5 Stupid Reasons Given for Liking the Transformers Franchise

Luke Owen looks at the reasons people give for liking Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise…The Transformers franchise has been riddled with ridicule since its first instalment back in 2007. Fanboy nerds have flooded message boards and Youtube comment sections with hate-filled bile against Michael Bay and his “raping” of a franchise that was only ever made because toys needed to be sold. But yet it’s one of the most enduring and profitable franchises in cinema.And while the reactions of the fanboy community may be over-blown, they are right on one thing: the Transformers movies are terrible. Despite the series being panned by every critic around the world (read our ★ review of Transformers: Age of Extinction here), it somehow brings in large audiences who pay time after time to keep seeing these poor-excuses for movies.If you’ve ever read an article about the Transformers series, you will notice a legion of defenders who crop up in the comments section that offer up reasons for why they like them. It boggles the mind these films can please anyone, but the reasons given for enjoying the Transformers franchise are pretty stupid. Not only that but, like the movie, they’re lazy and a damning indictment of how far we have regressed as cinema goers.Let’s look at some of the reasons.1. “It’s a Transformers movie, don’t expect it to be good”Transformers was a series that was born out a need to sell toys, this is not uncommon knowledge. Like a lot of shows at the time (Thundercats, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe etc), the animators were given a list of toys and names and they then they had to write scripts about them. It’s hilarious to watch the show in hindsight as there plenty of episodes in which a strange Transformer you’ve never seen before steps forward, says a line, they react to him as if he’s always been there and then he’s never seen again.The 1986 The Transformers: The Movie was a motion picture that was designed to be nothing more than a glorified toy advert. All of the original characters were killed off and in their place was a new line of toys to sell. Michael Bay’s Transformers isn’t too different in its inception. They needed to sell toys, Michael Bay made a movie to do so.This creates the argument, “it’s a Transformers movie, don’t expect it to be good”. This argument is incredibly flawed as, just because the movie is based on a toy, doesn’t mean those who make it shouldn’t endeavour to create a good movie.Case in point, The Transformers: The Movie.Nelson Shin, the animators and writers set out to make something that was more than just a toy advert. The movie has a decent story, great characters, quotable dialogue, a kick-ass soundtrack and a genuine sense of fun. It might have been simply given the greenlight to push a new line of toys, but the movie aims to be more than that.Just because your movie is based off a toy doesn’t mean it can be forgiven for being bad.2. “If you want The Godfather, wait for awards season!”Sigh.There is a theory amongst movie goers that, because Transformers are multi-million dollar blockbusters, they cam’t be on the same level as classics like The Godfather or other award winning movies.Let’s look at this for a second.Jaws – the original summer blockbuster – was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1976. In 1983, E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Inception, Gravity – all “big budget blockbusters” that were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards because they were good movies that deserved recognition.The Transformers movies are not nominated for Best Picture by the Academy Awards because they are summer blockbusters, they are ignored because they are terrible movies that don’t deserve accolade.Just because the movie is made with a certain budget and a certain story, does not mean that it can’t transcend the simple moniker of being “a summer blockbuster”.3. “It’s a summer blockbuster, it just needs to entertain”This reason ties into the last one. The idea behind the argument is because a film is a “summer blockbuster” then all it needs to do is have big explosions and flashy effects to be considered a ‘pass’ by the masses. This train of thought isn’t helped by those who make decisions with movies.In 2011, when talking about Alice in Wonderland and tentpole movies in general, Disney’s chief technical officer Andy Henderickson said “People say it’s all about the story. When you’re making tentpole films, bulls***. The story isn’t very good, but visual spectacle brought people in droves, and Johnny Depp didn’t hurt”.That is truly concerning. What Henderickson is saying is that studios don’t need to try with summer blockbusters or tentpole movies because audiences don’t care. And with Transformers: Age of Extinction raking in $300 million on its opening weekend, he appears to be right.Let’s look at a summer blockbuster that counters that argument – Jurassic Park.Jurassic Park is a movie about dinosaurs escaping from a theme park and running amok while a group of people escape from the island. The spectacle of Jurassic Park are the dinosaurs, not Sam Neil. But, we want to see Sam Neil survive and make it off the island alive. Why? Because we’re given a reason to care about him and the rest of the human characters. They drive the plot, not the dinosaurs. The first scene with the T-Rex is one of the greatest moments in cinema history, but Jurassic Park is about more than just that one scene. It’s a movie that is about more than just being “a spectacle”.4. “I like the Transformers movies for what they are”And what are they? Loud, obnoxious and stupid movies that contain little plot, no character and a moronic approach to filmmaking that insults its audience by treating them like imbeciles who only respond to colours and shapes and nothing more.Sign me up!This reason is a great example of how low Michael Bay has set the bar for not only movies based off toys, but summer blockbusters in general. This lazy form of filmmaking has created huge rewards so now all directors can half-arse their movies because cinema-goers have now accepted this laziness as “what they are”.The Transformers movies didn’t need to be lazily made movies, but that’s what we got. And apparently that’s okay.5. “Just shut your brain off and enjoy”The holy grail of reasons for liking stupid movies.It’s a reason that is usually saved for liking 80s action movies like Predator, Die Hard or First Blood. The argument being that the filmmakers just want you to disengage your brain and accept the madness that follows. The problem with this is that the people behind those 80s action movies were trying to make good movies that entertained audiences – and they succeeded. You could shut your brain off as you watch Predator, but you’d miss out on all of the brilliant touches that John McTiernan employs as a director. There was nothing stopping him or anyone working on that film from half-arsing it, but they didn’t.Such level of class does not exist in today’s blockbuster.The problem is, “turn your brain off” has become such a standard phrase in film conversation and “analysis” that it’s now an accepted fact of film. Filmmakers can legitimately say “turn your brain off” and that excuses them for making a terrible movie. But as long as things explode, they’ve done their job correctly.We shouldn’t have to “turn our brains off” to enjoy a movie. We should expect more from our filmmakers. We deserve more and we deserve better.Turning your brain off is not a reason to like a movie.—I guarantee that everyone reading this has heard someone who likes the Transformers movies use one or maybe even all five reasons listed. Maybe you’re reading this and have said them yourself. If that is the case, then you have no right to complain about Hollywood being overrun by sequels, reboots and remakes because you aren’t part of the problem, you are the problem.What’s concerning really is that the five reasons listed are thought to be genuine by those who use them.Edge of Tomorrow is a brilliant movie with a well-written script, great performances, beautifully shot action set pieces and characters you care about and it couldn’t pay people to watch the movie. Transformers: Age of Exctintion is a half-baked pile of garbage farted out by the laziest of filmmaking hacks and it makes $300 million without breaking a sweat.Where’s the justice?Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.