Has anyone had enough of the live-action Transformers movie franchise? Apparently, Paramount just won’t stop delivering those movies because reasons. I get it, the Michael Bay movies made them truck loads of money. The thing is, his movies got progressively worse with each one. Old news, I know, but if you love Transformers like I do, seeing his movies tarnish the Transformers name really broke us. Heck, why did we even spend the money on tickets to see those movies? I’ll admit, I saw all of them in theaters except for the last one. Actually, I didn’t even watch it at home. I kind of wanted to because I wanted to see how bad it was but I didn’t want to waste the time. The point is, Michael Bay’s movies tarnished the reputation of Transformers and I lost all interest in whatever would pop up next.
Well, Paramount found a new director to actually revamp the franchise. Steven Caple Jr. will be heading a new Transformers movie that won’t be in line with the continuity of the Bay movies. I’m not alone when I say that is very much a good thing. The more Paramount diverts from those films, the better. However, there are some concerns that I have about this new direction they’re taking. First of all, I’m glad they got Steven Caple Jr. to direct the film. He’s a fairly unknown director but his most recent and popular film is Creed II. I loved the first Creed and while I thought the second one was a step down, it was still a really good movie. It was also a good way for Caple Jr. to show what he can do as a director.
I know it’s just one movie, but I believe Caple Jr. is a good choice to helm another Transformers movie. I liked what he did with Creed II and I want to see what he can do more as a director. However, his screenwriter is Jody Harold, a writer who doesn’t have the best track record. His resume includes the 2007 film Awake and the 2017 film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Both films flopped and were slammed by critics. If this new Transformers film is meant to revamp the franchise, wouldn’t Paramount hire a better screenwriter? Sure, it’s Caple Jr.’s vision, but a bad script can really do some damage to a film.
I just don’t have faith in a screenwriter that has a bad resume and that worries me for this new Transformers movie. Caple Jr.’s direction could be the saving grace, but we should be wary of Harold’s involvement. Hey, at least Michael Bay is no longer involved, right? That’s definitely a good thing, and it showed in the last Transformers movie. No, I’m not talking about The Last Knight. I’m referring to the 2018 movie, Bumblebee. If you haven’t seen that movie, I’d say you’re missing out. Michael Bay might’ve tarnished the franchise, but the Bumblebee movie really nudged it on a better path. The Bumblebee movie diverted from the Bay movies in almost every way. Yes, there was awesome action scenes with giant robots fighting, but it also added something that the Bay films seriously lacked: great human characters.
Hailee Steinfeld’s character had great chemistry with Bumblebee and their final goodbyes at the end was a real tearjerker. Now I’ll admit, Shia Labeouf’s Sam Witwicky had good chemistry with Bumblebee. That was actually one of the few things Michael Bay did right with his movies. And I will admit, the majority of his action scenes were awesome. That’s really no surprise, considering that’s his specialty. If Hollywood wants some exaggerated explosions and tons of fighting, they call Michael Bay. On top of that, if they want some hot actress doing some hot pose for everyone to see, they call Michael Bay. Hey, at least he gave Megan Fox a career.
I bring up Bumblebee because the news about this Transformers revamp concerns me. Bumblebee seemed loosely connected to the Bay movies, but at least it gave the franchise a fresh start. That coming-of-age aspect is what really made it fun to watch and I wanted to see more of that in future sequels. However, based on the news I’ve read, it seems like Paramount does not want to continue that story. This upcoming movie is indeed a revamp, so they could be just restarting from scratch without acknowledging any of the past Transformers movies. If that’s the case, that would be unfortunate, because Bumblebee was the start of something new and fresh for the franchise. Unfortunately, there are several Bay Transformers movies and just one Bumblebee movie.
It’s possible that Paramount believes that the story of Bumblebee can’t be continued. The film ended on a good note, so it would make sense for Bumblebee to not have another big adventure before the events of the first Transformers movie. It’s sad that he won’t reunite with Hailee Steinfeld’s character, but him leaving her meant something. He chose to go and fight the Decepticons over staying with her. She understood and they shared one of the best moments in the whole franchise. I emphasize on this because this is something the new Transformers revamp must touch on. The chemistry between the Autobots and the humans is something it can really improve on.
Yes, we do need really good action scenes. Michael Bay did that well, but the upcoming revamp can’t emphasize on that. By now, Bay’s Transformers action is redundant and we don’t need more of it. So when I talk about action, I don’t want this new revamp to focus on tons of slow-motion and a bunch of explosions. And please, don’t cut away from the actual Transformers fighting each other to show us what the humans are doing. That was one of the many sins of Revenge of the Fallen. When they fight, we want to see them fight and just them. Make it a good fight without the overuse of explosions and movements in slow-motion. After what I saw what Caple Jr. did in Creed II, I’m adamant he can give us some awesome Transformers action.
Above all else, I want to see the Autobots interact with the humans in a way that’s more than just friendship. The Autobots are there to protect the humans, but it would help if the humans saw them more as inspirations than guardians. If they do that, they’ll all form great friendships. Once they form that bond, they can fight the Decepticons.
What are your thoughts, Transformers fans? I just want more great Transformers movies on par with Bumblebee and the first one. I have faith in Steven Caple Jr. so bring on the robots.
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