The Energon Pub

Often I hear detractors of the TF 2007 movie say they wanted it to be very serious action film and didn't get it. Heck, I've so many many paragraphs about it being a serious flick, having James Cameron or Ridley Scott do it( you get the picture). I even heard a guy saying that Gary Ross should write the sequel( maybe) and it should win Academy Awards for best picture, and star Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep( Not kidding). However I have seen some people who loved the TF movie that they are happy that it didn't take itself so seriously and was all out fun focused. I have even come across people who are even Michael Bay haters that liked this film becuase of this and some friends who hated Bay. I say hated becuase form waht I've been told it was a glimmer of hope for them about Bay and his movies. Heck, two of my online buddies of mine have a great record of blasting Bay hismelf and were once TF fans. One of them on a thread suggesting who else should've doen the flick he mentioned even the likes of David Cronenberg and Maritn SCorsese for TF. He apparently thought the film was yes a glimmer of hope for Bay and he gave it an 8 out of 10 and said it was the funnest movie he'd waited all summer for, I think. Even a close friend of mine, while not a Bay hater, didn't enjoy Bay's other work but REALLY dug the movie, he is a TF fan also pretty much G1 though since thta's what he grew up with( too busy to have checked dout the others ones I think).

So which do you prefer for a live action Transformers? A deeply serious action movie or a free spirited action comedy?

For me I wouldn't have minded a serious toned Transformers flick, having it be much more Beast Wars comparable in terms of writing. But thinking about it I'm not sure if I would have liked it that much as I did with the movie that we got. Sure, I might've liked it but probably wouldn't have gotten the urge to see it again. For example, I LOVED Batman Begins but did I see it more than once in the theaters? I may be punished for this but no I didn't have a high desire to. Don't get me wrong, great movie but I didn't have the urge after seeing it that one time in the theaters. I do watch it plenty of times though on DVD but not a heavy duty amount. Same said with The Departed, excellent mob flick but didn't see it again the theaters. Same with Zodiac, The Prestige, A Good Year, and American Gangster. I woudl wathc these films on TV and DVD but I didn't have the urge to see themn once more in theaters. With Transformers I did see it four times at the theaters( the fourth time was in IMAX), I haven't really seen a movie that many times in the theaters sicn eThe Lion King when it was released, and that was quite a while ago. Sure, I re-saw Snakes on the Plane when it was in theaters again but it wasn't as good as the first time I saw it. Since TF's release in the theaters I have bene addicted to see the Tv spots again on youtube, fan made music videos for it, listen to both the soundtrack and the score. And watch it plenty of times on DVD. Not saying this as a TF fan, Bay fan, or a Steven Spielberg fan but as a movie fan in general. I felt the story was fun, the humour hialrious, the characters, while nothing new to the field, were likable( except Simmons but it's funny to see his dread). The movie was more than the usual Bay mvoie to me and was much more enjoyable and watchbale than originally thought.

So free-spirited for me.

I prefer a balance of the two.

The original G1 comics (US and UK) have the perfect tone for anything Transformers.


The movie was too free spirited. People who think it should be Best Picture material with Tom Hanks in it don't understand movies. Have they ever seen movies like Good Will Hunting or Basketball Diaries or Elephant Man?

It sounds like those people don't know what a serious movie is if they think Transformers can be on that level.

I like the idea of this question but I'm not sure how serious they ever could've made it. I mean, if they tried to make a "deeply serious action movie" with these characters on stage it probably would've looked daft and comedic anyway.

Part of my problem with the movie was that I didn't find the comedy very funny. Most of the movie just seemed to me to be a bit...dull. I don't know why, I just got bored. Maybe I didn't get the jokes. Who knows? That's not to say I took it as being serious. Many moments in the film were intended to be funny, certainly. That was clear. So I suppose I read it as being midway between serious and comedic. Either way, it was definitely light.

When you say serious, do you mean without comedy (i.e. played straight) or do you mean intentionally dark / gritty? If the latter, I don't think they could've done it. It just wouldn't be taken seriously enough.

Both played out straight and intentionally dark/gritty.