This probably won't come as a shock to anyone, but I am a Transformers fan. Now, while I know next to nothing about Transformers: Prime, Animated, Armada or its sequel series, I have seen every episode of the very first animated series (commonly referred to as G1), Beast Wars and the sequel to that, Beast Machines. Though, these days, most people will think of the Michael Bay directed film trilogy (with a fourth installment being planned).
Now, I enjoyed all three films, some more than others, but when looking at the trilogy as a whole, there are certain aspects they share that either never get fixed or choose to hide for certain movies and pop back up when they please.
So, below is my list of the top ten problems I have with the trilogy as a whole, starting with number ten. Only rule here is I won't be singling out anything found in one movie and one movie only, or at least not as its own entry. For example, the idea that the American government could cover up the battle from the first film with such a flimsy reason in Revenge Of The Fallen. That is a problem with that movie and that movie alone. Also, expect spoilers here and there, though this will mostly apply to anyone who hasn't seen the first two films yet.
10. Blight of the Bumblebee
At the end of the first film, the formally “mute” Bumblebee has his ability to speak restored, meaning he no longer has to rely on soundbites from films, radio, etc. All well and good, even if it's never made clear what cured him (some say the Allspark, others say Ratchet's medical tool). For the next two films, however, he's gone back to using soundbites. The reason given in-universe (meaning the explanation through the characters) is that he's “being cute”. Now, there is a comic tie-in which suggests he had is vocal units damaged again but either way, it's kinda cheap. You had him speak for a couple of lines in the first movie, was it really that hard to keep Mark Ryan around? Yes, he alternates between radio and his own voice in Dark Of The Moon but that just makes it harder to tell.
9. Where the frag is Frank?
The casting of Peter Cullen in the role he originated was a smart move, as it gave the series credibility and if I ever make a list of positives across the series, Peter's voicing of Optimus Prime would make the list undisputed. Back when the first film was in production, Frank Welker was considered to reprise his role of Megatron. Ultimately, Bay felt his voice had aged too much for what he wanted.
But... Frank would later go on to voice Megatron for most of the game tie-in's and in the latest TV series, Transformers: Prime. Yes, the series isn't connected to the films, but clearly the love we have for Frank Welker (the untouchable when it comes to voice acting. Seriously, Fred from Scooby-Doo, Nibbler from Futurama, Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget, Thaddeus Plotz and Ralph the Guard from Animaniacs and various animals and animal noises) is uncontested. And yes, Frank did voice several of the smaller characters in the last two films, as well as reprising his role as Soundwave (one of the positives, again, even if they forgot to alter the voice like they did back in the original series, which explains why Soundwave sounds like Dr. Claw) but if we can hear him as Megatron in the games, we should have him in the films. So, he may be around, but if you don't play the games, you're probably not going to notice.
8. Now you see them, now you don't
While this will contrast with what I'll say later, this needs to be said. Between films, some characters that don't die just vanish with no explanation. Now, this can be handwaved by something like “Well, with the main character being at a different place in his life, these characters are no longer needed”. I'm not saying I want a gigantic reunion, but one or two lines of dialogue. Really, is that too much to ask?
Take Leo Spitz, for example. OK, I wasn't that big a fan of his character. Or a fan at all, but considering how he was originally supposed to be in Dark Of The Moon, would a line about what he was doing since the events of Revenge Of The Fallen have killed the script writers?
But some of the worst offenders have to be the Transformers themselves. Between Revenge Of The Fallen and Dark Of The Moon, the characters of Jolt, The Doctor and possibly half/three-quarters of the Constructicons vanish without a word of their fate. Hell, Barricade is absent from the final confrontation of the first film and doesn't reappear until Dark Of The Moon! And briefly, at that! And I swear some characters disappear in the movies that introduce them...
7. And it ends... now!
Mostly applying to the second and third films, the ending takes a long time rolling around. Revenge Of The Fallen has a lot of, to quote the Nostalgia Critic, firing in the desert. And slow motion shots just to drag it out. And I wasn't even in the cinema for that one. I was for Dark Of The Moon, though, and toward the end, when the Autobots weren't on screen, it really felt like the movie was shuffling its feet to reach a conclusion.
6. I see fields of gray...
While the Autobots are mostly in bright, vibrant, distinguishable colours, the Decepticons could very well be mistaken for each other when gathering for a group photo. In the first movie, it's not so bad, as the ones that don't have colour schemes have other distinguishing features (like Scorponok being... well, a scorpion) but as the ranks grow higher, it gets harder and harder to tell the Decepticons apart. Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave largely escape this due to screentime and status but what about guys like Sideways and Grindor (who I actually thought was a resurrected Blackout at first. I mean, some of the underlings went into the ocean to get Megatron back online, so why not all their fallen brethren?) I mean, did everyone need to be gun-metal gray? And don't give me the whole “striving for realism” schtick. It's a series about giant alien robots, I can suspend my disbelief for more colours on the palette.
Next blog, I'll go over the next five things that grind my gears about the Transformers film series.
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