In Defense of “Transformers 3”

Okay before we start I’ll get one thing out of the way and state: I am totally fucking biased in favor of this franchise. How could I not be? I’ve been a fan of Shia LaBeouf since he was on “Even Stevens,” I love action films, I’ve loved the Transformers toys since I was a kid, and Optimus Prime is the most badass non-human movie character ever. So even with all that said, I totally understand the criticism of “Dark of the Moon” --- the bad dialogue, the ridiculous story-lines, the gratuitous shots of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley ----- I get all that.

But you know what, I don’t care about any of that. Look at it this way. Michael Bay has to make a movie that appeals to the masses of people all over the world, many of whom never played with a Transformer toy in their lives and are only going to the movies and because that’s what they do in the summer. He has to blow up a ridiculous amount of shit to please people, and in that respect he succeeds.

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment, who went to see this film looking for an Oscar winning script? Probably no one. What we all wanted to see was Optimus Prime being a badass, Shia being funny and heroic, Chicago getting blasted to smitherines, and of course, to see that beautiful model in action. Check, check, check and check. Also, you’d be hard pressed to find a cooler aspect of any action film this summer than the sky diving scene when the NEST team descends on Chicago from above amidst some exploding shit and a possible crash landing. What makes that scene even more amazing is that Bay strapped a camera to a guys head and ACUALLY HAD GUYS BASE JUMP OFF BUILDINGS IN CHICAGO.

Say what you will people, that was fucking dope. So this probably isn’t the best defense of the film that you can find out there, but my point is that I wanted to see some dope Transformer action, have some laughs with my friends, a hot babe and a conclusion to a trilogy that had me pretty skeptical when it was first announced. In that respect, the man delivered.

Go see the movie, the hour and half long climax battle scene is totally worth the price of admission. And if you don’t like it? Take it up with the Autobots, see what they think about it.

Michael Bay Talks "Transformers 3" Story

USA Today recently visited the set of the third "Transformers" movie and Michael Bay revealed several new tidbits on the film, including some aspects of the plot.

Bay plans to debut the movie next summer. He admitted some missteps with the last film and aims to upgrade the shape-shifting robot franchise with a more coherent story, less goofball humor and a pledge that characters who die will stay dead.

Bay partly blames the rush to churn out the first sequel so soon after the writer's strike to blame for "Revenge of the Fallen" not being quite up to par with the original.

Also, despite Bay not being a fan of 3D, the film will be released in 3D--though it's unsure as of yet if it will be shot that way or converted in post-production.

“Revenge of the Fallen” was the No. 2 movie of 2009 (behind only "Avatar"), earning $836 million worldwide — very popular, though complaints from moviegoers and a negative barrage from critics made the filmmakers take notice.

Plot details are under wraps, but the new film will delve into the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. At the same time, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) is taking his first tenuous steps into adulthood while remaining a reluctant human ally of Optimus Prime.

Bay also spoke about the film’s new villain, who will be Shockwave, a character from the original '80s cartoon. The robot cyclops-turned-laser-cannon, became dictator of the Transformers home world of Cybertron after the other Autobots and Decepticons journeyed to Earth.

Megan Fox, who played Mikaela, was dropped just before shooting, so LaBeouf's character also has a new love interest, played by Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

I really loved the first “Transformers.” I was excited for “Revenge of the Fallen,” but after I saw it, I felt as if I had just sat through two hours of crap blowing up. Which is pretty much exactly what it was. While the original wasn't a cinematic masterpiece, it at least had a story you could follow.

But clearly Bay and the other filmmakers heard what fans and critics were saying, and it looks as if the third “Transformers” film might just be the best of the bunch.

More Go 3D Including "Transformers 3"

It comes as no surprise that the third "Transformers" film looks to be happening in 3D with Michael Bay, Paramount and Industrial Light & Magic all in talks to discuss going the extra dimension with the film reports Variety.

According to Variety: Michael Bay's next project is "Transformers 3," and there have been discussions among Bay, Paramount and Industrial Light & Magic about going 3D with the picture.

The big stumbling block is the extra time required to do production and visual effects in 3D, as the movie's release date is already set. Due to the time factor, Bay's filming style and the complexity of the visual effects, it may just be 'converted' rather than shot and produced in 3D.

The move comes amidst a '3D conversion' boom with many upcoming and catalog titles getting the 2D-to-3D treatment. Korean company Stereo Pictures for example is at work on converting the upcoming "Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" into 3D as well.

Michael Bay has said in the past that 3D is a gimmick and that his agressive filmmaking style is not conducive to 3-D filming but it seems Paramount does not agree.
I don’t think the disagreement between Bay and Paramount will have much effect on the film. The first two have made a ridiculous amount of money and there is no reason to think that the third won’t as well, 3D or no 3D. In my opinion I think it would be pretty sweet to see Optimus Prime transform and defend Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky in three dimensions.

Paramount has set a July 1st, 2011 release for Transformers 3, which will begin shooting in May.