Transformers Movie Leader Megatron

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:57:00 +0000

Megatron is a towering, bulky, dinosaur-footed monstrosity with a varied color scheme noticeably different than that of the movie version. Megatrons jet mode looks a little bit like one of Leonardo da Vincis flying machines. His robot mode, bearing a slightly simplified version of the movie Megatrons intricate armor plating, is reasonably well articulated. Among Megatrons arsenal of gimmick features are electronic sounds and lights, a launching claw that becomes a chain whip, and arms that combine to form a fusion cannon. Initially Megatron was Cybertrons designated Lord High Protector, although eventually he succumbed to his consuming lust for the Allspark. Megatrons agenda placed him in opposition of Optimus Prime---forcing the latter to rally a militia against Megatrons Decepticons. Megatron was single-minded and monstrously powerful; the Decepticons gained ground against their adversaries, and as a desperate contingency the Allspark was jettisoned into space. Megatrons attempt to find the Allspark ultimately divided him from his forces and led him into frozen stasis.

The Transformers - The Movie (20th Anniversary Special Edition)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:54:00 +0000

I just picked up the new live action transformers the other day, and, based on the reviews on this sight that claim the animated movie was even better, I picked the animated movie up as well.

My family watched the live action movie last night (after having seen it in the theatres last summer,) and everyone loved it. We all -- my wife, daughter, son and myself -- thought it was fantastic.

We watched the animated movie earlier tonight, and only my son liked it at all.

My wife (who enjoys anima quite a bit) only needed a few minutes to decide it wasn't for her and left the room. My daughter got bored pretty quick, and came in and out of the room several times while the movie played, (although she did finally settle in for the end.) And while I watch a lot of animation and really enjoy good animated action, I was only able to force myself to watch about an hour of it with my son -- bored through all of it except the Optimus vs Megatron fight -- before giving up and finding other things to do in the room while the movie finished playing. My son liked it, but thought the live action movie was better. My daughter actually asked if we could watch the live action movie again after the animated movie while the animated movie was still playing. Every member of my family thought the live action movie was better.

So I'm writing this review for people like myself who aren't caught up in the nostalgia of having loved this movie twenty years ago. While I give the movie credit for actually killing off characters and making changes to the mythology, only the Optimus vs Megatron fight entertained me at all, and much of the rest of the movie I thought was bad to terrible. I honestly regret having spent my money on this.

The soundtrack (which during my quick look through the reviews I saw people praise) is the most over the top, oppressive, melodramatic soundtrack I have ever heard. It never stops. There is always music playing, every second, and 90% of it is up tempo cheesy eighties rock that's trying to drive the movie forward rather than letting anything build. It never lets up, and I found myself really wanting it to. 90% of the movie felt like that scene in every Rocky movie where Adrian's just given him her blessing and he goes into a music training montage to show how everything has come together and is positive and he's going to be ready for the fight. That scene shouldn't be sustained for an entire movie. The soundtrack shouldn't be that overpowering for an entire movie. At least in my opinion. And boy the music just sounds cheesy to me today. Orchestral music is far more timeless, and I think is a better way to go in most movies.

There's also little to no characterization. The movie feels like the third movie in a trilogy where you are expected to know who everyone is and only the climax remains to be told. If you watched the series regularly and went straight from that to this, ok, but if -- like me -- you've only ever seen a few episodes of the show, most of the action and death mean nothing because you just don't care about the characters.

And the plot just never seems to get any room to develop. In the first hour the characters go from Cyberton to Earth back to Cyberton back to Earth then crash land on two new planets on their way back to Cyberton yet again, with nonstop battles going on the entire time. Now as an action junky I never thought I'd say it, but I kept waiting for things to slow down a little and for some characterization, depth, and structure to be built up, but they never were. It was all action, and the action just didn't do anything for me because it seemed so arbitrary -- sometimes robots could shoot hundreds of shots and every shot would miss, other times a single shot would kill an enemy. The capabilities of the robots never really seemed to be set or determined, so you couldn't really feel any sense of tension or suspense.

Honestly, I don't understand anyone thinking this was a better plotted, better written, better structured, more exciting, or more engaging movie than the new live action version -- and that's why I wrote this review. As someone who's not biased by "twenty years ago as a kid I really loved this movie," I gotta say I will never watch it again. I've seen the live action movie twice so far -- enjoying it quite a bit both times -- and I'm certain I will watch it again. The animated movie will very likely never be played in my house again, as only my son would have any interest in watching it, and even he liked the live action movie better. The live action movie seemed much more real -- and not just because it was live action with real actors -- but because it was written better, the character were introduced and developed better, and the action was better established and choreographed.

Toys Online Store Shop

Transformers Movie Leader Megatron

The Transformers - The Movie (20th Anniversary Special Edition)