The most despicable cartoon character in TV history – Part 1

Megatron was not even the most despicable of the Decepticons, never mind the most despicable cartoon character. He earned his role as a Decepticon general and after they crashed on earth he naturally became leader of the Decepticons on earth despite repeated attempts by otehrs to dethrone him. Later repeated defeats by Optimus Prime and other’s drove Megatron insane and only then did he become the truly ruthless monster that appears in the original TV series and the first animated movie. Megatron tolerated the very unsubtle attempts by Starscream to undermine his leadership for a long time in the comics, partially because he was the most powerful of the decepticon jets and very useful but primarily because he was a member of the decepticon army. Megatron had a sense of Honor, before he was driven mad their were several opportunity’s in the original comic series and associated stories when he could have killed Optimus Prime and other Autobots but chose not to because it broke his own code of Honor or because he saw it as unnecessary, the first being in the very first issue of the transcormers comic.

In one story in a transformers annual released in the UK we see the origin of the rivalry between Megatron and Optimus Prime and we also see Megatron when he first joined the Decepticons, along with Ravage. The Decepticon rebellion on Cybertron has just started and Megatron and Optimus Prime are escorting an Autobot elder from one city to another along with two of the elders bodyguards, one of which is Ravage. At this point Megatron and Optimus Prime are friends, their is a continuous philosophical discussion throughout the story which ends with the death of the elder, killed by decepticons despite the best efforts of Megatron, Optimus Prime and Ravage, he dies from lack of energy due to his old age. Optimus Prime is injured and Megatron and Ravage refuse to give the old transformer energy to preserve his life, they declare that the old order should be allowed to die and that they are going to join the Decepticons.

This shows that Megatron had a code of Honor, he was a loyal autobot until he became disillusioned by them and even after choosing to join the decepticons he remained loyal to the mission. This demonstrates personality traits which are far from despicable!

Examples of despicable Decepticons:

Starscream

Soundwave

Shockwave

Among many others!

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 63

Not exactly “more than meets the eye”, and you’ll be thankful for it. If you’re hoping for a bizarre twist, or even a surprise within this film, I feel confident that I can dash those hopes for you. If, however, you want to see the best darned big-budget popcorn movie in years if not decades, you must not miss The Transformers.

For those who fondly remember the original toy line and cartoon, the pleasure of perfectly executed nostalgia is almost too much to bear. For those unfamiliar with the original source material (TV-by-way-of-Hasbro-by-way-of -Takara-toys)strap in and prepare yourselves for the greatest cool-fest in memory.

A lot of actioners aspire to use the velocity and intensity of their happenings to illuminate characters and their development. With The Transformers, this is unapologetically reversed. The human characters are only really used as a point of relatability for the audience,a common thread to unite the massive strands of awesomeness.

I may have had a better time in a mainstream movie, but I don’t remember when.

For Shia LaBoeuf fans, he’s endearing but underused. The rest of the cast is either virtually nonexistent or gloriously, blissfully metallic.

I promise you will learn nothing, think little, and enjoy more fun than you have any right to expect from a summer blockbuster.

Roll out!

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 62

I have great memories as a child, the whole family gathered round at Christmas to watch that big blockbuster movie; but something I always feel strongly about is that for a movie to have that real longevity and real appeal to the younger audience the film really needs to be set in the present; the reason? Because kids have great imaginations, and they love to believe that the sort of things that happen to the kids in these could happen to them. Goonies, Lost Boys, Gremlins, Back To The Future, and Independence Day all being prime examples of this, good family movies that all can relate to. I’ve not seen a really good example of this sort of movie since Stargate, and from the opening hour of Transformers I realised that the kids of today could now have that same feel that I had.

When Transformers were big first time round I was a bit too old, I was at the stage when kids my age stopped playing with toys, and I was gutted; a whole period of my childhood was spent playing with seemingly bad toys, then all of a sudden these amazing toys that were in fact two toys for the price of one appeared on our shores. I’d secretly watch the cartoon but never admit to it, now I had the opportunity to enjoy Transformers without stigma attached; after all it was pretty much THE film of the summer.

Transformers opens with two separate stories that connect as the movie progresses; in the Far East in a US army camp Captain Lennox (Josh Dummal from Turistas AKA Paradise Lost) is looking forward to his return home to see his newly born daughter. But the arrival of a long missing helicopter brings this dream to an end; more or less the entire bases inhabitants are killed when the helicopter turns into a giant killer robot; and Lennox and a few survivors must make their way across the desert in order to communicate with the White House and tell them of the impending terror.

In a small community in the US Sam (Shia LeBeouf) is looking forward to getting his first car, but his dream turns sour when he ends up at a bottom of the ladder car dealership, and a dealer with unscrupulous methods. Sam spots a car shortly after the dealer tells him that the car often picks its owner, something about this car certainly picked Sam. In an attempt to sell him a wreck of a car instead after haggling over the price of this chosen car fails, the car seems to re-emphasise its choosing by smashing all the windows in every other car.

It’s not long before Sam realises that his new car is something

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 43

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye!

I saw the new Transformers movie on Saturday. What did I think? Transformers definitely

surprised so many of us. I was very pleased with the outcome of the movie. Yes, it even left room for a sequel. The action scenes were spectacular. Visual effects, sound & music were all meshed together very nicely. Two thumbs up! I only have one bit of beef with it..(SPOILER AHEAD) I can’t believe that they killed Jazz. I saw it and was like, NO! Not Jazz. I couldn’t believe it. It was true though. Oh, well…he died bravely though. Of course I knew Starscream would get away, he always does. I thought Bumblebee’s “sophisticated” voice was a way different change from what he sounded like originally, but it was cool anyway. I enjoyed this movie very much and not because I liked Transformers growing up. The movie did not leave newcomers at a loss. It explained things quite briefly, but detailed enough for those that know little or nothing about the history of Transformers. I truly hope there will be a sequel to this movie. ‘Till next time, C ya!

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 49

In the interest of full disclosure I’m going to confess before I say anything else that I knew absolutely nothing about the Transformers before yesterday other than they were toys that have been hanging around for about the last twenty-five years or so. I have never seen their animated television program or read their comic books, or played one of their video games, so I had about as much interest in the movie as most men have in picking out wedding china. And here I was, surrounded by hundreds of men, anxiously waiting for the film to begin. The Transformers are obviously a magnet for testosterone as the audience was ripe with the buzz of male energy. Tim Allen would have been proud. I haven’t seen so many butch straight guys like that all in one room since that night in 1978 at a back bar in Tulsa, OK after a Hell’s Angels convention rolled into town, but that is a story for another place and time.

As for the Transformers themselves, well, the movie was everything a Transformers fan could hope for (I suppose). Considering the opening credits began with “Presented by Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Productions” and then “Hasbro Toys” I found it hard not to burst into fits of laughter, but considering I was surrounded by a group of men that looked like they could tear the heart out of a deer while it was still alive I did my best to stifle all of my natural reactions.

There was a brief prologue to the story for novices like myself that would have probably been best left out because it buzzed by so quickly and was so complicated with its extraterrestrial visuals literally swirling around in circles while we were fed a voiceover explaining the history of the Transformers, with the “good” Autobots and the “evil” Decepticons (with a name like that how could they not be evil? Then there was some blah, blah about the Allspark, a cube that looked like that thing from the Hellraiser movies that opens the doors to Hades and frees the wicked Pinhead; either that, or it could be a gigantic Borg cube that houses a colony of thousands of Borg drones like in Star Trek: First Contact coming to destroy earth and assimilate the population. Sorry, but there weren’t any pictures of the thing except of it floating alone in space, so it was impossible to tell how big it was. The problem is the sci fi hokum already seems so familiar that it is distracting. I was glad when the action switched to earth, where the all-important cube apparently landed a hundred years ago after

Action Figures: for the Boys

Toys and games form an integral part of every child’s life. A look at a child’s toys collection can make you decipher volumes about hisher disposition. This is also where a boy child differs from a girl. Girls prefer kitchen sets and Barbie dolls, whereas boys like to play with guns, cars and Superman figures. This is why all toys shops whether virtual or on the high street have compartmentalized the toys and distinguishes between them on the basis of gender.

Focusing on what interests boys, a mention must be made of the plethora of action figures that have engulfed the toy market of UK. Special mention can be made of varied popular action figures like Doctor Who 5″ Action Figure – Captain Jack and the Empty Child manufactured by Character Options, Guy of Gisborne 5″ Figure and Deluxe Horse Set that features a well sculpted realistically galloping horse, and Thinkway’s Spiderman – Interactive Green Goblin.

A plethora of companies have created a brand name for themselves by manufacturing children’s favourite characters in the form of action figures. Getting to play with their favourite characters gives your child a high and fills him up with enthusiasm. Various popular brands in UK that have created a niche market for themselves include Hasbro, Vivid Imaginations, Dark Horse, Tokyopop, Character Options, Play Inc. et al.

Just like the brands, there are several popular characters that have grasped huge chunks of UK market by their mass appeal and liking amongst the kids. Some such popular characters include Transformers, Batman, Gundam Wing, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Power Rangers etc.

Action figures, robots, action figure playsets, super heroes and policefire and rescue can easily be regarded as some of the best gift options when it comes to boys. Also, finding the one that best suits your budget and requirement is no hassle any longer. The World Wide Web offers you with enough options and variety in the same.

More than meets the eye: Anticipating the release of the Transformers movie – Part 4

My excitement at the pending release of a CGI Transformers movie is tampered by my trepidation – I am chanting to myself, “Please don’t mess it up, please don’t mess it up”.

While the loss of Frank Welken (Megatron’s original voice) is a serious blow, I think Hugo Weaving (of Elrond and Agent Smith fame) will make an exceptional substitute. His highbrow, snooty, I’m-better-than-you-are villainy is perfect for the part. And Peter Cullen reprising his role as Optimus is essential.

Other changes seem a bit extreme. Bumblebee is now a Camaro, rather than a VW Bug? Tough to swallow, but I suppose the movie must go where the sponsors pay it to go. And rather than pick more from an already established pool of characters, the movie has opted to bring in some totally new ‘bots, and I question the necessity of such a move. There are dozens upon dozens to choose from, why make more?

The trailers make the special effects look magnificent. Hopefully the quality of the rest of the movie matches the brief glimpses we’re being given. Often we are given the choice cuts in a trailer to bring us in, only to find the best part of the movie is one we’ve seen twenty times on TV without paying for a ticket. “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” comes to mind…

Already the fan blogs are filled with wails and howls of indignation – “How dare they do (this, that, t’other) to my favorite character!” But keep in mind, this is a twenty-year old franchise, and it has been in sore need of a face-lift ever since the Headmasters debacle. This is one change that needed to happen, and while it won’t look like the Transformers we’re used to (the robot forms of both sides are much more spidery and articulated than in the cartoon), this particular bow to the demand for “realistic” fantasy will probably turn out to be quite nice.

All in all, I will be going to opening night no matter what I hear. I simply can’t pass it up. But I do have some slight reservations…

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 5

Transformers, the live action movie. The very idea had gave me a roller coaster of emotions. On the one hand, this was the movie I had wanted to see since before I could walk, on the other hand, this was the movie I had wanted to see since before I could walk. It was a movie that could go very very well or a movie that could go very very bad.

It ended up somewhere in between. It was surprisingly good, but it could have been better.

The movie is about the Transformers quest to find the Allspark, a power source which can give life to random machines (Vector Sigma in a handy cube form, for fans of the original). The Autobots want to use it to restore their dying home world, Cybertron, the Decepticons want to form an army to conquer the Universe. A fairly typical Transformers type plot.

The film starts with a sceen showing some army guys talking and straight away the crucial error is made. The focus of the movie lies far too much with people. Regular guys.

Almost imediately this sceen is followed by a Decepticon attack, which is incredibly cool to watch, but no detail is ever followed up as to the Decepticon’s background.

*Spoilers*

Apart from Bumblebee, who despite not saying anything still manages to be cool, the other Autobots do not arrive until an hour into the film. They are then given a few sceens, but nothing major. Only Optimus Prime and, to a lesser degree, Ironhide come across as having any character at all. When Jazz is brutally murdered, it’s very difficult to care. His character is not even slightly developed and he’s different enough from the original cartoons so that not even hardcore fans will feel connected.

The Decepticons are recieve even less character development. Megatron and Starscream don’t appear until almost two hours into the film, Megatron spending the entire time in a giant freezer. The whole Megatron – Starscream love hate relationship, a very key feature of the original cartoons, is given only one line, when Megatron announces Starscream has failed him “Once again.”

Presumably, when doing a live action, it’s just alot easier to focus on real people than imaginary robots. But it’s the imaginary robots we came to see. No one cares about some girl working for some computer type people and her friend the hacker.

On the positive side, the transformers are incredibly cool to watch and certain moments will make real fans incredibly happy, no matter how much they want to hate it. For example, anyone with any claim to being a fan could not help themselves at bubbling up with glee when Optimus Prime announces,

“One shall stand, one shall fall.”

Michael Bay: Destroying our childhoods? – Part 1

As near as I can tell, Michael Bay hates my generation and everything we stand for. I don’t know why. Did we wrong him in a previous life? Did he get beat up by the younger kids at school or something? To what do we owe this animosity, that he so suddenly desires to snap up films that he knows are going to be bringing my generation screaming into the theaters like lemmings to a cliff side, only to turn around and tell us that everything we loved in our youths is wrong and foul?

Case in point, in a recent news article in Wired Magazine (Issue 15.07, and posted on Wired.com on 06/27/07 “The Rebirth of Optimus Prime: Behind the scenes with Michael Bay” by Scott Brown) I must quote;

“I’ve heard so many people say, ‘Michael Bay, you’ve destroyed my childhood,’ ” says the man himself from the cathedra of his Santa Monica, California, editing bay. Appropriately, Bay is wearing a black Decepticons T-shirt. He’s aware of his image and, to some extent, relishes it. “I knew there were fans,” he sighs, shaking his shaggy blond power-mane. “I didn’t know there were people who’d hunt you down. I urge them to watch the 1986 animated movie, go watch the cartoon. You’ll want to shoot yourself.”

Well, now we all know what drove wrestler Chris Benoit to his tragic end; he must have been watching reruns of the Transformers cartoon! Thank goodness I haven’t had the chance to buy the DVD’s yet, as I wouldn’t want to suffer from any post-nostalgic suicidal tendencies.

Okay, yes, I’m taking what he said out of context, but obviously the sentiment is there. Clearly, Michael Bay feels that the shows that I watched when I was a child were garbage, even for their time.

Funny, I remember them being highly entertaining, fun, and if you owned the toys, even somewhat interactive. In fact, I did go back and watch my VHS copy of “Transformers: The Motion Picture” from 1986. And you know what? I STILL enjoy it, to this day. I’m not a father yet, but I can honestly say I watch in horror at some of the mindless drivel spouted out of today’s equivalent of cartoon entertainment. Frankly, I’d rather have my child watching the old Transformers cartoons than some of the more modern ones, like Spongebob Squarepants for example, which strikes me as the drug-induced rantings of a functionally-retarded insomniac poodle! It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if Michael Bay watches it religiously.

At least Transformers made SENSE! It had a plot, an engaging story arc, characters that you loved

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 55

Robots in disguise!

Move over Pirates of the Carribean 3, Transformers just took the wind outta’ your sails.

Today was meant to be a lazy day. I got up today with no expectations. My room mate was going to take his date out to see Evan Almighty, but when she bailed on him, he instead took me to the theatre where we saw Transformers.

I paid an acceptable $8.50 (Canadian) for the matinee, and arrived at the theatre more than a half-hour early, in anticipation of a packed showing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the room remained relatively empty, and save for the noisey child in front of us, and the jerk who sat IMMEDIATELY behind us in an otherwise empty room, it was a wonderful experience. Just as I had had no expectations for the day, I bore no expectations for the movie as well.

I’ve always been a fan of Transformers, I watched the cartoons faithfully growing up, I owned several toys, and I still posess (sitting a mere eight feet from me this very minute) a 1989 original plastic Transformers Bumble Bee toy. I’ve been to see such famous children’s-entertainment-turne d-all-audiences-films as Spiderman (all three movies), Daredevil, The Hulk, Fantastic Four, and honestly, all the other Marvel or DC Comics movies, and was constantly disappointed. I hold very high standards for the movies I see about my beloved subjects, and while I had no expectations for this movie, I was ready to hate it if they screwed with the story I loved.

So what did I think? I L-O-V-E-D LOVED it! Okay, it’s true that it’s not the most realistic movie in the world, but who really expects any realism from a movie about three-storey-tall transforming robot aliens who war against each other on Earth? Anyone who goes to this movie just to watch for and criticize the realism, doesn’t deserve to have seen it to begin with.

The acting (including by one of my most hated actors in the industry today, Shia LaBouf) was well-done and charming, and even exceptional in some cases. The female protagonist came into the male protagonist’s life by believable means, the relationship between them grew in a believable way, and the dialogue and interactions between all the characters was natural and interesting (with a few exceptions, which involve the leader of the secret organization called “Sector 7″ and the male protagonist’s parents). The music was invigorating, the cinematography was beautiful, and the plot (while not deep and meaningful) was certainly well-written and executed- and I haven’t even started on the action.

The action scenes in this film were AMAZING, and there’s just no other single word for it. Explosions galore, some of the best CG I’ve seen in any movie EVER, guns, lasers, robots brawling in crowded cities, falling from skyscraper rooftops, and the suspense of losing any of the main characters at any moment kept me on the edge of my seat and my guts in a knot.

The end was even so well written, acted, and directed that I was deeply moved by it, and inspired to write a romantic tragedy that I’m positive is going to be quite a tear-jerker. In short, they simply could not have done a better job with this movie, and even the greatest of naysayers must admit that the “cool factor” was just through the roof.

I would give this movie an overall 9/10 easily. Michael Bay (the director) is going to make a REAL name for himself with this one.

“Autobots, roll out!”

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