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CGI SUPREME: Two alien races from the planet Cybertron carry their eternal struggle to Earth in Michael Bay’s signature film, based on a popular line of toys. As the director has stated, “I make movies for teenage boys.” Courtesy: Dreamworks/SMG/Paramount.
CREDITS
Dreamworks SKG/Paramount Pictures; Michael Bay, dir.; John Rogers, story; Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, scr.; Ian Bryce, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy, pro.; Steve Jablonsky, mus.; Mitchell Amundsen, cin.; Tom A. Muldoon, Paul Rubell, Glen Scantlebury, ed.; François Audouy, Beat Frutiger, Sean Haworth, Kevin Kavanaugh, art dir.; Robin Beauchesne, Howard Berger, makeup effects; H. Barclay Aaris, David Amborn, Ryan Amborn, Sean Amborn, David J. Barker, Robert Bell, F/X; Mimi Abers/ILM, Charles Abou Aad, Ismail Acar/ILM, visual effects; Leigh Barbier, Jason Brown, digital artists; Jeremy Bolan/ILM, Allen Holbrook, animators; 144 min.; Color; 2.35:1.
CAST
Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky); Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes); Josh Duhamel (Capt. William Lennox); Tyrese Gibson (Sgt. Epps); Rachael Taylor (Maggie Madsen); Anthony Anderson (Glen); Jon Voight (John Keller); John Turturro (Agent Simmons); Michael O’Neill (Tom); Kevin Dunn (Ron Witwicky); Julie White (Judy Witwicky); Amaury Nolasco (“Fig”); Zack Ward (Donnelly); Rizwan Manji (Akram); William Morgan Sheppard (Capt. Witwicky); Bernie Mac (Bobby Bolivia); Johnny Sanchez (Clown); Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime, voice); Mark Ryan (Bumblebee, voice); Darius McCrary (Jazz, voice); Robert Foxworth (Ratchet, voice); Jess Harnell (Ironside/Barricade, voice); Hugo Weaving (Megatron, voice).
MOST MEMORABLE LINE
So you’re, like, an alien?
MIKAELA TO A TRANSFORMER
BACKGROUND
Japan’s Takara Co. had a huge hit with their Microman and Diaclone series of pliable toys that could be manipulated from motorized vehicles into unique personalities with robotic qualities. In the United States, Hasbro executives wondered if such items might prove successful here, purchasing the molds and rights. Sales to children, teenagers, and adult collectors boomed. In 1984, an animated TV series premiered, followed by a 1986 film. Contemporary franchising led to every conceivable item from cereal brands to video games. As Spielberg was a fan, it made sense that he would eventually executive-produce a spectacular feature film version.
THE PLOT
From a distant galaxy, evil robotic shape-shifters known as “Decepticons” arrive on Earth, searching for the long-missing AllSpark, the creator of their cosmos. Its power will allow their long-frozen leader Megatron to turn Earth’s machines against humans. Autobots, the hero Transformers, arrive simultaneously to protect the earthlings. Their leader, Optimus Prime, has his nicest ally, Bumblebee, turn himself into a car, which is purchased by an awkward teen Witwicky, who is hoping to impress a local dream girl, Mikaela. Yet, this purchase owes more to destiny than to accident: more than a hundred years earlier, Witwicky’s grandfather made first contact with aliens. Meanwhile, the secretary of defense trusts that a bright young computer hacker can solve the mystery of why Earth is being invaded, and by whom.
THE FILM
After reading a treatment by Don Murphy (producer, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 2003) and Tom DeSanto (writer, X-Men, 2000) in 2003, Spielberg brought aboard two additional writers, Roberto Orci and Alec Kurtzman, veterans of the TV ventures Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Alias, as well as their joint film project, The Legend of Zorro (2005). John Rogers contributed to the story line, and as a former stand-up comic, he added its humor. All agreed that theirs would be a freewheeling interpretation, re-inventing the characters’ appearances to offer their spin on the origination backdrop. This constituted a risk with Transformers purists. Though initial reviews were mixed, the film became a huge hit, justifying its immense $150 million budget. Even those who don’t care for the hard-edged tone of nonstop action and the broad playing of the roles admitted that the fusion of live-action sequences with computer-generated effects was the most sophisticated that had yet been achieved.
THEME
One implied idea is an apotheosis of mainstream movies that appeared during the period in which Transformers became a part of popular culture. This led to numerous Spielberg references, including a boy and his alien pal (E.T.), an intergalactic combat (War of the Worlds), and even an innocent little girl who wanders through the chaos like the child in a red coat in Schindler’s List.
TRIVIA
The AllSpark replaces the energon cubes from the animated TV series. Originally called the “Matrix of Leadership,” its name was changed to avoid confusion with The Matrix. Director Michael Bay altered the make of car that Bumblebee transforms from a Volkswagen Beetle into a Chevy Camaro to limit comparisons with Disney’s The Love Bug films. The voice of robot hero Optimus Prime is modeled on that of John Wayne.
The relationship of teen hero to his car is derived from Back to the Future (1985) while the idea of a geek who gets the beautiful girl echoes all teen wish-fulfillment flicks made since 1980. The small coterie of heroes are sci-fi versions of The Magnificent Seven (1960), and in the script’s first draft, there were seven Autobots. The African-American family appears a satire on those in the movies and TV shows of Tyler Perry.
A sequence involving characters struggling in high places has precedent in such Hitchcock films as Saboteur, Vertigo, and North by Northwest. Also essential is Hitchcock’s concept of the MacGuffin, a seemingly unimportant object containing great value, the cause of all the activity. Here we have the captain’s glasses, a map leading to the AllSpark embedded on the lenses. They also reference the broken glasses in Sergei M. Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin (1925).