The Soapbox XIII: Necessary Evils

[Hereticpoo]

As much as I was disappointed by it I'm glad we even got it. Seeing Ninja Prime in the forest was Ousome! Like Skyshadow said, ROTF and TF 2007 is a novelty to me and not a real part of the TF universe. Epic it would have been if Peter Jackson had to make three TF movies. Maybe Live action TF will go the way of Batman? 4 shitty movies (Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin) before someone comes along and puts it right.
The only way from here is up!

[kup]

[d*r*j*]

To me it's no big deal. There was a writers strike on so they just used the brainstorm sheet as the script.

I have one ROTF toy... the ice cream twins... and its a cool novelty but a really crappy toy. I didn't buy it either...

[Gutsman Heavy]

Maybe Live action TF will go the way of Batman? 4 shitty movies (Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin) D

SACRILEGE!

[roller]

ROTF is crap as my dogs behind!!

[Tober]

It's a kid's movie, that their dad who liked TFs as a kid, takes them along to see... So the US military* can recruit them when they flunk school.

I also believe that one fo the main factors for it's success is that it's riding in on the successs of the first movie. All of my friends liked the first, none liked the second, "especially the twins".

Mr. Bay may be crass but he's not stupid. Transformers has become a huge franchise again and he knows how to milk it, as do Hasbro.

I have Sideways (cos I enjoyed playing as him in the Revenge of the Sideways PC game... many Autobot's died at the end of his scope), Ravage (cos it's Ravage) and Buster Prime (cos it's a good toy) on order - the Human Alliance line may also be bought.

I enjoyed Animated alot but I only have Activators Bumblebee from that line, I don't equate toy collecting with storylines - but then I also take a strange sense of achievement in NOT having a huge collection.


* At least he's prepared them for the tea-bagging...

[Sky Shadow]

* At least he's prepared them for the tea-bagging...

Tober! I was trying to drink as I read that!

(Fortunately I wasn't trying to drink tea, but still...)

[RageOnTheRoads]

It's a kid's movie, that their dad who liked TFs as a kid, takes them along to see... So the US military* can recruit them when they flunk school.

I also believe that one fo the main factors for it's success is that it's riding in on the successs of the first movie. All of my friends liked the first, none liked the second, "especially the twins".

Mr. Bay may be crass but he's not stupid. Transformers has become a huge franchise again and he knows how to milk it, as do Hasbro.[/SIZE]

Too true!

It wasn't a necessary evil, just good ol' hollywood and co milking money out of something they knew would score while simultaneously sapping a little more creativity from the world and forcing the masses to become more accustom to mediocrity. All so they can continue to shove crap down our throats. When you find yourself trying to excuse it -as I have- as "just an action movie" you realize how bad it really has become.

Action movies can and should be great... with plots and characters who you can love and get behind. ROTF had a plot that had clearly suffered under the writers strike, and characters who -when not displaying flip-flopping, soulless, cardboard cut out personalities- would disappear just as you started to enjoy them.

Nah, ROTF was inexcusably bad. Sadly another example of explosive creative potential falling victim to Hollywood exec greed and all the other schmucks in suits -and directors caps- who don't share a creative bone between them.

The first movie followed by animated was enough to revive interest in the TF mythos. The first movie was great, it was a fun little action packed romp.

[SilverDragon]

I wouldn't see it as a necessary evil. To label RotF as 'evil' implies that there was no way it could have been better-which it could have been. The first film, while not perfect, was better in many ways. This proves that it's not simply a case of just 'oh this is as good as we can be' as it is a case of a big drop in quality.

Even without RotF, the franchise would still be going on-it survived for nigh-on 20 years without a blockbuster film (I don't count TFTM as one since it didn't open in enough cinemas to count, and so had a limited cultural impact outside of Transfandom).

The unfortunate thing about RotF is that while it rakes in the cash (and so benefits whatever the next TF project Hasbro is working on), it really screws with the popular image of the franchise.

It's a kid's movie, that their dad who liked TFs as a kid, takes them along to see... So the US military* can recruit them when they flunk school.

A kid's movie? Since when did a kid's movie have many uses of explicit language, near-rape, Skankatron, and, well, stuff like that?

[Tober]

A kid's movie? Since when did a kid's movie have many uses of explicit language, near-rape, Skankatron, and, well, stuff like that?

About the same time that the MPAA slapped a PG-13 rating on it. Released during the holiday season with a massive kids toy-line to support it... Irrespective of content this was aimed at family groups - lowest common denominator material.