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Just like millions of other kids, I never missed a single episode of Transformers. I was captivated by the idea of a car transforming into an alien robot. But a few things never sat right with me, like…

• -If they were alien machines then why did their faces resemble that of a human. They didn’t look enough like aliens or machines for my liking (This is why “Beast Wars” is one of my faves).
• -If they were advanced enough to transform their bodies from car to bot then why did they leave large untransformed components (such as the large hood for a chest or bulky feet that wouldtrip an elephant)… and I always thought it was a cheap short-cut to just split the car and leave it boxy (why not go into greater detail? Bay did.)
• -Why did they fly around in spaceships… why didn’t they just “become” the ship? (some series (Armada) did apply this to their storyline)
• -And I never liked “mass shifting”… How could Megatron shrink down to a little pistol? That means that anyone could just throw him into a bucket of cement and he’d be screwed! How would that be a fitting end to the mechanical menace. (Bay transforms a car into a robot… end of story)

It would seem that Michael Bay had the same concerns while researching his new film…

• -Mouths were redesigned (lips in particular)… steel doesn’t bend and if it did why doesn’t the restof the face collapse when he gets hit?
• -Large “boxy” components were transformed further to streamline the bot-modes, making themmore manoeuvreable (cartoon robots can bend all they want without worrying about physics)
• -Protoforms are self-containing… meaning they are their own stasis pods.
•  -There will be NO mass shifting… simply put: what you see is what transforms (and if something is too big, it simply transforms further)

Some hard-core fanatics consider Transformers to be the first generation (G1) only and all other incarnations simply inferior spin-offs… I say yes and no.Transformers did start as G1 and that’s all it was intended to be, but after it’s rapid success more shows were put into production. I don’t like spin-offs on the principle that it’s a ripp-off of the original and lessens the greatness of said original.I don’t think this is the case for Transformers.The epic struggle between good & evil will always continue… regardless. and so must the story of the Autobots & Decepticons. Some series were wayward of the true Transformer theme but were ultimately still in the same vein. That’s all that needs to be accurate in Bay’s movie. Whoever embarks on a journey with the Transformers has carte blanche with designs and characters… just as long as the essence remains intact.

The Essence of TF:

Facts about TransFormers that should not be altered !!!

• - Optimus Prime is the good soldier… and that’s what makes him unique from the rest of the Autobots. He is a soldier… born from the matrix as a warrior on the side of good. The Autobots are just robots fighting against Megatron (they are not soldiers, only reluctant participants).
• - Megatron is pure evil… he needs to look the part, so having him shrink down to a little pistol seems contrary. His face needs to strike terror into the hearts of the innocent, and create fear. Megatron is the epitomy of the world’s armies… Fight, Kill, Destroy…
• - BumbleBee is the underdog, the smallest TF. That’s why he relates to the humans so well (he knows what it’s like to go against huge robots that tower above you). IT DOES NOT MATTER THAT HE’S NOT A VW BEETLE !!!(OK so maybe it matters a little bit… I liked that Spike might get teased for driving a bashed up old VW, but there’s more to it than meets the eye…and the beetle was a good vehicle mode for someone named “BumbleBee”) but I never really liked his big belly and chunky feet… I always wanted them to morph further. The Camaro is a much better car design to transform (plus Hasbro couldn’t get the rights to use VW…I think it had something to do with the new “Herbie” movies).

A lot of Transformer fans are outraged at the new take on the old cartoon… but that’s the problem… It’s not a cartoon. Things don’t translate as well into a real live version. I think the TransFormers2007 boys are doing their best and it must be breaking their hearts (mine too) to hear what some “fans” are saying about a movie they haven’t even seen yet. The only reason for the uproar I can think of is that Mike Bay is changing something that many kids fell in love with, and as the kids grew up changing what they remember is kinda like saying they have to change aswell. (They still don’t realize that it already had changed… Beast Wars, Armada, Energon, Cybertron, etc.)

I just had to get that off my chest…

Future posts will include breaking news, latest leaks, and anything else about the 2007 movie.