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| by Cochaman Peef with additional writing by Bridget Petrella | ||
| Dreamworks' ‘Transformers’— Stays True To It's Die-Hard Fans. | ||
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It's safe to say, the cartoons of today are no where near as cool as the ones that were on when I was growing up (don't ask when, just go with it). We had shows like Robotech, Thundercats, Starblazers, Visionaries, X-Men, Spiderman, and Batman: The Animated Series. But looking back at that time in my life there was one cartoon that stood out amongst the rest, that rose above others and left a lasting impression on me and everyone else I know... and that cartoon was The Transformers based on the Hasbro Toys I still have. Most men in their early to-mid 20s look back at this movie with fond memories and yes, you can bet your ass I am proud to be one of them. Again, Transformers used to be a big part of my life. I had the toys (Galvatron was my fav), followed the TV show and when the flick came out, I saw it twice. The good news is that the movie still holds up today like a Decepticon at a war party... So... I've been dreaming of a live action Transformers movie for years, and when I heard Steven Spielberg was involved I swear to God I almost wept like a pathetic little girl. But little did I know Spielberg would not be directing... that job would go to Michael Bay, who in my mind has only directed three solid films (Bad Boys I, Bad Boys II and The Rock). So I have to confess, I was a tad bit skeptical. To add to this, I was fully aware that when the animated film was initially released back in 1986, it didn't perform all that well at the box-office. Today, it's a cult classic. I was also worried when pictures of the various Transformers surfaced with zero resemblance to the incarnations that covered my Underoos. I bitched about Megatron not transforming into a Walther P38 like the one that sits in my display case (Megatron, not the gun). But about three months ago, I
had a revelation that led me to stop worrying and love the beast. It's
stupid to get caught up in continuity discussions with hard-core geeks
that dress up like Starscream on their way to their 10th BotCon
Convention. The Transformers concept has been rewritten through many toy
lines, new generations, and comic books. However, the basic concepts have
stayed the same. Autobots are good. Decepticons are evil. Optimus Prime is
the John Wayne of my childhood and Megatron is the love child of Stalin
and Hitler (Shitler?). Bumblebee always makes friends with some human boy
and Starscream gets no respect while he secretly plots to be the leader of
everything. This film captures it all and more. No longer do fans of this
beloved series have to sit around and have the conversation of "Ya know,
it would be cool if they made a live-action film of this?" Our childhood
dreams have been answered and I'm appreciating the hell out of it. The
film is action packed. The first five minutes has a Decepticon tearing
through a military base. There are loads of car chases, explosions, and
collapsing buildings with Transformers in the center of it all. The
transforming sequences are glorious. There are some still shots of a car
working its magic into a 20-foot robot, but other telephoto shots weave
around the transforming robot allowing the audience to get an awesome feel
of the immensity and mechanics that make up this alien race. |
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Despite a number of short-term
unwarranted arrests for a virtual plethora of misdemeanors,
which, for some odd reason, remain "classified", Cochaman Peef
has continued to let his beloved hemp play a substantial role in
his ever-waning life. Whether he’s smoking from a hand-blown
glass pipe while studying Eastern religion and Woody Harrelson
philosophy, or just smoking Jamaican sticks and watching Kung-Fu
with David Carradine on DVD [he claims to know Carradine
personally, a fact we've yet to dispute]. |
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Released
as a single disc and a two-disc special edition (as well as an HD-DVD
edition) we will be referring to the Two-Disc Special Edition of the film.
Which at first glance doesn't seem so packed but upon further examination
the content is very informative, as well as a couple of truly welcomed
surprises: Audio Commentary with Director Michael Bay— Bay is really a
very easy going and energetic guy to listen to, and you can tell he has a
certain passion for making the movies he does, Transformers Teaser
Trailer— The Mars Rover premier trailer, Iron Man Teaser Trailer, Rise of
the Autobots— Video Montage, Disc 2: Our World- Production Diary style
featurette, showing some of the history of the Transformers, how the film
came about featuring cast and crew interviews, Their War— Another
Production Diary featurette, going deeper behind the scenes, goes into
Bay’s relationship with the Military and how they help greatly with the
film, as well as the folks at ILM and Digital Domain and their work in
brining the Transformers to Life, More Than Meets the Eye— An in depth
look at the making of the Skorponok Desert Attack scene, as well as
concept boards, and other transformers theatrical trailers. Presented in
its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio if there's one thing Michael Bay does
well, it's making a cinematically gorgeous film, and Transformers is no
exception, this movie is incredible to look at, each frame is a highly
polished CGI fest and I never thought I'd say any of this about a Bay film
but its almost a work of art visually. The Audio is right up there as
well, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround... and needless to say it
kicks ass. UB
