There’s a reset in the works in regards to the Transformers movie franchise, though I don’t know if we should offer a sigh of relief or keep holding out for something better. One thing is for certain, the boast that Michael Bay made not long ago about there being many more movies that he wants to make has become nothing but a hollow cry into oblivion at this time. Be thankful for that at least. Since the first movie came out people have been catcalling the franchise up and down for inconsistencies and less than accurate portrayals of some of the characters. Granted, they can’t all look like they did in the cartoon, but the story lines that have been ripped up and pieced back together so often have been driving fans crazy for a while now.
The reboot won’t be coming until 2021 apparently, so there’s time to breathe in between now and then. The Bumblebee movie however will be coming out this December, and hopefully it will be a final sendoff to a franchise that’s been getting steadily worse with each film. One thing anyone should be able to admit is that the first movie was something special since we hadn’t seen the like of it before, and the idea of seeing the Autobots and Decepticons as ‘real’ was something that was simply awesome. Even better I thought was that they kept the trademark sounds of the Transformers as they shift from vehicle to robot form. That alone was enough to allow many to keep the faith. But then things kind of went off the rails.
For one, even if Optimus Prime did in fact make speeches during battle in the cartoon, in a real-life setting there’s not much of a place for it. He needed to be more action and less talking at times, but when he did get into it he was great. Bumblebee had a major overhaul and yet he became one of the most popular characters since he wasn’t the biggest but he had the most heart. Ironhide was kind of a letdown, as he looked like a giant robotic cat, while the other Autobots weren’t that bad but were still just a little off. Plus, the idea of them coming to earth was changed so drastically that fans might have felt a bit cheated. Keep in mind that the Autobots were fleeing Cybertron to get away from the Decepticons and crash-landed on earth. In other words they were here already. The back story the movie used wasn’t horrible but it became something of a joke really after a while.
A lot of that could be forgiven, but what couldn’t was just about everything that came next. From the second movie to the fifth there have been so many oversights and glaring inconsistencies that despite being a cash cow the franchise has still suffered. Shia LaBeouf was good for one movie, and then his constant shouting and anxiety became severely annoying. Megan Fox added about as much emotional depth to the movie as she did in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which was none, and even bringing in Mark Wahlberg was a case of too little too late. It’s time for a reboot, but at least the public gets to catch their breath first.
Follow Us
