An Apparant Comeback

In 2007 the rave was for Michael Bay's Transformers. Produced on a budget of $151 Million, this whopping epic adaptation of the original cartoon series The Transformers, drew an equal number of unsatisfied skeptics and awe-struck fans and moviegoers alike. It received a well-earned 7.2 out of 10 (general consensus) and literally transformed people's opinions and expectations for the series. Worldwide gross revenue totaled up to $706,471,251. Transformers was filmed on standard 35 mm film, and the majority of the cameras used were Panasonic. After a roaring success, film legend Michael Bay (director of Pearl Harbor and Armageddon) teamed up again with Transformers screenplay writer Roberto Orci, along with Ehren Kruger and Alex Kurtzman, for the much anticipated sequel: Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. Once again starring Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, the Autobot gang reunited to fight against the Decepticons. Although in the plot the extra-terrestrial robotic heroes scored big against their mechanical archenemies, they forgot to score big with their audience. Although it was filmed on a substantially larger budget ($200 Million) and drew up a worldwide revenue of $836, 297, 228, people's opinions of the film quickly deteriorated. Fans were disappointed, movie-goers felted cheated, and even Shia LeBeuof who stars as protagonist Sam Witwicky admitted "We got lost. We tried to get bigger. It's what happens to sequels. It's like, how do you top the first one? You've got to go bigger. Mike went so big that it became too big, and I think you lost the anchor of the movie. You lost a bit of the relationships. Unless you have those relationships, then the movie doesn't matter. Then it's just a bunch of robots fighting each other." (**VLADTV.COM) Basically, he said it sucked. And in reality it did. Revenge of the Fallen averaged out with a 5.9 out of 10, falling behind its predecessor. Many people lost hope in Michael Bay. Whenever the director’s name came up immediately people thought of countless big explosions coupled with rushed and barely audible dialogue, along with giant robots fighting over a plot as confusing as the move title itself. To make it worse, Revenge of the Fallen was accused of racism and mysticism. The only Autobots representing African Americans were a pair of clumsy twins known as Mudflaps and Skids. These characters can be caught having dumb expressions on their faces, gopher-sized golden teeth, and are observed spending most of their time doing absolutely nothing except making jokes (accompanied with slanged cursing) and wrestling; in their dialogue they openly admit they are incapable of reading Cybertronian runes (language of the robotic aliens) because they "don’t do much reading”. But, Michael Bay decided to give Transformers one last jolt from his defibrillator before letting the series slip away into the back of people’s minds. With only one writer remaining from the original crew that wrote Revenge of the Fallen, and with new members in the cast (like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, a Victoria's Secret model replacing Megan Fox's character), Transformers is ramped up with the latest installment: Dark of the Moon. The trailer, I admit, is intriguing, intense, and stunning! Just watching the trailer makes me want to drop everything and run to the movie theaters to reserve myself a ticket. As it appears right now, this film is not only an awesomely epic movie, it seems that it will correct all of the mistakes made with Revenge of the Fallen. If this film pulls out like Revenge should have, then Dark of the Moon will become the true sequel to the 2007 Transformers. With continuous announcements from Michael bay and Shia LeBeouf that Dark of the Moon is more centered around a well-grounded story and that “Transformers 3 won’t suck”, I think a lot of people are actually listening and willing to give the giant fighting robotic aliens another chance. With eye-popping visual effects and with a plot focused on the Decepticon invasion of Planet Earth, Dark of the Moon might be the saving grace that keeps Transformers alive for another generation of young people. I admit that I am excited for the third installment of Transformers and will give the movie franchise a second chance. Check out the epic trailer and be swayed yourself!