering lore isn't as important as just telling a good story. IDW massively alters Transformers lore in their mainstream Neo-G1 series, like, a lot. But it's held in high regard by fans because it's basically just good story telling. Compare this with ReGeneration One and "What If?" story based on The Transformers The Movie (where Optimus doesn't die) - both of these stayed true to original G1 continuity, but I found ReGeneration One to be disappointing and the "What If?" story was one of the biggest steaming pieces of crap I've ever had the displeasure of reading.

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Originally Posted by Ozgardian

Too many bits & pieces made them look like they were experiments grown in test energon cubes in Shockwaves lab. Didn't mind the vehicle modes so much but in robot mode none of them looked like they could handle a fight. If Meg's smashed Optimus in the chest I swear bits would fly everywhere. I get trying to establish a new look, but not a new look where it's obvious someones stapled the creative artists drawing arm to the the drawing board while they're looking through a kaleidoscope. Reminds me of when the G2 comics came out & most fans who wrote in wanted Manny Galan's head under Omega Supreme's foot when he took over from Derek Yaniger.

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That's actually a fairly good analogy IMO. :)

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Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1

I enjoyed them for what they were. Giant robots blowing stuff up fighting each other. I didn't need character development for that. They are popcorn flicks that puts butts on seats and makes a lot of money. And all the money that has been generated has given Hasbro a lot of spending money for a lot of the toys we now have

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I wish there was a like button to like this post... couldn't agree more. I enjoy these movies cause I dont have to think, I can check my brain at the door. I want to be entertained when I see a movie, and for me I am easily entertained by things blowing up and giant bots tearing each other apart.

If the designs differing from G1 were the worst problem with the movies problems then I'd be happy, sadly there the least of it's problems.

And I think some of the IDW comics proved the movie designs could work ok, with a half decent story.

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Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1

I enjoyed them for what they were. Giant robots blowing stuff up fighting each other. I didn't need character development for that. They are popcorn flicks that puts butts on seats and makes a lot of money. And all the money that has been generated has given Hasbro a lot of spending money for a lot of the toys we now have

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Marvel movies are pretty good popcorn flicks. They make money AND rate well with critics and fans. Its actually possible to have a great story and great action.

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Originally Posted by Smint

Marvel movies are pretty good popcorn flicks. They make money AND rate well with critics and fans. Its actually possible to have a great story and great action.

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Personally I have no issue with the stories of the TF movies. All comes down to personal preference. And with Marvel movies, they've changed some things to make them fit with the more average moviegoer too. Only movie which I deem as being as close to their comicbook iteration was Dredd. Sadly that bombed at the box office because of crappy advertising done for it. But that movie nailed it

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Originally Posted by BigTransformerTrev

I just got really sick of when the first live action movie came out (and arguably the best movie the 4) people saying all over social media "They raped my childhood". What a stupid thing to say! :mad:

Yeah I reckon G1-based movies might have been better, in fact make that probably. But it's not the same universe. Transformer fiction exists in an ever expanding multiverse - people need to cope with it or bugger off.

I own about 70 different Optimus toys - if there was never any change I'd just own the one.

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Agreed! But 70 Optimuses seem too much to mee.