Why I'm sticking with Mr. Bay on Transformers.
There has been a lot of chatter on the net about those for and against Michael Bay taking the director's seat for the Transformers live action movie. I must admit I was not for Bay directing at first. All I knew of him was Pearl Harbor - which I hated. But after digging a little deeper I think Mr. Bay is going to work just fine.
To know where a man is headed you first have to know where he's been. Let's take a look a Bay's previous work:
Bad Boys (1995)
Great movie. Funny and full of energy. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were in their primes and the movie made a lot of money.
The Rock (1996)
One of my all time favorite movies. Some would say this is the movie that put Sean Connery in the spotlight again and Nicolas Cage for the first time.
Armageddon (1998)
Pleasant to watch the first time, but the ending was a little heavy on the cheese. I will say this in it's defense: a lot of people like this movie - namely women.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
I know this is one of his biggest movies and most people really enjoyed it - I didn't. The battle scenes were awesome and the acting was great. I just didn't like the story. His best friend got with his girl? That made for a very frustrating movie for me. Either way - this movie has a lot of fans.
Bad Boys 2 (2003)
Will and Martin's chemistry isn't the same in this one. Too much action and most of the jokes fell flat.
The Island (2005)
Sure it was a somewhat of a Matrix rip-off, but I really enjoyed this movie anyway. The movie was really done well and very entertaining.
So in summary - the man knows how to do action, suspense, and drama. He is basically 5 for 6 even though Bad Boys 2 has it's fans as well. I was unaware he had this many good movies under his belt. It makes me feel a lot better about the whole thing.
I know some out there want the movie based in the 80's, all original characters, and all original voice actors. HECK - I'm one of them! But after listening to a Michael Bay interview and reading some posts on his forum/blog I can see why this is just not possible.
Movies have to be realistic to capture the audience. Sure a 6 inch cassette deck transforming into a 30 foot robot is acceptable to the fans - the average movie-goer would be saying, "What the heck?" We have to realize this is also a chance for the Transformers franchise to explode within the new generation of youth. Sure they have cartoons and stuff, but nothing on this grand a scale.
As for original voice actors - I agree to a point. If they are alive and well and can still do the voice - USE 'EM! Change the robot all is well, change the voice and lose the fan base. Just look at the reaction from fans upon have Peter Cullen reprise his roll as Optimus Prime for the movie. If new actors are needed great - that is what the new transformers are for. Speaking of...
The new transformers and new designs of old transformers are a must. It keeps things fresh and also allows for more realistic transformations. Sure I would rather have Bumblebee as a VW Bug, but they changed it for reasons I am not aware of. Oh well. I still get to see BUMBLE BEE transform on screen in all his yellow glory. The generation 2 prime? Fine by me. The flames on Prime... still not onboard with that. The new transformers are fine for me for one simple reason - It allows transformers to die in the movie that no one really cares about. I'm not saying they will - but I would rather see Bonecrusher die before Starscream.
So basically, we really have nothing to worry about with Bay. He has a good record of making blockbuster hits. A lot of people that have a passion for Transformers are involved. And on top of all this - the fans voices are being heard - not allows being followed - but definantly being heard.
To know where a man is headed you first have to know where he's been. Let's take a look a Bay's previous work:
Bad Boys (1995)
Great movie. Funny and full of energy. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were in their primes and the movie made a lot of money.
The Rock (1996)
One of my all time favorite movies. Some would say this is the movie that put Sean Connery in the spotlight again and Nicolas Cage for the first time.
Armageddon (1998)
Pleasant to watch the first time, but the ending was a little heavy on the cheese. I will say this in it's defense: a lot of people like this movie - namely women.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
I know this is one of his biggest movies and most people really enjoyed it - I didn't. The battle scenes were awesome and the acting was great. I just didn't like the story. His best friend got with his girl? That made for a very frustrating movie for me. Either way - this movie has a lot of fans.
Bad Boys 2 (2003)
Will and Martin's chemistry isn't the same in this one. Too much action and most of the jokes fell flat.
The Island (2005)
Sure it was a somewhat of a Matrix rip-off, but I really enjoyed this movie anyway. The movie was really done well and very entertaining.
So in summary - the man knows how to do action, suspense, and drama. He is basically 5 for 6 even though Bad Boys 2 has it's fans as well. I was unaware he had this many good movies under his belt. It makes me feel a lot better about the whole thing.
I know some out there want the movie based in the 80's, all original characters, and all original voice actors. HECK - I'm one of them! But after listening to a Michael Bay interview and reading some posts on his forum/blog I can see why this is just not possible.
Movies have to be realistic to capture the audience. Sure a 6 inch cassette deck transforming into a 30 foot robot is acceptable to the fans - the average movie-goer would be saying, "What the heck?" We have to realize this is also a chance for the Transformers franchise to explode within the new generation of youth. Sure they have cartoons and stuff, but nothing on this grand a scale.
As for original voice actors - I agree to a point. If they are alive and well and can still do the voice - USE 'EM! Change the robot all is well, change the voice and lose the fan base. Just look at the reaction from fans upon have Peter Cullen reprise his roll as Optimus Prime for the movie. If new actors are needed great - that is what the new transformers are for. Speaking of...
The new transformers and new designs of old transformers are a must. It keeps things fresh and also allows for more realistic transformations. Sure I would rather have Bumblebee as a VW Bug, but they changed it for reasons I am not aware of. Oh well. I still get to see BUMBLE BEE transform on screen in all his yellow glory. The generation 2 prime? Fine by me. The flames on Prime... still not onboard with that. The new transformers are fine for me for one simple reason - It allows transformers to die in the movie that no one really cares about. I'm not saying they will - but I would rather see Bonecrusher die before Starscream.
So basically, we really have nothing to worry about with Bay. He has a good record of making blockbuster hits. A lot of people that have a passion for Transformers are involved. And on top of all this - the fans voices are being heard - not allows being followed - but definantly being heard.
posted by Nick R. at 09:54
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