TF4 - 2014

[griffin]

Bad timing... We didn't get a proper 25th Anniversary because all of Hasbro's resources were focused on TF2 toys and marketing (Hasbro even regretted not being able to do more to celebrate the toy Brand that year).
Now we're going to be getting another anniversary year focusing on the current year's "big thing" - which is right in the middle of the year, limiting options for releasing Anniversary-themed packaging/series before or after it. (each Movie has had toys out by April/May, with almost nothing in the months leading up to it to give retailers time to clear their shelves... and the movie season of toys goes right through past the end of the year). A commemorative series is either going to be cut back to a small number of items or a shiny silver label on the side of the current packaging (like in 2009), or passed off to a dedicated toystore (TRU) as an exclusive, due to there being too much product for one year for the regular retailers.

I'm going to be getting my fill of Generations in the next two years, because I'm not looking forward to 2014, toywise.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

You'll just have to suffer another Bay movie then! :-P AND you'll get to suffer another movie that sequels whatever Lord Bay makes for us.

So you don't like Bay's work? Tell me it's worse than Beast Machines and it's "magnificent" ending. LOL

So, it's less bad (well, actually not really) than what's widely acknowledged to be one of the worst plot points in TF lore, so it must be good?
By that reasoning, getting kicked is the balls in less bad than having terminal cancer, so you must like getting kicked in the balls. I mean, c'mon, tell me it's worse than getting terminal cancer.

But, you inadvertently raise a fair point: it's all too easy to hate on Bayformers without having a good reason or twelve. Here's a few of mine.
1: The designs are ugly.
They really are. I'll pay that something like this just wouldn't cut it for a live-action movie, but then neither does the shattered-mirror-crossed-with-a-cockroach-crossed-with-a-porcupine-crossed-with-vomit Bay look IMO.
2: They're poorly written.
I don't need Shakespeare from a TF movie, but basic plot consistency would be nice. Or even just a little characterisation, like say "Oh no, Sentinel Prime just killed my oldest friend Ironhide. I, Optimus Prime, am sad about this."
Just give me a decent action flick about transforming robots who fight each other, and a decent accompanying toyline, and that's all I ask. Here's the plot for Bay, already written:

There are two races of alien transforming robots, the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons. They're on Earth for some reason, maybe because they need energy or something. They fight.

That's it. That's all you need for a Transformers movie.
As things stand, even Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt had a better story.
3: Stupid toilet humour.
The irony of my listing this as a con after linking to a Panty and Stocking clip isn't lost on me, but...you don't need it, and it detracts from the movies. Or at least it would, if they weren't crap.
4: The female leads are just eye candy.
OK, actually I don't mind this one. That said, it'd be nice to see a female lead who was more than just eye candy, and maybe one who could act.
4: Michael Bay has stupid-looking hair.
5: Not enough robot airtime.
See the quote above. Robots fighting. That's what I want to see in a Transformers movie. Not "Same and Mikaela run through a desert", not "AHAHAHAH DER FUNNY SMALL ROBOT IS HUMPING DER HOT CHICK LEG", just robots + fight.
I could go on (and on), but the simple fact is they're not very good movies, even for the mindless action flicks they are. I'm just glad we get a few decent toys out of it.

[theheretic]

I'm not gonna answer ALL this hate but I will give you a few facts and some opinions.

*4th highest grossing film to date

*Bayformers are so ugly because they don't look like G1? G1 was kick arse, in the 80's and 90's when I was a kid. I really like te realistic look of Bayformers (minus the horror that is starscream)

*You can't tell me there weren't huge inconsistencies in all the cartoons (ie Megatron made the Constructicons who made Megatron)

*There are many TF universes where a lot of different stuff happens, in one Unicron has conquered basically everything.... So how is that Transformers

*I think DOTM was well written. Sure there's toilet humour but kids love that. I'd have liked to see Optimus get sad over Ironhides death... But he didn't seem too phased in the 86 movie about it. Granted he did only have a short while to live. While I'm on that movie (which I love) where the f%#k did Hot Rod come from.... and why did he get te matrix! And why did they make out Ultra Magnus to be such a wimpy easy kill when he's supposed to be this bad ass leader of the wreckers?

Anyway that'll do us for the minute as I'm already late for work.

[theheretic]

DOTM poll currently says that over 73% of our members think DOTM is good to excellent.... :-)

[5FDP]

Hmmm... this thread is like a 'wash, rinse, repeat' of the TF2 and TF3 movie announcements Haters will always hate

Face it; you're all going to see it anyway which is going to contribute to Bays already fat wallet and the reason why he keeps coming back for more. You're all sending him mixed messages and in fact are contributing to the very problem you argue so vehemently about.

Time to move on people...

[Decepticon]

Just hope the new movie will be based on the last 3. If I see a Beast Machine, or some other obscure excuse for a Transformer, I won't be happy. Bays done a brilliant job with the movies and he should be thanked.

[Demonac]

I was able to not go and see DotM based on the awfulness of TF2.
I still have no motivation to watch it.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Thanks for the facts and opinions. Here are some more.
See, I don't hate Michael Bay or Bayformers. I dislike them. There's a big difference, namely that Bay and Bayformers are a movie director and series of toys/movie characters. Put simply, they're just toys and a few movies, and thus not important enough to hate.
If Michael Bay was a genocidal dictator who'd kicked my dog and slept with my girlfriend, then maybe I'd hate him. As it is I just don't like it.

I'm not gonna answer ALL this hate but I will give you a few facts and some opinions.

*4th highest grossing film to date

*Bayformers are so ugly because they don't look like G1? G1 was kick arse, in the 80's and 90's when I was a kid. I really like te realistic look of Bayformers (minus the horror that is starscream)

*You can't tell me there weren't huge inconsistencies in all the cartoons (ie Megatron made the Constructicons who made Megatron)

*There are many TF universes where a lot of different stuff happens, in one Unicron has conquered basically everything.... So how is that Transformers

*I think DOTM was well written. Sure there's toilet humour but kids love that. I'd have liked to see Optimus get sad over Ironhides death... But he didn't seem too phased in the 86 movie about it. Granted he did only have a short while to live. While I'm on that movie (which I love) where the f%#k did Hot Rod come from.... and why did he get te matrix! And why did they make out Ultra Magnus to be such a wimpy easy kill when he's supposed to be this bad ass leader of the wreckers?

Anyway that'll do us for the minute as I'm already late for work.

*Titanic is the second-highest grossing film of all time, and I didn't like that either.

*IMO Bayformers aren't ugly because they're not G1, they're ugly because they're ugly in their own right. They're spiky and insectoid, with faces that look like Munsch tried drawing a pug's behind while wearing broken glasses. It is possible to do figures that don't look G1-esque but don't resemble Freddy Kreuger and Edward Scissorhands putting on a sock puppet show.
For the record, I really liked the Animated designs, am quite enjoying the Prime look, and reckon the new WFC stuff (mostly) looks pretty sweet too. Not very G1esque, but still good IMO.
Which is, y'know, just my opinion. You don't have to agree with it, we're allowed to like different things.

*True, the G1 'toon had terrible consistency too. What that means is that they're both bad in terms of consistency. One bad thing does not another bad thing good make.

*See above. Transformers series in general aren't exactly a masterpiece of storytelling, being basically just big toy commercials. I've just come up with my own personal backstory/universe.

*I think it was terribly written. But it's OK, we can chill out over this. We're allowed to have different opinions. That's why you're one of the 71% who voted good/excellent and I'm not.
I think the other points can be explained by Optimus not knowing about Ironhide's death specifically and being in the middle of a massive battle at the time, and Ultra Magnus being the leader of the Wreckers in a different continuity stream (namely not the G1 cartoon). Hot Rod I assume was created by a wizard, like all the cartoon Movie and post-Movie TFs.
Gotta go to work myself. Hope we can continue this in a nice, friendly manner later - it's been fun so far.

[kup]

It is very narrow minded to think that someone doesn't like Bayformers just because it's not like the G1 cartoon.

A lot of people don't like Bayformers simply because they are awful movies.

[LordCyrusOmega]

I thought the movies have gotten better. Ther first was crap with Transformers only recieving about 30 minutes (I was bored so I timed it) screen time. DOTM was a let down but wasn't a dismal flop. I take them for what they are. Truth is they need to cater to a wide demographic and unfortunatly us fans only make up a small percentage. Just look at the toy section at your local store for proof of this.

The movies have also done harm to Transformers. Animated, while it has it's haters, was a well thought out story line and an incredible toyline that for the most part mirrored their screen appearance. This line got cancelled for ROTF. I for one would have liked to see more.
At the same time no store I've been to in months has any new stock worth buying. Upcoming toys that would have been refreshing after all the Optimus and Bumblebee toys have now been cancelled and are going for extortionate prices online.

Everyones entitled to their opinions and defend them.