Clip from Transformers G1 cartoon. My favorite scene.

In anticipation of the premier of the new Transformers movie that’s due out July 4th, Pontiac has already begun its promotion of the Solstice GXP roadster which appears in the movie. Aside from everything that’s going on now, the promotion is also holding a campaign through Maxim, a magazine geared towards men. By visiting the Maxim website, visitors can enter contests whose prizes include a Solstice GXP and a chance to accompany Transformers star Megan Fox to the movie’s premier.

And everyone seems to want to have their share of the Transformers craze too as the Piaggio — maker of the Vespa scooter — also has a new promotion running branding the Vespa as a “Transportation Transformer.”

Customers who will test drive a Vespa at a participating dealer during the Vespa National Open House on June 14-24 can get lucky and get a free movie ticket to see Transformers – which also happens to feature a cameo by Vespa. All customers need to do is to simply sign-up for Vespa updates online, print the confirmation email and coupon, then go to a participating dealer during the open house dates to test drive a Vespa and receive your Transformers movie ticket. Dealer hours and test vehicles vary, please contact your participating dealer for details.

Earlier this year, General Motors has introduced the four new movie stars – “Bumblebee,” “Autobot Jazz,” “Autobot Ratchet” and “Ironhide” as it hosted its sixth annual “ten” pre-Oscar fashion event at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood.

All starring in the much awaited DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures (in association with Hasbro) production, GM’s movie stars “Bumblebee” changes from the classic Chevrolet Camaro, and is a central character in the saga of aliens who take mechanical forms when on Earth “Autobot Jazz” converts from a Pontiac Solstice in a hardtop format. A Hummer H2, modified as a rescue vehicle, changes into “Autobot Ratchet” and “Ironhide” changes from a GMC TopKick medium-duty truck.

“Transformers is a compelling project and offers us a global platform for marketing GM products and building our brands,” said Mike Jackson, GM North America vice president, marketing and advertising. “It represents the perfect intersection of entertainment, marketing and design.”

Buzz about the roles that these vehicles play in the movie has been afire since the new Camaro was spotted in the film’s first Transformers trailer, which began appearing in theaters on Dec. 20, 2006.

“The first time I saw the new Camaro, while touring the GM Design Center, I knew immediately that it would be the perfect ‘Bumblebee,’” said Michael Bay, the film’s Director. He continued, “It’s got beautiful lines and a classic, timeless look. There were no other cars that came even close. I have had a great working relationship with GM for many years and am psyched to be working with them on Transformers.”

GM, maker of quality GMC lift kit, is now rolling a fully integrated marketing and promotional effort around the film, including a major Chevrolet promotion.

Images, scenes and clips – all things Transformers – may be found at the official Web site: www.transfomersmovie.com. Images of the four GM vehicles as they appear in Transformers are available online at media.gm.com.

About Transformers:

Our world will be transformed on July 4 when aliens make Earth their final battleground. As the forces of evil seek the key to ultimate power, our last chance for survival rests in the hands of young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures present, in association with Hasbro, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom DeSanto and Don Murphy production of a Michael Bay Film, Transformers, starring Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Rachael Taylor, Megan Fox, with John Turturro and Jon Voight. Directed by Michael Bay from a story by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman and John Rogers and a screenplay by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, the film is based on Hasbro’s Transformers™ Action Figures.

It’s that time of the year again when you start to think about the gifts that you’re going to give to your spouse, nieces and nephews, and your children.  Quite honestly, it seems like every single year, more and more toys come out onto the market — toys for your hubby, who is still young at heart, and toys for the children that are near and dear to your heart.  Instead of going out and looking for the latest and greatest of electronic gadgets to hit the marketplace just in time for Black Friday, think about purchasing transformers figures for those that you care the most about.

Sure, it seems like it was ages ago that Transformers were on TV, but it will was only about a year ago that the Transformers movie came out in theaters, and righteously  brought back the popularity of the once-hugely popular transformer action figures.  While the TV series has all but disappeared from the airwaves, transformers figures are much easier to find.  Moreover, with the new Transformers movie coming out next year, you have the opportunity today to make your child, or any child in your family-and-friends circle, super popular next summer when the wave of popularity strikes again.

Transformers played a fairly significant role in the lives of kids growing up in a mid-to-late 1980s and all the way up until the mid 1990s.  Chances are, just about anybody between the ages of 25 and 65 either grew up with Transformers on their TV, had Transformers figures in their bedroom, or had kids, or knew of kids in the family, that were hooked on the half human, half machine gadgets that were born during the big hair, glam-rock era.  So, there’s a good chance that you know, first hand, how much fun transformer action figures can be, maybe not for yourself — but certainly for a loved one around you.

So, when you’re trying to think of the perfect gift for little Ryan, Joe, or Dominic — think back to what seems to be just a few years ago, but in reality it was closer to a decade ago, and see if you can find some Transformers figures for your little tot here on Christmas day.  Quite honestly, now is the perfect time to pick up transformer action figures — with the uber-cool movie that came out here last year, and the new Transformers movie that’s coming out next year, you just might make your kid the most popular kid in school.

Barricade from Transformers is a robot who can turn into a Formula One racing car and is member of the race track patrol team. As the Race Track Patrol front man he brings fierce and edgy combat tactics which he learned racing against other gangs in Cybertron. He is known to be acutely precise and exact by his troops, and they know that the smallest error can end up in massive turmoil and disaster. Barricade takes advantage of his position as leader of the Race Track Patrol and often abuses his powers by ridiculing others.

As far as toys go, Barricade came included with the Race Track Patrol Package along with Roller force, Ground Hog and Motorhead. Oddly, in the Transformers: Energon series Barricade appears as leader of a group of Decepticons that combine to build the body of Bruticus-Maximus, and he’s portrayed as a missile truck.

Barricade from Transformers can transform into a Mustang Saleen S281 police car in the 2007 Transformers film, making him look like the Generation 1 Transformer Prowl. With his police car form he can easily hide from the humans and authorities, making him an excellent hunter and powerful opponent against Autobot Bumblebee. In the movie he gets to catch Sam Witwicky and interrogates him about his grandfather’s glasses that hold they to Megatron’s geographical location. It’s interesting to note that when he transforms into a car he can use a holographic devise and reproduce a human semblance that seems to drive both Barricade and Starscream in at least one occasion.

Barricade was originally supposed to be Brawl according to early versions of the script. However Brawl ended up being another evil Decepticon and his name was switched to Barricade. Whilst in car mode, depicted in his rear is a slogan that reads: “To punish and enslave”. According to the official video game, Barricade stands 16 feet tall and can boost his speed up to 300mph. However, director Michael Bay insists that he’s 18 feet tall and the Deluxe toy version implies a height of 19 feet – shoulder length. It’s a little known fact that Barricade appears in the movie’s prequel comic alongside Starscream and Blackout. When Barricade lands on earth he searches and destroys the police car from which he takes his alternate form, making sure there’s no one left alive. These three Decepticons carelessly fell into a trap planted by Sector 7 that was originally intended to capture Bumblebee. Of course they wasted no time in annihilating all the human military forces before such trap could catch them. After this massacre, Barricade pretends to lose Bumblebee and lets Starscream and Blackout follow him from the clouds.

In the movie, Barricade from Transformers is one of the most important and influential Decepticons. Alongside Starscream and maybe Scorponok he is generally assumed to remain alive for the sequel since no signs of his death are shown. However in the leaked script version he does die from an attack performed by Autobot leader Optimus Prime. However much anticipation covers this topic since the movie writers themselves imply that its an issue to be possibly addressed in the sequel.

Frenzy from Transformers is an evil Decepticon that can transform into a cassette. In the original series his partners are Ravage, Buzzaw and Laserbeak. Due to changes in his coloration in the later series he is frequently also known to be Rumble. As for the toy goes, it’s tainted indigo although in the animated series he remains gold, black and red. On the other hand, Marvel remained true to his original colors, leaving them untouched.

Digging a bit deeper into the animated series, Frenzy was inferior to Rumble. He was like his sidekick, always running besides Rumble. The legend goes that the TV series mistakenly interchanged the color palettes for both Frenzy and Rumble, a good reason to cause confusion between them.

In the Marvel Universe Frenzy and Rumble are featured as brothers. Here we see a different Frenzy whose powers are focused in sonic attacks rather than the original spinning arms. Following the comic, Frenzy was one of the first Decepticons that assaulted the Ark and befell on planet Earth. That’s where he was reconfigured as a cassette and proudly fought many of the early battles versus the Autobots. However in one of these epic encounters Frenzy was successfully deactivated by Autobot Omega Supreme. That pretty much tallies up Frenzy’s appearance in the US comics version.

Frenzy’s real death can be tracked down to the ending issue of the G2 series (Generation 2). Things came down to an alliance between the Autobots and Decepticons to defeat the common enemy known as The Swarm. Frenzy’s sonic energy was boosted by Wheeljack for his attack, and although this did help slow down The Swarm it was too much for Frenzy. He fell into pieces due to the incontrollable amount of sonic energy that it took to hold down the swarm.

Decepticon Frenzy the Transformer is widely known because of his appearance in the 2007 Transformers movie. In this movie Frenzy takes on a different transformation: a small radio that reminds Transformers followers of Soundwave, another Decepticon. According to the creators it was Soundwave who was to appear in the movie, but because of the exaggerated and sleek design of the robot they had to replace him for Frenzy’s character. Frenzy is portrayed as being a slick and quite thin robot that is constantly in a frenetic loop. His exact transformation is that of a silver GPX Boom Box featuring blue lights and round shaped speakers. Around the middle of the movie Frenzy’s head falls off, but somehow he mages to survive and takes the form of a cell phone suiting his then smaller self.

Frenzy’s role is not that of being an aggressive attacker like most of the other Decepticons in the movie. Rather he serves as a spy and scavenger, in fact he manages to be the first one to find the AllSpark. Curiously this frenetic robot takes much more camera time than his allies, maybe because of his hilarious way of speaking accelerated Cybertronian.

What is the formula for a summer blockbuster? Car chases – check. Explosions – check. Shootouts – check. Pretty girls – check. Loveable (read marketable) characters, menacing bad guys, noble good guys – check, check, check.

“Transformers” is a true-to-form summer blockbuster. Based on an already successful toy and TV cartoon franchise, “Transformers” recreates in the big screen the same awe inspiring imagination that many of us who grew up watching them on TV experienced. Maybe because Peter Cullen voiced Optimus Prime, the same guy who voiced Optimus Prime in the cartoons. I’m not gonna dwell on the plot, it’s basically Autobots vs. Decepticons on Earth, duh.

But many familiar guys are here. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Jazz, and Ironhide for the Autobots. Megatron, Starscream, Barricade, Devastator, Bonecrusher, and Blackout for the Decepticons. Bumblebee is updated. He used to be a VW bug. He’s a Camaro now. Megatron is a jet with a big gun. He used to be just a big gun, often fired by Starscream. I remember Ratchet as an ambulance. He’s someting else in this movie. Devastator was the Constructicons combined into one. He’s his own Decepticon in this movie as a tank. Barricade was a racing car, but not one of the original Decepticons. He’s a Ford Mustang police squad car in this movie. Soundwave, my favorite Decepticon is missing. I liked him primarily because of his Cylon Raider-like voice. Yes, that’s the Cylons from old school Battlestar Galactica.

The action is fast and furious and, often, very hard to appreciate in one sitting. Too many things flying off and exploding. In the city street fight scene, Ironhide performs all sorts of acrobatic moves that I didn’t catch in the big screen. You have a 60 ft robot cartwheeling and tumbling on the streets to avoid incoming missiles. But it took me several loops to fully appreciate the scenes. All I remember from the theater was that it was a cool fight.

Another scene worth several views is Starscream jacking up the F-22’s. This scene really shows you how much more powerful the Transformers are from the human-made machines.

“Non-biological extraterrestrials. Try and keep up with the acronyms”

Aside from geeking out from the Autobots and Decepticons, one actor stood out for his comedic scenes, John Turturro as Agent Simmons of Sector 7. As the main representative for the secretive government department, John Turturro has the duty of retrieving Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) because of Sam’s dealings with the NBE’s (the Transformers). A summer blockbuster is not complete without funny parts. And Agent Simmons has the goofy scenes reminding you that this movie is not to be taken seriously and is all for fun.

In generation 1, Blackout from Transformers is Spaceshot’s partner and they’re a team of Micromasters Combiners. Originally they always appeared together in the animated series, thus making it hard to distinguish between the two who was who. According to his biography, Blackout is a brave warrior, but frequently a coward when the odds where just slightly turned against him or his team. On the other hand Spaceshot obliged him to keep pushing till the end of the battle was reached. Fast forwarding all the way to 2007, Blackout appears in the live action movie as a Decepticon who can transform into a military helicopter. Early scripts implied that this helicopter transforming character would be named Vortex, but potentially because of Lack of trademark on the name they decided to switch it to Blackout. In fact, Blackout had numerous codenames before finalizing: Incinerator, Soundwave and Vortex. All of these names had been used by at least one transformers toy in the past.

The movie writers agree that Blackout from Transformers is the biggest Decepticon, this gives him the ability to transport other Decepticons from one place to another. Blackout has the unique ability to interrupt electronic equipment by releasing EMP blasts. He also has an array of canons and missile launchers which serve well during battle. When in helicopter mode, he can simulate the holographic appearance of a human being driving the helicopter, who’s referred to as Mustache Man. Furthermore, Scorponok is transported by Blackout on his back. Like many other Transformers, Blackout’s tech specs vary depending on the source. If you take a look at his tech spec card he’s supposed to be 33 feet tall, but according to the toy he should be 55 feet tall. His height remains a mystery, yet it’s a know fact that he’s even larger than Decepticon leader Megatron.

In the movie’s prequel novel Blackout stands out as Starscream’s biggest rival for the leadership of the Decepticons. When he finally got the opportunity he led Frenzy and Bonecrusher to an Autobot attack in which he failed miserably against Optimus Prime. He then fought a duel against Starscream for complete Decepticon leadership, but he lost against the superior prowess of his stronger opponent.

Blackout is the very first Transformer to appear in the movie. With Scorponok riding on his back, they are the first to disengage an attack against US military forces in Qatar. Conveniently he’s disguised as a US military helicopter which was lost three months earlier, thus he was able to sneak in the SOCCENT base without mayor issues. Once inside the base, he shatters it to pieces only leaving a handful of humans alive. Later in the movie Blackout leads over to Frenzy’s calling about finding the Allspark. When summoned by Starscream, Blackout from Transformers proves to be ultimately loyal to Megatron, in his own words: “All hail Megatron”. In the final battle he’s eventually killed by Captain Lennox and jet fighters simultaneously shooting heavy missiles towards him.

With their unmistakable electronic changing noise and the tag line “Robots in Disguise” from the 80s cartoon, it’s hard to ignore the Tranformers. As any true child of the 80s can tell you, Transformers were created by the toy company Hasbro after meeting Takara (a Japanese toy company) at the Tokyo Toy Show in 1983. By combining Takara’s toy lines Diaclone and Micro Change, Hasbro created a product line unlike any other. The initial toys were released with the television series, and since then, nine different Transformers toy lines have hit American markets.

What Was. . .

The Transformer’s storyline initially had the Autobots (the story’s heroes) fighting the Decepticons (the ultimate villains) for control of Cybertron, their home planet. The eventually left their home in search of energy, which they found on Earth.

What is . . .

Because of the continued popularity of this story line and these toys, Producer Don Murphy looked into the possibility of creating a live-action film based on the franchise. Slated for release in July of 2007, the film brings together the creative minds of co-producer Adam DeSanto, Steven Spielberg, and screen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

A Closer Look

The film begins when Captain Archibald Witwicky lands on Decepticon leader Megatron’s hand after he has fallen into an chasm during a voyage through the Arctic circle in the 1800s. Megatron creates a map to Allspark in Witwicky’s glasses, which are handed down to his descendant Sam Witwicky in the present. Sam purchases his first car, the Autobot Bumblebee, which in turn, helps him meet Mikaela, a new love interest. As the Autobots search for Witwicky’s glasses, the Decepticon’s invade Sam’s house, triggering a chain of events that leads Autobot leader Optimus Prime and Megatron to the ultimate battle.

One of the most surprising and refreshing aspects of the film promises to be the effects. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura wanted to keep things on the realistic side, so instead of going with a standard box like look for the main character Optimus Prime, he turned him into a Peterbuilt truck. Autobot Bumblebee was changed from a Volkswagen Beetle into a Chevrolet Camero, and other Autobots were all shifted to GM vehicles as part of contract negotiations. The transformation sound effect many fans heard as children was reused throughout the movie, and motion capture points were used to create many of the effects movie-goers will see on screen.

Given that the internet trailers received more hits than any other movie trailer online, the new Transfomers movie promises to be a great success and a wonderful addition to the family.

Optimus Prime and Megatron’s final showdown in Transformers: The Movie

Note: I did not add the so-called “gay” music, the song (Stan Bush – The Touch) was the actual soundtrack to this scene in the film, and it predates Boogie Nights by over a decade.

P.S. It amazes me how many people think that i’m the one calling the song gay, the speech brackets are there for a reason: I’m quoting other people who have commented who for some bizarre reason a) don’t like the music and b) think that **I** added it to the clip

http://nicodimattia.com
Music from The Island OST by Steve Jablonsky
Photoshop with a digital tablet.