I'm a bit scared now after finding concept designs, some leaked, all over the place of some the designs and looks for the new movie...here, see for yourself.
Optimus Prime
Megatron
BumbleBee
I expected new stuff, new looks, and stuff I hadn't probably seen yet but talk about breaking some molds. Hell, the don't even nearly look like they'll be able to "Transform and roll out."
I think the problem is that they look exactly like they can transform. The beauty of the original cartoon characters was that they looked very block-ish and cartoonish in robot mode. Half of their compartments and pieces disappeared when they transformed. I am sure it is perfectly possible to make a car out of this Optimus Prime design. And that's my problem with it. Too robotic, like something you would design in a lab if you wanna make a functioning robot.
That's what I do like about these designs, they seem very organic. It reflects that this is a robot race from some alien world, not some robots built on Earth. These are way, way, (way!) cooler than the regular blocky Tranformers.
Ken Kennedy debuted a new finisher: Jeff Hardy fans will insist on calling it the Swanton Bomb, but it looks WAY more devastating when not performed by a 180-pound fruitcake. -Rick Scaia 06.12.2006
I'm split on what I see here. I kinda like Bublebee, but I really don't like their Megatron at all. That design has none of the prescence that Megatron really requires, he just seems like some kind of generic alien to me. Prime I could go either way on. Parts of the design I like, and I really like that it's similar to the original cartoon version. I'm not big on the flames, and the head seems a little off to me though.
"How could we possibly appreciate the Mona Lisa if Leonardo had written at the bottom of the canvas: 'The lady is smiling because she is hiding a secret from her lover.' This would shackle the viewer to reality, and I don't want this to happen to 2001." - Stanley Kubrick
B. First the producers swore up and down that none of the robots would be seen until the trailer at the earliest. Now, all of a sudden, it's leak-a-palooza. Something's up.
I dislike the designs...I would have much rather seen the originals redone in CGI, as opposed to these creations.After seeing these, my anticipation and enthusiasm for the movie has started to wane.
Certain changes I can appreciate and understand. Changing the costumes in X-men, or the spider that bit Peter on Spiderman...thats all good...but these new Transformers are unrecognizable.
Here, look at the monkey! Look at the silly monkey!
Optimus is really confusing me, either the designers don't know the anatomy of a semi, or his torso is going to move from behind the rearmost axle (where it currently sits) to all the way on the other end of the frame above the frontmost axle.
That doesn't seem to be the case because the fifth wheel appears to be part of his feet, when it should be right below where his crotch is.
"A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." - Irinia Dunn
When fans expressed their disapproval when the initial images leaked out (specifically Megatron and StarScream), the production company was SO quick to do damage control and issue a statement saying that these designs were very early prototypes and "should not be considered final" or something.
Looks like they were able to spin the BS well enough to pacify the people long enough to slip these designs in and make them final.
The only thing that would make this any worse would be if all the TransFormers yell what they're about to do next before they do it.
If that happenes, I'm going to punch Bay and Spielberg in their faces.
(edited by Whattaburger on 6.9.06 1405) It's just a message board, people. Chill out. Now, go show your internet diapproval of me! YEA!
Originally posted by samoflangeThat's what I do like about these designs, they seem very organic. It reflects that this is a robot race from some alien world, not some robots built on Earth. These are way, way, (way!) cooler than the regular blocky Tranformers.
While I'll concede that a movie about realistic shapeshifting machine-life aliens is a worthy endeavor, I really don't think such a movie needs to be attached to the Transformers. Much of the point of the Transformers is intertwined with the inherent stupidity of the premise--robots from outer space that improbably speak English and have windshields on their chests. Adapting the franchise without adapting its simpleness undermines the effort. It'd be like securing the rights to Spider-Man and making a movie about a guy whose radioactive spiderbite just gives him cancer--OK, it's more true-to-life, but why bother calling it Spider-Man?
On a more practical level, it goes without saying that the impetus for this movie was to help Hasbro make a fortune on the inevitable toy line. But these designs are too intricate and complicated to adapt into anything that an eight-year-old could successfully transform and play with.
Whenever something like this leaks, you have to consider that there is seeing the still picture, then there's seeing it fully 3D and moving.
Given that they're going with a more "organic" look, Bumblebee looks about how he should. Prime looks okay, but I really question using the flame paint job and the dinosaur feet. I don't think Prime is anything to get all nit-picky about, though. I can accept that as Optimus Prime, especially since they're using the same voice.
Megatron, though... what a mess. I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking at here. The ass face isn't so bad, but when the rest of the body looks like that, there's just nothing that stands out and defines it as a body. Just a bunch of wavy silver-metallic blades.
Also, and this is sort of a nerdy nitpicky thing, but why transform into an alien jet? Don't they already have Starscream and other aerial Decepticons? A tank or a giant cannon like Galvatron would have been cooler.
Originally posted by Guru ZimKids generally don't play with toy guns any more.
(edited by Guru Zim on 8.9.06 1429)
Oh they most certainly do.
You don't see them with accurate-looking Walther P-38s like the original Megatron, but kids LOVE weapons. They don't care if the gun is funky bright green and orange, they just like to pretend to kill their friends.
That is, if the kids that play in my neighborhood are any kind of indicator.
Originally posted by SKLOKAZOIDAlso, and this is sort of a nerdy nitpicky thing, but why transform into an alien jet? Don't they already have Starscream and other aerial Decepticons? A tank or a giant cannon like Galvatron would have been cooler.
I don't know if this is spoiler-worthy, but I'll do it just in case:
Spoiler Below: Highlight text to read
Apparently, Megatron came from Cybertron to earth, and was somehow frozen in an iceberg, which is why he never originally took on an "Earth" form. Plus, he considers Earthlings to be inferior to himself, so he doesn't lower himself to taking on any sort of Earth form once he's released from said iceberg.
That's just from reading another thread on another board about this, but all this came from the script that leaked not too long ago.
"It's the four pillars of the male heterosexual psyche. We like naked women, stockings, lesbians, and Sean Connery best as James Bond because that is what being a [man] is." -Jack Davenport, Coupling
I really don't care how these static designs look now. If they animate as well as that "NFL on Fox" robot, then I'll be very happy.
"It's the four pillars of the male heterosexual psyche. We like naked women, stockings, lesbians, and Sean Connery best as James Bond because that is what being a [man] is." -Jack Davenport, Coupling
Thread ahead: I'm diggin those new FOX dramas... Next thread: Dancing With the Stars 9/12/06 Previous thread: The Simpsons 9/10/16 "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife, and Her Homer"
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