This movie will appease fans and general audiences like 'Electra.' Fans will hate it, and everyone else will scratch their heads wondering why on earth would giant robots give a rat's arse about the little squishy creatures running around.

When we grew up, we had Spidey, Batman, etc.. kids would dress up as them for Halloween.

Today? Bob the Builder. What's so special? He's a construction guy. No special powers, nothing.

Poor kids are going to be disappointed when they grow up wanting to be a builder like Bob, only to find out the bulldozers don't talk back.

P.S. Fuck all of you people who do not agree with me.

As for Lucas getting the toy rights before the movie, research you disingenous uh, person. The film/story came first, and the licensing rights have been acknowledged for decades as the greatest stroke of luck/studio fumble of all time. The suits handed over the rights precisely because tie-in rights were worth bugger-all back then. If Lucas was so calculating why wasn't there a bunch of merch all ready to go? The figures took the best part of a year to come out! Luck. Sure he may do it precisely like that these days, but give us a break with your revisionist history mate.

Hey, if you think the cartoon was genius then fair enough good for you (my kid is really getting into it now but it still looks pretty lousy - clichéd Sat morning cheap animated drivel to me - this is the old stuff I'm talking about), and maybe repeated viewing warranted more merit than I know, but fair's fair. You can't hold up the original as some pop culture paragon and also slam a movie for playing hard and fast with an extended toy ad. They were just out to make a buck then, and so are these guys now. If we're talking Transformers, everything's fair game. Even nipples on Optimus. P.S. Interesting that my kid who's reasonably oblivious to marketing shenanigans is succumbing to the ads/toy porn and is pressuring me big time for the Trannie toys. I thought I was home free after Harry Potter failed to make an impact!

Boy I hope you're joking there. Darfur. You scare me!

Stupid fuckin' site format. Just post the high-def on the Apple site already. At least it'll work properly.

And this trailer, which I understand is basically a second teaser, is just falling flat. Lots of quick cuts of things shifting and metal moving, but I will hold my judgement until I see things clearer.

I mean--he has missed a real opportunity. All he had to do was basically show a car sitting out in the desert or something,--in full daylight. People walk by it and absolutely do not notice it. It transforms into one of the characters, lock and loads it's cool gun, maybe looks at the audience, or a person in frame-- and then walks out of frame. we get a montage of action sequences then the title. End teaser. Audience goes crazy for it.

But they are hiding the designs of the characters--because they suck. They know people are unhappy with them and they are trying to say "Hey we made a movie with great explosions which is just like my other movies with great explosions, so don't be afraid. Come to the theatre and spend you money. You are getting exactly what you pay for--nothing new or thought provoking here. Step into my web of explosive lies."

And they really need the sound effect from the show. That thing is just tits.

Man, I laughed so much I think I peed.

Let's instead discuss how this movie is about a boy and his first car (Michale Bay's own words instead of about the Transformers the movie is named after. In the same way, Michael Bay took Pearl Harbor and made it all about a lameass love triangle instead of about one of the single most important events in American and world history.

Bay missed the mark with Pearl Harbor and he's missed the mark here.

The recent cartoons have definitely flip-flopped that dynamic, but not G1. If you include Beast Wars as part of G1 because of the appearance of the G1 characters, then Beast Wars didn't even have any human worth mentioning, just a few cavemen, and Beast Machines had zero humans period.

Nevermind that every goddam set report we've been given confirms every scene mentioned in the "changed" script. Nevermind we've seen photographic evidence that Sam's football hero scene is still in the movie.

And there it is, this movie begins and ends with Sam being the primary focus of the entire film. He's trying to get laid, he's buying the car, he has the MacGuffin, he does everything in this shitfest, and he even gets to rescue the AllSpark (or whatever they're calling it this week) and kills Megatron.

The Transformers, what little we see of them, are nothing more than props in this film about some kid named Sam. The star of this movie should have been Peter-Fucking-Cullen not Shia LeBeowulf.

Now, perhaps you're in company with that bowl of peaches wcoop893 who wrote, "see this movie dont care about the robots having character. why should they/we. it would be stupid to have them move their mouths and try and make us care about them so much." These are the words of someone that doesn't understand TF. Considering it has been speculated in this TB by other that his is a 'stooge' of Murphy's speaks volumes as well.

Guess I have to read the next 200 TB messages tomorrow morning. LOL

I didn't have any exposure to the cartoon until the 1986 movie. My source material was Marvel's comic. I didn't bitch when I found that the Dinobots were retarded and the cassette robots were mute. Although I would have preferred Meg's number two to remain Ravage instead of Starscream. But you should already know all this since you a fucking expert on all things I only think I might have known at some point.

Ultimately, shit stain, the look and feel was mostly all the same between the comic and the cartoon. Visual changes were minor at best. Most importantly, you puss ridden anal scab, is that all of the robots in both the comic and in the cartoon had personalities. In fact, in all versions of the TF mythos, the robots were characters themselves. The opinion I outlined clearly, the one "you so eloquently missed," is that he robots in Bay's movie appear to be shaping up to have little, if any, personality. What has leaked has given us no reason to suspect otherwise. Wake up, 'clown'.

Now, do you really want to continue in this fashion? I'd prefer otherwise, but will post to suit.

"jumped at the chance to try and put someone straight." Really? I though I offered an objective opinion on a question that was asked in hope to continue constructive dialog, fuckface.

"I asked the fucking question first so you're the one who has to give the answer." And I did. So counter it instead of underscoring the magnitude of your intelligence. Wait, they do have intelligence on your planet, right?

"And since you're the only person to actually attack me with an attitude" I didn't attack you. I attacked wcoop893. Your subjectively misinterpreted it as an attack on you. By writing, "Perhaps you're with" him, I implied that I hope you aren't. But I tend to forget how the subtle is forever lost on the feebleminded.

"you were treat with the fucking utmost contempt that you deserve" Well, fuck your poodle too, pal. Missionary style.

"So, to ratify, you were asked a question and you failed to answer it." No. I answered it. But you have no counter and would rather continue this perceived threat upon your oversensitive, menstruating person. Have a cookie!

Now, with that out of the way... Did all other TF incarnations have character? I believe they did. Does Bay's version of TF appear to have character? No, it doesn't. Care to provide your constructive opinion? If you can't, "That either makes you a) Stupid or b)Ignorant. You pick which one fuckwad."

"I eagerly await the chance to ignore your reply based upon the precurement of an early script." Yeah, the one you stated on this very TB that you didn't read for yourself? The one you supposedly know nothing about? Yet, for some reason, you know all about?

The script where a robot "speaks" by randomly selecting radio frequencies in order to 'talk'. Great characterization there. Also the same script where the robots utter around 8 lines in total. FANTASTIC characterization!

Funny how you persist with this childish and amateur posturing, that which I continue to give you a means to opt out of, yet it is I who you find to have a confidence issues. Whatever.

Since you've elected to ignore my reply, there is hope to bring this discussion back to some semblance of construtive discourse. So I'll try to bring this back to rationality -- What from the trailer gave you reason to believe that the robots will have character?

Oh, but, uhm, they aren't doing voiceacting for the *characters* from Cybertron? They actually play 'meat' roles in this film?

And the lead actor is Leia LeBoush from Return of the Jedi? I mean -- That annoying, smile-and-other-emotive incapable potty mouth from Holes, Constantine, and I-Robot?

And it is directed by Michael Bay?

There is no reason not to anticipate this film with great... anticipation. Were MST3K still around, that is.

SEMI-SPOILER

Sam knows the location of the Allspark, which is a device that can give life to an automaton. It is speculated that said robot would mature into its own personality in this movie timestream of the TF mythos. That is providing the TF in this variation are capable of growing an individual personality above and beyond mere sentience.

So I ask you boys and girls, in what way do these robots resemble the characters in any incarnation of Transformers?

P.S. Maybe I should spoil the big twist where it turns out a next-gen autobot has taken the form of a plush My Little Pony and in the next cut after the one we see it transforms and exacts it's terrible revenge.

Yeah Phate but Cool Hand Luke cancels Leonard out. Baker rawks. I understand we're you're coming from with Nutsack but give US a few more months without the little shitlet eh? If it's really that bad why do WE have to endure it for that much longer? You and Nutsack might have sought it out to see if you'd be outraged, but we didn't.

I think what annoys me about Hairy 'saving us from ourselves' is the fucking conceit, y'know? "I'll do you all a favour and spoil it all so you don't have to even see it because it offended my anal fanboy sensibilities and I know what's best for all of you." I'm putting words in his mouth obviously but Christ on a bike the fucking snobbishness of it all. WHoever said he was like Comic Book Guy was right (can't find it up there). "no you may NOT enjoy this movie because I won't". Dog in the Manger tactics, man. The vast majority of people aren't G1 snobs and maybe they WOULD like to see it and they won't be offended by whether it's 'canon' or not which even according to the fans seems to be a redundant term. The Island was the only Bay film I half liked but I think if he's suited to anything he's suited to remaking a toy ad. My very subjective opinion which I'm entitled to. He's doing me a favour my arse. All would be forgiven with a fucking SPOILER WARNING. At least then we'd have a choice. Fair enough?

For all intents and purposes, this is an ANIMATED move, with the number of transformers in it. That means that it takes YEARS to do all the animation required, so the script has to stay basically the same to support the animated sequences in it. The only thing that can change is overdubbed voices (which is why the transformers have no mouths) adn some re-shoots of the Human actors.

The company usually only sponsors re-shoots if the test screening go bad. There will be no time for test screenings with all the animation involved, so you better hope that they fixed all the script concerns before they got to set--OH WAIT IT'S MICHAEL BAY.

Never mind. The movie is screwed.

And in case you haven't heard, the trailer has been updated today. It now features the voice of one, Mr. Cullen.

Badger999: are you the former Man-of-Stool?

Sorry PharteCoward. I just call them like I see them.

But judging by the initial reactions (with maybe the exception of the latter half of this TB), the response has been surprisingly positive.

Guys, come on! The voiceover was recorded YESTERDAY as a simple thank you to the fans. (The "voiceless" one is Bay's official version - the other is Murphy's tip of the hat.) The fact that you don't like Cullen's natural/unaltered speaking voice just proves that YOU ARE NOT REAL FANS!!!

You must chill.

Oh, and PharteGoddPrime = Brandon Coleman's douchebag.

As for the trailer, no it's a teaser and your logic is backwards. You've read the script so you consider it a "spoilery trailer". We haven't so to us there aren't any spoilers, it's just the usual clichéd setup and then a bunch of moodycool vignettes. It's not even the spoilers in and of themselves I'm annoyed about as much as your gall in thinking you know what's best for everyone. You don't seem to get that you're not automatically entitled to make that decision for anyone else. Not that I'm surprised, of course - exactly because I have been coming here that long. The movie hasn't come out, right? Do the vast majority who are interested in the movie the favour of letting them make their own opinions especially seeing as you feel so entitled to yours. There. I tried to be reasonable and didn't resort to name-calling or your mock-indignation.

All your base, that's a kewl damn handle. They shoulda put that line in the cartoon. As a wink, the way they made fun of "Roger Roger."

Sorry you weren't around to enjoy the fun, but that's not my fault now is it?

Prime's voice is almost as iconic as his image, if they fuck that up I think even AllSeeingEye will join the hate.

I really like the Masterpiece Starscream and Megatron, especially the Starscream. Perfect paintjob or not, that is one mother-effing great toy.

Let me ask you something wcoop893, is it 10 year olds that are buying all of the Transformers DVDs, or how about the Masterpiece toys, is it little kids shelling out $100+ for these toys? No, it's real grown ups who grew up with Transformers and still love them and were hoping for something that at least resembles Transformers both visually and storywise, and we've gotten neither.

While attempting to appeal to a greater audience there is absolutely no reason they had to alienate a large portion of the millions of people in the existing fan base. How many will not see this movie based on the bad word of mouth given by the exiting fans? It doesn't make any sense at all from a marketing standpoint, and having Don Murphy spearhead the response to the fans on the internet makes even less sense.