The Energon Pub

[Sabrblade]

Yeah, Jazz grabbing Brawl's turret was meant to be a homage to Kup grabbing Blitzwing's turret, but the rest of that list is more on the aforementioned slippery slope than not.

[Deadput]

Yeah, Jazz grabbing Brawl's turret was meant to be a homage to Kup grabbing Blitzwing's turret, but the rest of that list is more on the aforementioned slippery slope than not.

Probably is yeah but I'm sure one or two of the people there while making the script probably notice the coincidences.

Wasn't the script writer for 3, 4 and parts of 2 a big fan of Transformers as well?

[Carnivius_Prime]

Hm, there's no IMAX cinema near me but I'll see it in 3D. Like some others said I don't usually care for 3D but the I saw DotM in 3D and thought it worked well. Ain't much else I'm gonna go to the cinema for this year. Only had Logan and The Last Knight on my list and saw Logan before a lot of people (and I loved it). Oh and I frickin' love movie Prime. His look, his fighting style, weapons, general badassery, many of his toys. He's my fave incarnation.

just noticed 'Logan and the Last Knight' has a ring to it.

[Deadput]

Dark of the Moon was the best 3d experience I've had so far and that's accounting all the movies I've seen in 3d.

Would love to have that experience again I wish there were theaters that played old movies just like the new ones with all the 3d and imax stuff.

[OptimalOptimus2]

If Cogman is a miniature Transformer that transforms into a head (headmaster), why does he have his own alternate mode? Is his Aston Martin vehicle mode a former Cybertronian or a Transtector?

[Deadput]

If Cogman is a miniature Transformer that transforms into a head (headmaster), why does he have his own alternate mode? Is his Aston Martin vehicle mode a former Cybertronian or a Transtector?

It's either his main body/transactor or it's a Decepticon or some other chump Cogman takes control of at some point.

Now that I think about it he might not have the body at the beginning due to what I've read on Bwtf and their story recap Hot Rod starts out with an older car and upgrades to a Lambo at some point and the scenes describe don't mention Cogman's Aston Martin body so at the very least it's back at Anthony Hopkin's castle.


The most prominent I remember Cogman being on set during filming was during London with Bumblebee, Hot Rod and the unknown Red Mclaren who I'm just going to go with Dino until told otherwise and the London scenes take place somewhere in the second half.

Here are a few pictures of the filming I'm talking about.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3784280/Shimmering-supercars-race-streets-London-Transformers-Night-chase-scene-including-1-5million-Lamborghini-Centenario.html

[Tyrannacon]

I am definitely looking forward to this and hoping the criticisms of the past will be negated even though you can't please everyone. Definitely some awesome stuff coming though.

[Dr. Caelus]

It's nice that the writers take a lot of coincidental nods to the original series.

Kup on Blitzwing on the turret = done
Shuttle blowing up with the Autobots presumed destroyed= done
Human collaborating with the 'cons to conquer/sell out the world= done
Time travel (maybe)= into the Middle Ages = done
Fight in Washington DC = done
Autobots hunted down/KISS Players= done

You could say that about just about any fiction and run it against just about anything else. Considering how much Transformers has borrowed fictional elements from other pop culture phenoms or copied concepts from other toy lines, I'd consider this a slippery slope.

They manage some more specific homages...

Movie 1:
Decepticon that transforms into a music player infiltrates secure location and hacks computer.
Starscream betrays Megatron (Shoots him in the back during the end battle).
Megatron's body dumped off a ship into the dark, freezing depths, where it could never possibly be recovered and restored (homage to the original movie)

Movie 2:
Decepticons hunt human protagonist because his brain contains Primal knowledge (Buster Witwicky downloads the Matrix into his brain in G1 Marvel)
Constructicons help activate a device to harness the Sun's Energy (homage to "The Master Builders")
Optimus combines with Jetfire (homage to multiple storylines, particularly Transformers: Armada)
Decepticons immediately retreat as soon as Starscream suggests it (G1)

Movie 3:
Megatron seems to have become mentally unstable after his resurrection (like Galvatron in G1)
Optimus Prime's superior, Sentinel Prime, turns out to be a jerk (homage to Transformers: Animated)
Decepticons space-bridge Cybertron into Earth's orbit to restore its energy (homage to "Ultimate Doom")

Movie 4:
Introduces a grizzled Autobot sergeant-type who chews cigars (IDW Kup)
The US Military task force hunting the Transformers keeps their victims' heads (RAAT in G1 Marvel)
Attempt to clone Optimus Prime is corrupted by Megatron's programming (Robots in Disguise Scourge)
Bad guys want to use MacGuffin to cyberform Earth (Key to Vector Sigma)
Optimus gives up his guns in favor of a sweet@$$ melee weapon and the ability to fly (Transformers: Animated)
Dinobots released to fight big-bad who previously defeated them (G1 Marvel)
Grimlock challenges Optimus's authority (G1)

[Seibertron]

...

You guys are kidding me if you think they actually pulled all of this out of Transformers mythos over the years. Sure, some of it, but most of it is just fans making connections between two things.

One word sums it all up to me: Pareidolia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

[Kurona]

A lot of those are extremely general ideas that one could easily have come up with without even having heard of the Transformers fiction they first took place in. Hell, pretty sure half of them are rather common tropes...

[Dr. Caelus]

Okay... so, in your minds, what details/plot points could the movies have included that would satisfy your criteria for not being a string of coincidences?

[Sabrblade]

Okay... so, in your minds, what details/plot points could the movies have included that would satisfy your criteria for not being a string of coincidences?

Not ALL of those you listed are mere coincidences, but most of them are. The only ones that could be seen as intended homages/references would be the following:

Decepticon that transforms into a music player
Starscream betrays Megatron (Shoots him in the back during the end battle).

Optimus combines with Jetfire

Decepticons space-bridge Cybertron into Earth's orbit to restore its energy (homage to "Ultimate Doom")

[william-james88]

Okay... so, in your minds, what details/plot points could the movies have included that would satisfy your criteria for not being a string of coincidences?

Not ALL of those you listed are mere coincidences, but most of them are. The only ones that could be seen as intended homages/references would be the following:

Decepticon that transforms into a music player
Starscream betrays Megatron (Shoots him in the back during the end battle).

Optimus combines with Jetfire

Decepticons space-bridge Cybertron into Earth's orbit to restore its energy (homage to "Ultimate Doom")

What about the fact that Optimus Prime is voiced by Peter Cullen and that the kid's last name is Witwicky. Those are homages too.

EDIT: oh wait, I see you were only looking at what the person wrote, my bad.
Also, I was kinda joking around, but now it falls flat.

[Seibertron]

What about the fact that Optimus Prime is voiced by Peter Cullen and that the kid's last name is Witwicky. Those are homages too.

That's completely different. That's like saying the movie being called "Transformers" is an homage.

[william-james88]

What about the fact that Optimus Prime is voiced by Peter Cullen and that the kid's last name is Witwicky. Those are homages too.

That's completely different. That's like saying the movie being called "Transformers" is an homage.

I was saying it tongue in cheek. But you know, with all the fans saying how Optimus' characterization is completely off in some films, this whole live action franchise is not much more than an homage as this point, taking fewer and fewer things from the original. Just a reinvention with taking names from the original for the sake of brand recognition.

And about names, I recall you saying that Movie Sideswipe's name was more of an homage rather than an actual interpretaion of the g1 character, since they werent related.

[Kurona]

To be fair, I'm pretty sure G1 Sideswipe's original bio made him out to be somewhat of a daredevil? So while the movie version takes no visual cues, it kinda takes what smidgeon of a personality the original had and turning the dial up to ten with friggin' drive-by slicing. I'm glad that of all things Aligned and G1 properties have been inspired by from the movies, it's giving Sideswipe swords. That's awesome.

Though while we're talking about the Movies and their source material in a context that's thankfully not one side of the fandom screaming that everything should be exactly like their childhood while the other end of the fandom screeches that there should be absolutely no adherence to the source material at all and anyone who wants Megatron to actually look like Megatron is just one of those dumb gee-wunners... in my opinion, one of the best movie designs was Jazz. He had enough visual cues from the original character to tell you that, yes, this is Jazz (the visor, the hood chest, I'm pretty sure he turned into a porche?) while also having enough new traits to give him his own visual identity separate from the original while still clearly being an update. I personally would have given him a colour scheme more reminiscent of his G1 self, but that's just my own personal aesthetic preference; I like a bit of colour compared to the grays and silvers.

[william-james88]

I'm pretty sure he turned into a porche?

he turns into a pontiac, you can see the logo on his chest



Then again, I dont think any of these characters turn into their g1 alt modes or even brands.

[Kurona]

I'm pretty sure he turned into a porche?

he turns into a pontiac, you can see the logo on his chest



Then again, I dont think any of these characters turn into their g1 alt modes or even brands.

Fair, fair. I think it's a similar car? I don't know cars. Typical Transformers nerd I am; absorb all the information about the fictional characters but get no useful practical knowledge in the process

[william-james88]

Fair, fair. I think it's a similar car? I don't know cars. Typical Transformers nerd I am; absorb all the information about the fictional characters but get no useful practical knowledge in the process

No worries. In case you care, its not that similar. The porshe has really distinctive traits, like the headlights. The solstice (what he turns into in the film) also has distinctive features like the grill which shows up prominantly in robot mode. That makes the robot looks super different in the chest area.

[Big Grim]

One word sums it all up to me: Pareidolia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

That's a good word. Must never play you at scrabble!

[Seibertron]

One word sums it all up to me: Pareidolia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

That's a good word. Must never play you at scrabble!

LOL. That's what Google is for, but don't tell anyone that's what I used. Now if I could only use Yzquierdo in Scrabble I'd be all set. Maybe one day in Scrabble en Español!

[Sabrblade]

One word sums it all up to me: Pareidolia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

That's a good word. Must never play you at scrabble!

LOL. That's what Google is for, but don't tell anyone that's what I used. Now if I could only use Yzquierdo in Scrabble I'd be all set. Maybe one day in Scrabble en Español!

See what happens when you use the word "melonology" in Scrabble.

[Deadput]

Wait other people play Scrabble besides my Mother and the computer?

But no seriously I'm surprised to see several Scrabble players here Scrabble for my Mum is like Transformers for me we kinda make that stuff the most we do in our spare time.

[Dr. Caelus]

Okay... so, in your minds, what details/plot points could the movies have included that would satisfy your criteria for not being a string of coincidences?

Not ALL of those you listed are mere coincidences, but most of them are.[/q

But still no explanation of *how* people are deciding what is and isn't a coincincidence versus an homage, so basically what I'm hearing people say is that the movies have few to no homages to other Transformers series, just a LOT of coincidental similarities, which we know *must* be coincidental because the movies have few to no homages.

[Kurona]

Okay... so, in your minds, what details/plot points could the movies have included that would satisfy your criteria for not being a string of coincidences?

Not ALL of those you listed are mere coincidences, but most of them are.[/q

But still no explanation of *how* people are deciding what is and isn't a coincincidence versus an homage, so basically what I'm hearing people say is that the movies have few to no homages to other Transformers series, just a LOT of coincidental similarities, which we know *must* be coincidental because the movies have few to no homages.

It's more like they're very general and non-specific tropes that happen a lot in many action and sci-fi properties, not just Transformers. It's true we don't know why any particular decision was made, but we can also make educated guesses and not immediately jump to the conclusion that something is a homage just because it's a common fictional trope both the movies and a previous Transformers series has utilised.