In The Blogs

Giant Robot Update

| Wed Jul. 8, 2009 2:37 PM PDT

Last week I went to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I did this because the movie had gotten such mind-bogglingly bad reviews that I was curious to see if anything could really be that bad. Unfortunately, the sound system in the theater kept cutting in and out, and after about 45 minutes I finally gave up and asked for my money back. Sadly, the only thing I had learned up to that point was that I had no idea what was going on since I never saw the first Transformers movie.

No matter, though. Via the WaPo's domestic and robot affairs blog, Rob Bricken's Transformers FAQ explains it all and is probably a lot more entertaining than the movie itself. Also shorter and cheaper.

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Comments

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Submitted by Ruck (not verified) on Wed Jul. 8, 2009 2:46 PM PDT.

I think it's very generous of you to assume that you didn't know what was going on because you hadn't seen the first Transformers movie.

I had absolutely no interest

Submitted by thersites on Wed Jul. 8, 2009 3:31 PM PDT.

I had absolutely no interest in seeing this movie until I read the FAQ.
Now, I might watch it. When it descends to SciFi channel or something.

Michael Bay makes his move

Submitted by calling all toasters (not verified) on Wed Jul. 8, 2009 4:48 PM PDT.

...to bring back MST 3K

wait -- what?

Submitted by merblem on Wed Jul. 8, 2009 8:28 PM PDT.

I totally thought you were going to talk about firefox 3.5.

E.g., http://www.favbrowser.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/firefox-35rc21.jpg

The original was just OK

Submitted by J. Frank Parnell on Wed Jul. 8, 2009 9:20 PM PDT.

The original Transformers wasn't the bad movie I exected, precisely because it didn't take itself too serious. But as they say, sequels are rarely as good (or is it not as bad?) as the originals.

megan fox

Submitted by karog on Wed Jul. 8, 2009 10:01 PM PDT.

Megan Fox was interviewed on one of the network morning shows within the last week or so and said that even though she is in the movie (a lead) and read the script, she still does not know what was going on most of the time. Moreover, she said anyone who could watch the movie without having read the script and figure out what's going on must be a genius.

Transform this

Submitted by Heather (not verified) on Thu Jul. 9, 2009 7:40 AM PDT.

Having watched the first movie last week, I can tell you it wouldn't help. I felt like I wasted a whole evening with a corny script and the blatant product placement was so off-putting. GM must have paid a lot of money to make sure only GM vehicles were shown...pity they didn't spend that money on the vehicles. Perhaps you just had to grow up with the Transformers series to appreciate the movie but I put it up there with other such "stellar" movies like "The Fantastic Four".

Oh, Rob left this part out:

Submitted by B on Thu Jul. 9, 2009 9:58 AM PDT.

Oh, Rob left this part out:

Why the f#$* do autobots from deep time look like modern GM products?

In the unwritten prequel GM and it's CEO Obamatron made a latch ditch effort to save the company from bankruptcy by hiring John Travolta to recode the symbols in the allspark to make the autobots appear to be GM products instead of their original foreign sports car forms. As part of the deal they sold script writing rights for Revenge of the Fallen to Mrs. Burbanks third grade class in Traverse City, Michigan.