“It was kind of a mess, wasn’t it?” says director Michael Bay in an LA Times profile about “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon,”, one of the expected blockbusters of next summer’s blockbuster season. He’s referring to the second film in the series, subtitled “Revenge Of The Fallen.” It made $836 million worldwide. You probably saw it. It was popular. We don’t need to say it was a raging piece of shit but, oh, well, it seemed to slip out.
Bay doesn’t need to tell you either, but he’s being charitable enough to share, in a small way doing penance for making such a terrible movie. “Look, the movie had some good things in it and it was entertaining and it did very well, but it also failed in some key ways,” he continues. “I learned from it. And now with this third movie we’re going back to basics and I absolutely believe this is going to be a much better film than the second one.”
You have to wonder what a phrase like “back to basics” means to a guy like Bay, who seems to only make movies where shirtless tough guy protagonists drop un-ironic one-liners before blowing up entire city blocks to foil the bad guy’s scheme. One could be cruel and say he has yet to make a good movie, and that even his semi-respectable work wears out its welcome at the 80 minute mark. And yet, somehow, we were stunned to find out Bay uses actual scripts.
“Look,” he continues, “we got burned on the last movie. The big thing was the writers’ strike, it hurt the film and it made it hard on everybody. We had three weeks to get our story and, really, we were going into the movie without a script. It’s tough to do that. It was too big of a movie. There were too many endings or too many things that felt like endings. There was so much animation [in the visual effects post-production work], too, and we ran out of time. We used the schedule of the first movie for the second movie but on the second one way more labor was needed for the animation. And then it felt like we were writing the script in the edit room, trying to put together a story.”
We appreciate Bay’s candor, as he’s always been one of the few plainspoken A-List directors out there, unafraid of biting the hand that feeds him. But the promotional tour for the third “Transformers” has continued to perpetuate the falsehood that the first film in the series even approached watchability. Bay’s films are their own beasts, surely, but both movies in this robot saga have been loud, noisy, sexist, impenetrable madhouses of violence and mayhem bereft of meaning or purpose, aside from the commercial aim of recirculating thirty year old toys for nostalgic man-boys. Bay has come out and said, “I think we have something to prove with this third one,” but he’s really had something to prove for a long time now.
If you’re into that sort of thing, the LA Times profile gives a rundown on how Bay feels about working with 3D, adding a new lead actress (nothing juicy there, sorry) and his first reaction to the “Transformers” directing offer (“The term I used at the time was ‘stupid idea,’ if I remember right”).”Transformers: Dark of The Moon” commits hate crime July 1st.
ive read the posts here and would have to say that people seem very quick to judge. everyone is entitled to their opinion. if you dont like us go find something you do like and leave us transformer fans the fuck alone. i might not like the films you do but im not going to blog about it and give off so much that others may take offense.for me the 2 films ive seen so far are great, cant wait for the third one. im a father, a worker of several jobs and think its great to get home after work and chill out with my wee girl and watch a film whether its transformers or dora the explorer who cares. it gets me out of the real world for a while.
I loved both movies. And to be honest, I thought the second movie was much better than the first. The original film had a much better story, but the second had much better creatures, comedy, and destruction. You can\’t depend on a story from something inspired by toys, except for Toy Story itself.
Megan Fox was a pretty good actor, and I\’m a little amazed that she will not be appearing in the third film. It just won\’t be the same without her. Who\’s this new bimbo?
Agree with me, or don\’t. Opinions are like assholes; everybody has one…
You know what people I liked both transformer movies i was never looking for some deep dramatic movie it is what it is action robots who blow stuff up for our enjoyment and i love it say what you want but me my kids and wife love these movies we upset we cant see megan fox but the new girl is cool stop bagging on someone who did a pretty good job none of you can do it can you.I didnt think so your still going to watch the movie then you will bitch about how bad it was but guess what he still gets paid for it and there is nothing you can do about it but bitch so ha ha ha.now thats funny.
And what ever happened to energon cubes? At least the cartoon had a theme. Bay, you moron, you have ruined my favorite childhood memory.
Dear writer,
I agree with you 100%. Transformers 1 and 2 were crap. We only watched it because of the effects. Transformers 2 was a disaster of racism and sexism combined. And I\’m not expecting much from 3. Bay should never have been allowed to direct. Where is Stephen Spielberg when you need him? Oh and people who actually liked part 2 need to go back to elementary school
Im sick of every one paying out Bay he is a great director he makes movies for people to enjoy and have fun with.Id like to see any of you make a film that was as good as his yer i agree the second film had many plot holes and was all over the place but atleast he has made up for it and why to be a good director every film has to have deep meaning we go to the cinama to go on a jurney and escape he dose that and dose it well.Also he is like one of the only left directors that still uses real effects and those explosions wuld not be eazy to direct so b4 you dog his next film wait till you see it his proved that he can direct and i wuld not give transformers to any other director he is the go to guy for action.peace out.
the transformers movies have always been driven by nostalgia rather than serious story telling, when i was 12 the cartoons were just fun but if i wanted something deeper i would watch Robotech ( original series was 1 story over 38 episodes that grew deeper as it went ). of course lots of people are bagging out bay for the right reasons. is he even capable of doing a film aimed at an adult audience ? if this next film turns out even abit better, i won\’t be too dissapointed. couldn\’t turn out any worse than that farce Tron Legacy.
An outside perspective. While lots of you are being subhuman in this thread, Neil takes the cake of asshatness, sorry.
Therapy, Neil. Therapy.
Christopher Bell
Judging by the size of my posts I think I said more than just \’Damn, it sucks to be you\’ and \’Come oooooon\’. And you guys should be happy. I don\’t usually waste my time posting comments, but I have to admit, this is fun, because it\’s not even a debate. This is me talking and 5 people repeating the same thing over and over again. This is entertainment!
And the Transformers films don\’t take themselves too seriously. Not true at all. There are some \’dramatic\’ moments but they\’re part of the main story of the movie and have to be there. The movie wouldn\’t work without them.
Even Bad Boys has its share of \’dramatic\’ moments. Does it mean that it\’s taking itself too seriously? Of course not. It\’s an action-comedy and people know that.
But if you think that the Transformers films take themselves too seriously, that\’s cool. You have your opinion and I have mine. Can\’t change that.
you got me, Neil. you\’re the big winner here tonight.
Marrrk
I don\’t think I was talking to you, but you obviously care a lot about me. I\’m flattered. But don\’t put words in my mouth, because I never said that these films are masturbatory garbage. Nice try though. You almost got me. Almost.
Now do me a big favor and read again what I said in my previous posts. Because I think I\’m pretty clear and even a chair can understand exactly what I\’m saying.
The rest of your post I\’ll simply ignore, because you\’re not saying anything new. Sorry.
Oh, and that puberty thing was funny. Lame and predictable, but funny.
Neil, you claim you want a debate but you\’re mostly writing \”Damn, it sucks to be you. Truly.\” or \”a$$\” and even the 7 year old to Mommy classic \”Come oooooon.\” Is that what someone should bring to a debate?
Anyways, yes it\’s opinion, of course, and everything we say is opinion and that should go without saying. I wouldn\’t mind a well done action movie, but these are just not them. They\’re not fun in the least bit, and they take themselves much too seriously – something those 80s action movies didn\’t. And when they did, at least it was funny.
Neilson, I think I speak for more than just myself when I say that I had a lot more respect for you before you admitted that you realize Transformers is just a mindless spectacle. I\’ve been following this because, before, I was interested in hearing why you had so much respect for the film. But now, you\’re just passionately defending something you yourself admit is just masturbatory garbage. Why bother, brother?
Take some of that energy and try to expand your knowledge base. Anyone who loves and studies film will tell you that the well never runs dry. No matter how long you live you will never see everything or run out of new genres, movements, or eras to discover. In fact, there may be fantastic action films out there that you never knew existed. They may even manage to be both hugely entertaining on a mass level and display an affection for plots and acting and shit.
Or, ya know, just wait until you hit puberty. Either one.
Gabe Toro
Ohhh, I\’m sorry. I was not aware that ALL action films should have perfect script and deep character development. Obviously I don\’t know anything about the action genre. Yeah, it is embarrassing.
Or not!
Dude, seriously. You need to revisit the 80\’s again and maybe you\’ll understand the meaning of the words PURE action movie. Hell, watch The Expendables from 2010.
Those movies, including Transformers, don\’t rely on scripts, awesome acting and solid plot: they\’re SPECTACLES, clean and clear, and they don\’t pretend to be something they\’re not. Even the people who make them admit that. And you STILL expect more??
Come oooooon.
Gabe beat me to it, but it\’s kind of unbelievable you went to the \’What did you expect?\’ well. There are good action movies — Raiders or Die Hard being the shining examples, films that manage to tell coherent stories, and not be entirely empty — and there are bad action movies.
There\’s no intrinsic reason a good film couldn\’t have been made about giant robots hitting each other, but neither Transformers are that film, because they don\’t have stories! They\’re just chases after some mystical object or other, but nothing actually happens. If I don\’t care about the characters, or I don\’t know what they\’re trying to do, than it\’s not working.
And they\’re not even effective as spectacle — it\’s near impossible to tell what\’s happening in the action sequences, because Bay doesn\’t shoot them coherently, and the characters all look the same.
But if you\’re happy to put down your $15 to watch something that you admit is essentially a firework display then we\’re not going to stop you.
\”Welcome to the action genre\”?
It\’s hugely embarrassing to everyone that you just typed that, and suggests a certain self-loathing you must participate in to enjoy the terrible movies you do. This is cause for therapy, not online debate.
Gabe Toro
Yes, what I said about my black friends is true. Whether you believe it or not, that\’s your own business, I couldn\’t care less. And no, the movies are not TERRIBLE, no matter how much you want to push it. You either haven\’t seen enough movies in your life or you\’re simply acting like a pure mindless internet hater who\’s desperate to be heard. You tell me which one is it?
And his movies have SEVERAL fans? Several?? That made me laugh, seriously. McG has several fans, my friend, while Bay has an established fanbase ever since Bad Boys.
Also, you\’re not in a position to tell other people what to do. I\’ll read a book or go out if I want, you don\’t have to remind me that. Mmmkay?
Because I can also say: \’Yo, go jerk off on a Nolan movie or a Wes Anderson movie, you complete and utter nerd!\’, but I\’m not going to, because unlike some people, I don\’t mind a good debate and I don\’t try to avoid it with pansy a$$ statements.
And I have to ask, what the F are you expecting from a Transformers movie? You constantly whine that they\’re loud and all that stuff. Well, welcome to the action genre, pal!
It\’s called Transformers for a reason: robots beat the crap out of each other and things explode. That\’s what the movie is all about, and that\’s exactly what it delivers. It\’s your own fault that you don\’t know what to expect from a movie about robots going after each other. Sure, there are some bad parts in the these movies, no movie is perfect, but at least the guys making them can deliver on their promises of big, bada$$ action flick.
In the end, criticize all you want, but at least do it in a more NORMAL way and don\’t act like a butthurt wannabe-critic. Have some balance in these articles.
I\’m sure you know what balance means.
Neil, it\’s easy to say \’this is awesome\’ or \’this made a billion dollars\’ or \’millions of people love this\’ — but maybe you could describe a few specific things about Transformers 2 that you really liked and explain why you liked it. It would help us understand. And don\’t just say what you liked, be sure to tell us why you liked it.
I often disagree with critics, but as long as they are explaining why they think what they think, i am grateful for their insight.
Did we really get to the \”some of my best friends are black\” argument?
Is Michael Bay a better filmmaker than McG, Brett Ratner and Stephen Sommers? Sure. Hooray for small victories.
We are being objective when we say his movies have several fans and make a lot of money, which has never been up for debate. Also, they are TERRIBLE. Most people want out of movies what they can get from a handjob. Well, Neil, hate to break this to you, but sometimes we like to go get handjobs from people who GIVE HANDJOBS.
Michael Bay isn\’t a filmmaker, he\’s a pusher. When you buy, you make yourself a worse person, and the world a worse place. Not gonna soft-pedal that, Transformers fans. Maybe try reading a book or going out or doing something that adults do rather than watching movies that are transparently ABOUT TOYS and ONLY about toys.
And to \”Michael Bay\” in the comments section… you have to have a little kid in your heart? These Transformers movies are loud, incoherent and vile. Sitting in the first ten rows is like a violation. What sort of cynical, fucked-up kid were you? And if people needed to get in touch with their inner child, there is the internet, there are 24 hour cartoon networks, there are toy stores everywhere. There are millions of more outlets for your \”inner child\” today than there were when \”E.T.\” came out. If you have to appreciate Transformers to get in touch with your inner child, we pity your outer adult.
One could be even more cruel and say he never made and will never make a good movie
Oliver Lyttelton,
It\’s not working, my friend. Trying to act all superior and smarter by stating \’I value plot, character, emotion, a well-constructed script, fine performances\’. It ain\’t working, sorry.
Heard that many times before and you\’re not helping yourself. You\’re just making yourself sound like a typical film snob who hates everything that\’s popular and successful. By all means do that, but at least try to respect people with different opinions.
Cinema and art in general, is completely subjective, and there are no facts, there are only opinions. Even kids know that.
And the fact that you\’re using as an argument a 2-second shot of \’robo-balls\’ in a movie that\’s over 2 hours, is absolutely hilarious.
The racism claim: many of my friends are African Americans, and they all saw the movie. Guess what?
They were laughing their ******* off and they all liked it. No one said a word about racism.
So I guess it\’s not as bad as you think. Sorry.
Neil\’s absolutely right, it\’s entirely a matter of opinion. We\’re just looking for different things in our choice of film.
Myself, Gabe and Chris value plot, character, emotion, a well-constructed script, fine performances, all that boring shit. And Transformers fans value explosions, robo-balls and casual racism and misogyny. What can I say, cinema\’s a broad church.
you guys should hire Neil. he\’s hilarious.
Gabe Toro,
It doesn’t make a dent, so you decided to turn on the hate-machine and basically insult the fans of these movies and the director himself, all in one article!
Yeah, that\’s really mature. Really.
And FYI, Bay made The Rock and Bad Boys, two of the best action films of all time. And his worst movie is 10 times better than the crap made by people like Uwe Boll, Brett Ratner, Sommers, McG, Emmerich and many others.
That\’s why Spielberg is cooperating with him. Because Bay knows how to make a good summer movie and knows how to entertain his audience.
So try to keep all of that in mind the next time you write about his work. I\’m not saying you should kiss his a$$, but at least try to be objective.
Wouldn\’t hurt you.
Chris Bell is slightly out of touch with mainstream taste around the world. Transformers is one of the most successful franchises in the film industry. Which means around the world it has millions and millions of fans. That said, he has his right to his opinion. I sometimes find this intense hate from writer\’s comical. It is hate that is so over the top. Spielberg and I have discussed many times, when you break these movies down – it\’s simple, you have to have the little kid in your heart — maybe Chris just doesn\’t?
Michael Bay
For the record, I also cry and weep when bestiality and pedophila movies are enjoyed by the general public, and it doesn\’t make a dent. Same principle.
Christopher Bell,
To you, I\’m sure they are stupid and boring. That\’s the beauty of that thing called PERSONAL SUBJECTIVE OPINION. Just like I enjoy these films, you think they\’re crap.
But it\’s a fact that a lot, and when I say a lot I mean A LOT, of people all over the globe love and care about this franchise.
But the blogs, including this one, are all acting like these are \’da worst films evaaaaa made and no one likes them\’. And we both know that\’s not true. Far from the truth.
But it seems that these days it\’s cool to hate popular and successful films with a lot of fans. Twilight, Avatar, Transformers, you name it.
Think about that and tell me I\’m wrong.
wow i agree the guy who wrote this article has issues. i hope this guy didnt get paid to write this. Sounds like nothing but whining. Transformers is simply the best movie franchise ever in my opinion. Love it!!! cant wait for 3!!!
You can write seven insulting sentences all you want, Neil, but \”biggest movie of the year\” or not, they\’re stupid, dumb, and most importantly boring as all hell.
Whoever wrote that crap article is a true moron. I mean, to the highest effin\’ degree. Talk about showing absolutely no respect.
But I guess that\’s too much for an internet blog. So keep up the hate, my friends. While you\’re crying and whining, people will enjoy Transformers 3 and make it the biggest movie of the year.
Just like they did in 2009 with Transformers 2: you were again crying and whining and you didn\’t change anything.
Damn, it sucks to be you. Truly.