RESENSI FILM
TRANSFORMERS
Transformers is a 2007 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. The film, which combines computer animation with live-action, is directed by Michael Bay, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. It is the first installment of the live-action Transformers film series. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets caught up in a war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons,
two factions of alien robots who can disguise themselves by
transforming into everyday machinery. The Autobots intend to use the AllSpark,
the object that created their robotic race, in an attempt to rebuild
Cybertron and end the war while the Decepticons desire control of the
AllSpark with the intention of using it to build an army by giving life
to the machines of Earth. Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro and Jon Voight also star, while voice actors Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively.
The film was produced by Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto. They developed the project in 2003, and DeSanto wrote a treatment. Steven Spielberg came on board the following year, hiring Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman to write the screenplay. The U.S. Armed Forces and General Motors (GM) loaned vehicles and aircraft during filming, which saved money for the production and added realism to the battle scenes.
Hasbro
organized an enormous promotional campaign for the film, making deals
with hundreds of companies. This advertising blitz included a viral marketing campaign, coordinated releases of prequel comic books, toys and books, as well as product placement deals with GM, Burger King, and eBay.
Despite mixed critical reaction to the radical redesigns of the
characters, and reviews criticizing the focus on the humans at the
expense of the robots, Transformers was a box office success. It is the forty-fifth most successful film released and the fifth most successful of 2007, grossing approximately US$709 million worldwide. The film won four awards from the Visual Effects Society and was nominated for three Academy Awards, for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. The performance of Shia Labeouf was praised by Empire, and Peter Cullen's reprisal of Optimus Prime from the 80's was well received by fans. A sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,
was released on June 24, 2009. Despite extremely negative reviews, it
was a commercial success and grossed more than its predecessor. A third
film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, was released on June 29, 2011, in 3-D and went on to gross over $1 billion, despite mixed to negative reviews. On February 13, 2012, Paramount Pictures announced that a fourth Transformers film, Transformers: Age of Extinction, would begin production with Bay returning as director. Its scheduled release date is June 27, 2014
Plot
Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, narrates the collapse of the Transformers' home world, Cybertron. It was destroyed by war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Led by Megatron, the Decepticons were searching for the AllSpark so they could use it to take over the universe. The Autobots want to find the AllSpark so they can use it to rebuild Cybertron and end the war. Megatron managed to locate the AllSpark on Earth, but crash-landed in the Arctic Circle and froze in the ice. After stumbling upon his frozen body in 1897, explorer Captain Archibald Witwicky accidentally activated Megatron's navigational system and his eyeglasses were imprinted with the coordinates of the AllSpark's location, an incident that left him blind and mentally unstable. Sector 7, a secret government organization created by President Herbert Hoover, discovered the AllSpark in the Colorado River and built the Hoover Dam around it to mask its energy emissions. The still-frozen Megatron was moved into this facility and was used to advance human technology through reverse engineering.In the present day, the Decepticon known as Blackout attacks a U.S. military base in Qatar in order to find the location of Megatron and the AllSpark. He tries to hack into the files of the computer base, but is stopped when the base commander cuts the computer hard lines. Captain William Lennox and his team manage to escape from the base and search for help. Back in the United States, Captain Witwicky's descendant Sam Witwicky buys his first car, which turns out to be the Autobot scout Bumblebee, who tries to help him woo his crush Mikaela Banes. Later, Sam catches a glimpse of Bumblebee's true form when he signals the other Autobots.
On Air Force One, another Decepticon named Frenzy infiltrates the plane and tries to hack into the network again, only this time is more successful until he is stopped by the US Security Defense before he can retrieve the file information. Frenzy is then picked up by his partner Barricade and they pursue Sam after discovering he has the glasses needed to find the AllSpark. Witwicky is rescued by Bumblebee and Mikaela also learns of the Transformers' existence. Bumblebee fights Barricade and manages to subdue him while Sam and Mikaela decapitate Frenzy, although he still survives and disguises himself as Mikaela's phone.
Meanwhile, Scorponok, who was sent by Blackout, fights Captain Lennox and his team, killing one of them and injuring another. During the battle, Scorponok is forced to retreat when he gets injured by sabot rounds fired on him by the Air Force. Lennox and his team are then returned to the United States and report their findings on the Decepticons to the Pentagon.
Sam and Mikaela soon meet Optimus Prime and his other Autobot partners Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet. They explain their origins to the two humans and insist on the urgency to get to the AllSpark first before the Decepticons, knowing that the Decepticons plan to use it to turn all of Earth's technologies into a new army of Transformers and render humanity extinct. The Autobots bring the two humans back to Sam's house to find the glasses, and they nearly reveal their existence to Sam's parents by accident. However, Sector 7 agent Seymour Simmons and his team find Sam and take his family away to a classified location after learning Sam came into contact with the Autobots. Optimus and the Autobots try to rescue Witwicky and Banes, however they fail and Bumblebee ends up getting captured along with Witwicky and Banes. The Autobots, however, retrieve the glasses and use them to find the AllSpark's location so they can destroy it before the Decepticons use it. Sam and Mikaela are taken to Hoover Dam, along with Maggie Madsen and Glen Whitmann, two hackers who were captured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for trying to decipher the information Frenzy stole while working in the Pentagon.
Frenzy, who was transported to the dam while in disguise, finds the AllSpark and contacts the other Decepticons, Starscream, Bonecrusher, Brawl, Barricade, and Blackout. Starscream attacks the dam and Frenzy frees Megatron from his frozen prison, where he joins his cohorts into pursuing Sam and the Autobots. Bumblebee shrinks the cube to a reasonable size so they can escape with it. They then arrive at Mission City, where a large battle ensues. Working together, the Autobots and human soldiers defeat Bonecrusher, Blackout and Brawl. However, Bumblebee is crippled and Jazz is killed by Megatron. When Megatron begins to gain the upper hand in the fight, Optimus urges Sam to put the AllSpark in his chest, which will destroy them both. Instead, Witwicky instead inserts the cube into Megatron's chest, which kills him and destroys the AllSpark.
In the aftermath, the dead Transformer bodies are dumped into the Laurentian Abyss in the Atlantic Ocean to be hidden, the government orders the closure of Sector 7, and the Witwicky family is released from custody. Sam and Mikaela soon start a new relationship and Optimus says that the Autobots' fates have given them a new home, Earth, and sends a message calling out all surviving Autobots to join them. In a mid-credits scene, Starscream escapes into space.
Cast
Humans
- Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a young descendant of an Arctic explorer who stumbled on a big secret which becomes the last hope for Earth.
- Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes, a classmate of Sam who assists Sam in his mission by using skills she learned as a juvenile car thief.
- Josh Duhamel as William Lennox, the captain of a Special Operations team based at the U.S. SOCCENT base in Qatar.
- Tyrese Gibson as U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Technical Sergeant Robert Epps, a member of Captain Lennox's team.
- Rachael Taylor as Maggie Madsen, a Pentagon analyst recruited by the U.S. Defense Department.
- Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitmann, a hacker friend of Maggie.
- Jon Voight as John Keller, the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
- John Turturro as Agent Seymour Simmons, a member of Sector 7 Advanced Research Division.
- Michael O'Neill as Tom Banachek, head of Sector 7.
- Kevin Dunn as Ron Witwicky, Sam's father.
- Julie White as Judy Witwicky, Sam's mother.
- Amaury Nolasco as ACWO Jorge "Fig" Figueroa, a Special Operations soldier who survives the destruction of the SOCCENT base in Qatar and was also a member of Captain Lennox's team.
- Zack Ward as First Sergeant Donnelly, a member of Captain Lennox's team.
- W. Morgan Sheppard as Captain Archibald Witwicky, Sam's great-great-grandfather who accidentally activates Megatron's navigational system.
- Bernie Mac as Bobby Bolivia, a used cars salesman.
- John Robinson as Miles Lancaster, Sam's best friend.
- Travis Van Winkle as Trent, Mikaela's boyfriend.
- Glenn Morshower as Colonel Sharp (credited as "SOCCENT sergeant")
Voice roles
- Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. Peter Cullen had previously voiced Optimus Prime in the original 80's cartoon and was chosen to reprise his role, which was warmly welcomed by audiences and considered one of the film's best aspects.
- Mark Ryan as Bumblebee, the young scout of the Autobots and best friend of Sam.
- Darius McCrary as Jazz, the second-in-command to Optimus Prime.
- Robert Foxworth as Ratchet, the Autobots' medic.
- Jess Harnell as Ironhide, the Autobots' weapon's expert, and Barricade, a Decepticon who transforms into a police car.
- Hugo Weaving as Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons. Originally Frank Welker (voice of Megatron in the original series) was considered but according to DVD commentary, Bay thought his voice didn't fit, so Weaving was chosen instead.
- Jim Wood as Bonecrusher, the rampaging mine sweeper of the Decepticons.
- Reno Wilson as Frenzy, a hacker for the Decepticons.
- Charlie Adler as Starscream, Megatron's second-in-command. Adler had previously voiced several characters in the original series, most noticeably Silverbolt.
Design
The filmmakers created the size of each robot with the size of their vehicle mode in mind, supporting the Transformer's rationale for their choice of disguise on Earth. The concept of traveling protoforms was developed by Roberto Orci when he wondered why "aliens who moonlight as vehicles need other vehicles to travel".This reflected a desire to move to a more alien look, away from the "blocky" Generation 1 Transformers. Another major influence in the designs was samurai armor, returning full-circle to the Japanese origins of the toy line. The robots also had to look alien, or else they would have resembled other cinematic robots made in the image of man.A product placement deal with General Motors supplied alternate forms for most of the Autobots, which saved $3 million for the production. GM also provided nearly two hundred cars, destined for destruction in the climactic battle scene. The U.S. Armed Forces provided significant support, enhancing the film's realism: the film features F-22s, F-117s, and V-22 Ospreys, the first time these aircraft were used for a film; soldiers served as extras, and authentic uniforms were provided for the actors.[20] A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and Lockheed AC-130s also appear. Captain Christian Hodge joked that he had to explain to his superiors that the filmmakers wanted to portray most of their aircraft as evil Decepticons: however, he remarked "people love bad guys".
Effects
Spielberg encouraged Bay to restrict computer-generated imagery to the robots and background elements in the action sequences.Stunts such as Bonecrusher smashing through a bus were done practically, while cameras were placed into the midst of car crashes and explosions to make it look more exciting. Work on the animatics began in April 2005. Bay indicated that three quarters of the film's effects were made by Industrial Light & Magic, while Digital Domain made the rest, including the Arctic discovery of Megatron; Frenzy's severed head; a vending machine mutated by the Allspark, and the Autobots' protoforms. Many of the animators were big Transformers fans and were given free rein to experiment: a scene where Jazz attacks Brawl is a reference to a scene in The Transformers: The Movie where Kup jumps on Blitzwing.ILM created computer-generated transformations during six months in 2005, looking at every inch of the car models. Initially the transformations were made to follow the laws of physics, but it did not look exciting enough and was changed to be more fluid. Bay rejected a liquid metal surface for the characters' faces, instead going for a "Rubik's Cube" style of modeling. He wanted numerous mechanical pieces visible so the robots would look more interesting, realistic, dynamic and quick, rather than like lumbering beasts. One such decision was to have the wheels stay on the ground for as long as possible, allowing the robots to cruise around as they changed. Bay instructed the animators to observe footage of two martial artists and numerous martial arts films to make the fights look graceful.
Due to the intricate designs of the Transformers, even the simplest motion of turning a wrist needs 17 visible parts each of Ironhide's guns are made of ten thousand parts. Bumblebee uses a piece below his faceplate as an eyebrow, pieces in his cheeks swivel to resemble a smile, and all the characters' eyes are designed to dilate and brighten. According to Bay, "The visual effects were so complex it took a staggering 38 hours for ILM to render just one frame of movement"; that meant ILM had to increase their processing facilities. Each rendered piece had to look like real metal, shiny or dull. This was difficult to model because the aged and scarred robots had to transform from clean cars. Close-up shots of the robots were sped up to look "cool", but in wide shots the animation was slowed down to convincingly illustrate a sense of weight. Photographs were taken of each set. These were used as a reference for the lighting environment, which was reproduced within a computer, so the robots would look like they were convincingly moving there. Bay, who has directed numerous car commercials, understood ray tracing was the key to making the robots look real; the CG models would look realistic based on how much of the environment was reflecting on their bodies. Numerous simulations were programmed into the robots, so the animators could focus on animating the particular areas needed for a convincing performance.
Music
See also: Transformers: The Album and Transformers: The Score
