The Soapbox

[STL]

The Soapbox II: What is a Scalper? ()

That's actually dropped down the pecking order in light of the recent thread we had going. It'll be done in due course but I have a few other ideas. Next week is more pic/toy intensive that this one.

That way, the resulting discussion will be compartmentalized and future columns won't be drowned out in page 9 of a never-ending thread.

Good idea. I actually intended to do it as one never-ending thread but what u said makes sense. Hey mods, could we change the title of this thread to what Jaydisc suggested?

Now, the meat.

Steak? Or pitiful flesh creatures?

The music is so dated, so cheesy, so cheap.

Hey! I'm cheesy! But I believe Demonac's response below is the most apt response.

A few musical scores that I can think of off of the top of my head that are vital contributors to the films that contain them, are Aliens, Gladiator and Batman Begins.

I would really like a copy of that. I'll have a listen next time I'm at ur place.

as it is just Hollywood smut.

...but a bit of cheese here and there is fun (except that horrid title track).

What de man said.

But, hey...whatever people enjoy is fine by me...I'll be a closet elitist. :P

I'm just glad I got u out of that closet.

So for me, both are successful, in different ways. The "popcorn" movie fan in me likes TFM and the Transfan in me likes TFTM,

I don't disagree w/ you Dirge at all. That's why I approached this article from a fan's perspective, focusing on what we as TF fans would consider to be the better movie. And I openly ackowledge (as I did above) that TFM is tailored to a different segment of the population. I'm more concerned here whether if, for us, the TF fandom, the movies stand up. I managed to see TFM a total of 6 or 7 times IIRC. I probably shouldn't have but the popcorn flick nature of it certainly made the experience fun. Combined w/ the underlying TFs, that's what got me coming back that many times. If it'd had been Go-Bots, say, I'd have liked it but I doubt I'd have gone back 6 or 7 times.

Cy-Kill and Leader-One don't exactly fill me w/ glee, if you know what I mean.

[Bartrim]

So for me, both are successful, in different ways. The "popcorn" movie fan in me likes TFM and the Transfan in me likes TFTM, and sees genuine merit in both. The "popcorn" movie fan in me can find TFTM too intense to watch through (in some moods) while the Transfan in me finds some aspects of TFM thoroughly pointless in a Transformers show (such as the Maggie storyarc).

Thats pretty much all I feel is needed to be said. If I want to watch (as dirge called it) a popcorn flick I'll watch TFM as it is a popcorn flick that features transformers. If I'm feeling overly transformersy (is that a word?) then I watch TFTM.

BTW great column STL. Look forward to the next one.

[Robzy]

TFM employs the standard Hollywood playbook for quick money: Special effects, tits, popular music and bad jokes based on contemporary culture (Prime: "my bad"). Unfortunately, that means it also comes with flawed science (Maggie/hacking/viruses), wasteful unnecessary scenes (Autobots at the Witwickys), incomplete special effects (too much blur), some glaring plot holes (Barricade), and an anticlimactic ending (uh, touch the bad guy with the Allspark). Knowing Bay, I knew it was to be exactly like that, so my expectations were lowered, and I still like it, but I'm sure that's due to my emotional ties to the franchise, as it is just Hollywood smut.

QFT!!!

Regarding the soundtrack, I agree with STL. I think the '86 soundtrack to be superior.

Me too! I love the Score...

I also agree with Jay's summarization of the '07 movie. I enjoyed the film the first time because my expectations were so low, but since then, I find it extremely hard to watch the damn thing. I find myself just skipping to the transformers...you know...transforming. THAT was cool. Too bad about the rest of the movie.

It's funny, I saw the movie 3 times at the cinema, and have watched it countless times on DVD... but the more I watch it, the less I 'watch'! I tend to just skip to when the Autobots arrive on earth, and then to the "climactic" battle! Everything else seems to get less interesting with every viewing!

[jaydisc]

Me too! I love the Score...

I forgot about the scored parts. They are indeed good. It's the songs on the soundtrack that kill me.

[SilverDragon]

I forgot about the scored parts. They are indeed good. It's the songs on the soundtrack that kill me.

YES! To me, the song choices were utterly random. With the exception of 'What I've Done', none of them are IN the film...well, most of them, anyway. Plus, most of them have no relation to Transformers anyway. They were just pandering to the 'average teen' audience.

[STL]

Just watching the movie again w/ my lil sister who's on holidays and man that first kill still gets u.

But what actually reminded me of one of my major gripes was Daniel. No, he's not annoying but heck, Blurr and Arcee abandoned him in mid-fight - running on w/out him. Prime'd be rolling in his grave!

[Paulbot]

No, he's not annoying but heck, Blurr and Arcee abandoned him in mid-fight - running on w/out him. Prime'd be rolling in his grave!

I always get annoyed that the Autobots leave Blaster behind on Earth to hold off the Decepticons all by himself while they flee in their shuttles. Ultra Magnus also takes off before Arcee gets in as well. "We can't wait" says Springer when Arcee wants to wait for Hot Rod and Kup to make it back to the city. I guess the Autobots are a bit colder in the future.

[dirge]

Nah they left Eject, Rewind, Ramhorn, Steeljaw & Snarl to keep Blaster company.

[loophole]

what about Grapple you see him on the battlefield shooting at the Decepticons for a brief moment he's gotta be keeping Blaster company too!!! you dont actually see him die

[Tiby]

Well done STL - a very enjoyable read! I find myself agreeing with you.

However, I still do see TFTM as a way to introduce new toys pretty quickly. The initial battle kills off the G1 catalogue pretty thoroughly. I guess what I'm saying is that capitalism was alive and well in TFTM. Being aimed at Transformers fans (primarily kids at that time), the makers (and Hasbro) were looking to start up sales of a whole new series of cheaper to make, more durable and less licensed toys.

That's not to say that they did not pull it off without adding all of those plusses you mentioned. I too watch TFTM when I am need of an injection of classic TF goodness, but for me TFM shows the Transformers themselves in a way that works for me. Alien chameleon (or mimic) lifeforms. To this day I get frustrated seeing "Cybertron" mode TFs with cockpits, seats etc.... I know the figures were based on mechs with drivers in the Diaclone and other series, but why extend that to Cybertron mode in the comics/cartoons?

Finally, the soundtracks. I must say playing songs from the TFTM soundtrack in my car always increases my speed to unsafe and un-wallet-friendly levels.... as cheesy as they are. But TFTM just wouldn't be the same without ol' Stan!

Keep 'em coming STL! Keeps our brains turning over!