by jrgreer74 » Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:46 am
- Motto: "In War There Are Only Casualties"
- Weapon: Heat-Seeking Armor-Piercing Missiles
This is kind of long, but rather than explain it all again, why I love Transformers I'll just copy and paste what I wrote in the forums for Roger Ebert when ROTF came out. This should explain it all. I am sorry if anyone decides to laugh, but I hope no one must or has gone through any of this. So here goes. Thanks.
John G. | July 7, 2009 2:05 AM | Reply
I will try to keep this short and sweet. I did not read all the different posts in here or from your original review, so I'm flying blind here. All I wanted to say is that I feel everyone has the right to their opinions of everything. I am no person to judge anyone, but for myself I would like to share my opinion with you. I am a true fan of Transformers. I have a nice collection, well over 400 figures ranging from G1 to Animated, even a few Japanese exclusives from Takara Tomy, as well as Knock-offs. I am a collector. I started when I was a kid. My reasons for doing so is a very deep seeded memory from my childhood, before the pain of my parents divorcing set in. The first Transformers I was given, was at Christmas. Optimus Prime and Starscream, my two favorite characters, obviously for different reasons. Optimus was from my dad, Starscream was from my mom. They to me, in a weird kind of way have come to represent my parents. Two factions on opposing sides. One the hero, who through all his battles, never seems to win the war, and the scared little child, selfish and cowardly, always trying to get to the top only to find out they missed it all. The only difference in this war is two small children were left crying alone, confused, and scared, not a bunch of robot parts lying around. The reality hurts deeper than the fantasy can make up for.
Yet, somewhere in the silence and confusion the war started to make since. I learned from an early age what hurts the most and how a fantasy life can help sooth the wounds somehow. I learned to both love and hate them both, as well as feel sorry for them both. The seed was planted in my mind the night the hero fell from grace, and the selfish fool lost all that she had in life, me and my sister. All I had was my two Transformers. They in a way were my parents. They embodied them somehow perfectly. I grew up holding them closer to my heart than I ever did people. Robots in disguise. My parents in Plastic!!! They divorced but they never left me or my little fantasy world. Like it or not, they became personal, every figure I collected became a family member. I remember the innocence, and the not so innocent, and I lived and enjoyed both. I have played the hero, and the villain. Optimus, now the VA pays my bills, I also was in law enforcement, until like all things it too feel from grace in my eyes, and I left. Corruption is a bad thing in a system that is supposed to protect and serve. How do you protect the innocent when those higher up, let the wrong go free for money, and do wrong to those in need, the ones we are supposed to protect. The movie character, Barricade became my favorite because of that idiocy, a police car with the true to the systems nature " to punish and enslave" printed on the side. I have been the scared little coward too, when the going was too tough, until I learned that sometimes you have to fight. I did have an unencouraging word to help me reach that understanding. I came home bloody after getting my butt kicked by the school bully, my dad took one look at me and said, "Boy, the next time you get off that bus bloody and you didn't fight back I'll beat you 10 times harder than that kid ever thought about beating you." Needless to say, I fought back every time. I grew up loving and hating them, both my parents and Transformers, ironically, both for the same reasons. Dad (Optimus) for trying always to be right and just, and fighting with honor a race he could never truly win, Mom (Starscream) for being the con-artist trying to sell water as wine, and willing to loose it all for a step up the ringer. I respect them both for that, and my parents for the same reason, polar opposites. I hated them too though, Dad (Optimus) for trying so hard and yet never coming out on top ( thought it was better to quit trying so hard, and for his thinking and acting like he was better than the rest), Mom (Starscream) for being more than willing to give it all up out of foolish pride and ill thought out desire. Hero both, Cowards both. Equals both, yet too young and immature then to realize the price their war caused their children to pay. If this would have been the G1 cartoon (except for the cartoon movie) no one would of seriously been hurt, emotionally or other wise. Remember, they never died and always came back the next episode bright and shiny, without scars. So anyway, I grew up, I matured, I gained understanding from both, though me and Mom talk the most,because she wants back what she lost, though it will never be the same. I learned something about humanity though, we all are both, we all have been both, so why judge. Love them anyway for their goods and their bads, isn't that what a hero does? I believe so. Yes, I love Transformers and my parents! I'd give my life for my parents though, they deserve that at least perfect or not. I'd probably die over my collection. I love them like family even if they are plastic and a fantasy. Yes, like my mom, I was deeply touched in the first movie, when my hero rose up out of the swimming pool and I saw him for the first time in "live action".
I was moved deeply, I stirred inside to the memories of my childhood, to that Christmas before the war. I would never give that moment back, regardless if I liked the movie or not. I did of course, It's Transformers. As for this movie, I enjoyed it I guess, I would of seen it anyway even if everyone in the world said it sucked, that's just me. But I will admit, that it hurt, to hear the language from the heroes, foul as it was. Ironhide I guess shocked me, the Twins killed me, but I still found them amusing despite the language, the hunchback like faces and two huge teeth one plated gold. Two brothers always horse playing, trying to best the other. The actors were okay, but Megan isn't all that, my wife is. The part that hurt most, was Optimus dieing once again, out numbered and alone bested by those of lesser character than him. Though I was extremely thrilled to see a human earn the matrix of leadership that gave him back his life, and someone willing to lose his life to give life to another (Jetfire) and maybe an old touch of honor and training, as well as religious belief. I agree in some ways with you, because I wouldn't want my daughter to watch it, both because of the errors in general, but the language by all means. I have almost every cartoon series, and movie including those from japan, on dvd, and this is the first time I have found myself saddened by them. I thought the legacy would be a good one for my child, if I ever had one, and now that I do, there is a blemish on it to me. If I live to see her grown, then maybe she will understand it isn't right for heroes to act and talk bad, but this is the real world, and we all are tainted in someways, language most of all! Thank you for your time! Don't let anyone put you down. You have earned the right for your opinion, and so have they, but if it is just to hurt someone else on purpose, they need to keep it to themselves. If they think they have to share, they should say it to themselves why they are staring themselves in the mirror. They are just as flawed and hypocritical, scared and cowardly, heroic and brave, as everyone else on this planet. Have a good night. Again I appreciate your time. Thank you.
Sincerely, John
I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.