Transformers (2007 movie)

Finally, after more than a week since it was released, we have watched the action movie "Transformers". Before watching it, my colleague told me that if I am a fan, I would be disappointed. So it was with a bit of apprehension that I went to watch the film, not wanting to waste good money and time on something that cannot live up to my expectations.

Well, not to say that my colleague is wrong, but the movie didn't disappoint me. Maybe I am not enough of a Transformers fan. Or maybe Transformers has grown since Generation 1. After all, it has been more than two decades since Transformers was first aired. And while it has stopped showing in Singapore for a long time, apparently, Transformers has continued to evolve in Japan, with new subseries appearing.

So while I was a bit upset that Bumblebee is no longer a Volkswagen Beetle, or that Jazz lacks the racing decals, or that Starscream is now a F-22 Raptor, and that Megatron doesn't transform into a cannon, these are just minor details. The important one is that Transformers stuck to the same concept. That these robots are able to take the form of common, everyday objects. And that is what they did. They took the forms of items common in 2007, rather than 1984.

One thing though, is that the transforming took a lot more time... Well, with the amount of time and effort spent on creating the computer animations for these robots, I guess the producers want to go into details and spend some time on showing the robots transform. That can be forgiven, I guess.

The plot was similar, sticking to the original. The war on Cybertron was brought to Earth because the Transformer were searching for something (energy in the original series, the All Spark, which is a form of energy, in the movie). The Autobots got help from humans, and the Decepticons were out to destroy. "No sacrifice, no victory" is something that kids must learn, so the movie, like the cartoon, does have some message to teach the kids watching it.

So yes, if you are expecting a remake of the original cartoon, you will be disappointed. But if you are willing to accept a few changes (evolution?) to adapt the movie for the modern day setting, then the movie won't be a disappointing experience for you.