Transformers (film)

Infobox Film
name = Transformers


caption = International poster
director = Michael Bay
writer = Roberto Orci
Alex Kurtzman
John Rogers (story)
producer = Steven Spielberg (executive)
Tom DeSanto
Don Murphy
starring = Shia LaBeouf
Megan Fox
Josh Duhamel
Rachael Taylor
Jon Voight
Voices:
Peter Cullen
Hugo Weaving
music = Steve Jablonsky
cinematography = Mitchell Amundsen
editing = Paul Rubell
Glen Scantlebury
Thomas A. Muldoon
distributor = DreamWorks
Paramount Pictures
United International Pictures
released = June 28, 2007 (AUS)
July 2, 2007 (US)
July 27, 2007 (UK)
runtime = 143 min.
country = FilmUS
language = English
budget = $151 million
gross = $707,675,744
followed_by = ""
website = http://www.transformersmovie.com/
amg_id = 1:322407
imdb_id = 0418279

"Transformers" is a 2007 live-action film adaptation of the "Transformers" franchise, directed by Michael Bay and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager involved 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 Decepticons desire control of the All Spark, the object that created their robotic race, with the intention of using it to build an army by giving life to the machines of Earth. Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight and John Turturro also star, while Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving provide the voices of Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively.

Producers Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto developed the project in 2003, with a treatment written by DeSanto. Executive producer Steven Spielberg came on board the following year, and hired Orci, Kurtzman and Bay for the project in 2005. The filmmakers wanted a realistic depiction of the story, and created a complex design aesthetic for the robots to stress their alien nature. The computer-generated characters were programmed to have thousands of mechanical pieces move as they transformed and maneuvered. The United States Military and General Motors lent 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 , and books, as well as product placement deals with GM and eBay. The film was a box office success despite mixed fan reaction to the radical redesigns of the characters, and reviews criticizing the focus on the humans at the expense of the robots. It is the thirtieth most successful film released and the fifth most successful of 2007, grossing approximately US$708 million worldwide. The film won four awards from the Visual Effects Society and was nominated for three Academy Awards. It revitalized media interest in the franchise, and a sequel "" is expected for release on June 26, 2009.

Plot

The film opens with Optimus Prime, heroic leader of the benevolent Autobots, describing in a voice-over the destruction of the Transformers' home world, Cybertron. It was destroyed by the evil Decepticon leader Megatron in his quest to obtain the All Spark. The Autobots want to find the All Spark so they can use it to rebuild Cybertron and end the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, while the Decepticons want to use it to defeat the Autobots and conquer the universe. Megatron found the All Spark on Earth, but crash-landed in the Arctic Circle and was frozen in the ice. Captain Archibald Witwicky and his crew of explorers stumbled upon Megatron's body in 1897. Captain Witwicky accidentally activated Megatron's navigational system and his eye glasses were imprinted with the coordinates of the All Spark's location. Sector 7, a secret United States government organization founded by Herbert Hoover, discovered the All Spark 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 group of Decepticons — Blackout, Scorponok, Frenzy, Barricade, Starscream, Devastator and Bonecrusher — have landed on Earth and assumed the disguise of Earth vehicles (except Scorponok, who hides within Blackout). Blackout and Scorponok attack the U.S. SOCCENT FWD military base in Qatar and try to hack into the U.S. military network to find the location of Megatron and the All Spark. Their mission is thwarted when the base staff severs the network cable connections. While Blackout destroys the rest of the base, Scorponok chases a small group of survivors who have photographic evidence of the robots, but he is eventually repelled. During this battle, the military discovers the only effective weapons against the Transformers' armor are high-heat sabot rounds.

After Blackout's failure, Frenzy infiltrates Air Force One to again hack into the military network, planting a virus. He finds the map imprinted on Captain Witwicky's glasses, whose descendant Sam Witwicky, intends to sell on eBay. Frenzy and Barricade begin tracking Sam's location. Autobot scout Bumblebee is also on Earth, disguised as a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro, and is bought by Sam while shopping for his first car. Bumblebee helps him woo his crush, Mikaela Banes. Bumblebee leaves at night to transmit a homing signal to the rest of the Autobots and Sam sees him in robot mode. Barricade confronts Sam and demands Archibald's spectacles, but Bumblebee rescues him and Mikaela. They leave to rendezvous with the rest of the Autobots — Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet — who have landed on Earth and taken the forms of Earth vehicles as well. Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots return to Sam's home and obtain the glasses; however, agents from Sector 7 arrive and take Sam, Mikaela and Bumblebee into custody.

Frenzy, now disguised as Mikaela's cellphone, secretly accompanies the group to Hoover Dam and releases Megatron from his frozen state. Locating the All Spark, Frenzy sends an alert to the other Decepticons. Sam convinces the Sector 7 agents to release Bumblebee so that he can deliver the All Spark to Optimus Prime. Frenzy's virus has shut down government communications, but a group of humans manage to establish a signal to the Air Force in order to support the Autobot-human convoy, who have gone to nearby Mission City to hide the All Spark. The Decepticons attack and Bonecrusher, Frenzy, Jazz, Devastator and Blackout are all killed during the ensuing battle. Sam, who is ordered to get the All Spark to a rendezvous point for it to be taken to a safe location, instead chooses to ram it into Megatron's chest, destroying it and killing Megatron. Optimus takes a fragment of the All Spark from Megatron's corpse, but realizes that with its destruction, their home world Cybertron cannot be restored. Consequently, Optimus sends a signal to other surviving Autobots in the universe, directing them to their new home, Earth. The government orders the closure of Sector 7 and has the five Decepticons killed in the Mission City battle dumped into the Laurentian Abyss. Starscream, who fled the battle, escapes into space.

Production

Development

"Transformers" fans were initially divided over the film due to the radical redesigns of many characters, although the casting of Peter Cullen was warmly received. "Transformers" comic book writer Simon Furman and "Beast Wars" script consultant Benson Yee both warmly received it as spectacular fun, but Furman argued there were too many human storylines. [cite news|title=Transformers Writer Simon Furman Interview|work=ENI|date=2007-07-31|url=http://enewsi.com/news.php?catid=261&itemid=11481|accessdate=2007-09-28] Yee felt that being the first in a series, the film had to establish much of the fictional universe and therefore did not have time to focus on the Decepticons. [cite news|author=Benson Yee|title=Transformers Movie Review|work=Ben's World of Transformers|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20080124163217/http://www.bwtf.com/movie2007/review.shtml|accessdate=2008-09-15] Nonetheless, the film created a greater awareness of the franchise and drew in many new fans. [cite news|title=‘Transformers’ fans never stopped playing|work=msnbc.com|date=2007-06-15|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19251314/|accessdate=2007-06-21] "Transformers"' box office success led to the active development of films based on "Voltron" and "Robotech", [cite news|author=Borys Kit|title=Maguire, WB attack the big screen with 'Robotech'|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=2007-09-07|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1f2de64a1d24bd5585bf89b0691d2011|accessdate=2007-09-08] as well as a "Knight Rider" remake. [cite news|author=Josef Adalian|title=NBC taps Liman for 'Knight Rider'|work=Variety|date=2007-09-26|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972829.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|accessdate=2007-09-27]

After the film's 2009 sequel was titled ', Roberto Orci was asked if this film would be retitled, just as "Star Wars" was titled ' when rereleased. He doubted the possibility, but said if it was retitled, he would call it "Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye". [cite web|author=Roberto Orci|title=The All New "Hey Roberto" Thread|publisher=Don Murphy|date=2008-07-11|url=http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showpost.php?p=1199981&postcount=14057|accessdate=2008-07-12]

Box office

Worldwide, the film was the highest grossing non-sequel movie in 2007. It grossed $706.5 million, making it Michael Bay's highest grossing film to date, not adjusting for inflation.cite web|title=Transformers|work=Box Office Mojo|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers06.htm|accessdate=2008-02-13] The film was released in ten international markets on June 28, 2007, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Philippines. "Transformers" made $29.5 million in its first weekend, topping the box office in ten countries. [cite news|author=Dave McNary|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967937.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|work=Variety|title='Shrek' tops overseas box office, 'Transformers' int'l release brings in $34.7 mil|date=2007-07-01|accessdate=2007-07-03] It grossed $5.2 million in Malaysia, becoming the most successful film in the country's history. [cite news|author=Vicci Ho|title='Transformers' dominates Malaysia|work=Variety|date=2007-08-08|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117969893.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|accessdate=2007-09-05] "Transformers" opened in China on July 11, and became the second highest-grossing foreign film in the country (behind "Titanic"), making $37.3 million. [cite news|author=Min Lee|title='Transformers' Strong Showing in China|work=The West Australian|date=2007-10-02|url=http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=23&ContentID=42206|accessdate=2008-01-13] Its opening there set a record for a foreign language film, making $3 million. [cite news|author=Dave McNary|title='Transformers' smashes China record|work=Variety|date=2007-07-13|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968497.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|accessdate=2007-07-15] The film was officially released in the United Kingdom on July 27, making £8.7 million, and helped contribute to the biggest attendance record ever for that weekend. It was second at the UK box office, behind "The Simpsons Movie". [cite news|title=Simpsons film tops record weekend|work=BBC News Online|date=2007-07-31|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6923830.stm|accessdate=2007-08-01]

In the United States, the film had the highest per-screen and per-theater gross in 2007. [cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2194532/pagenum/all/|title=Why We Need Movie Reviewers |accessdate=2008-07-01|work=Slate|date=2008-07-01] It was released on July 3, 2007, with nowrap|8 p.m. preview screenings on July 2. The U.S. previews earned $8.8 million, [cite news|author=Pamela McClintock|title='Transformers' nabs hefty haul|work=Variety|date=2007-07-03|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967996.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|accessdate=2007-07-03] and in its first day of general release it grossed $27.8 million, a record for Tuesday box office attendance. It broke "Spider-Man 2's" record for the biggest July 4 gross, making $29 million. [cite news|author=DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures|title=Transformers' Week One Records|work=Comingsoon.net|url=http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5992|date=2007-07-11|accessdate=2007-07-12] "Transformers" opened in over 4,000 theaters in North America, grossed $70.5 million in its first weekend, amounting to a $155.4 million opening week, giving it the record for the biggest opening week for a non-sequel. [cite news|author=Pamela McClintock|title='Transformers' change weekend take|work=Variety|date=2007-07-09|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968252.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|accessdate=2007-07-09] The opening's domestic gross was 50% more than Paramount Pictures expected. One executive attributed it to word of mouth that explained to parents that "it [was] OK to take the kids". A CinemaScore poll indicated the film was most popular with children and parents, including older women, and attracted many African American and Latino viewers. [cite news|author=Nikki Finke|title='Transformers' Huge $152M First Week Sets 7-Day Non-Sequel Record Past 'Spidey', 'Passion' & 'Potter'|publisher=Deadline Hollywood Daily|date=2007-07-08|url=http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/transformers-on-target-for-150m-first-week/|accessdate=2007-07-14]

Home video

"Transformers" was released in Region 1 territories on October 16, 2007 on DVD and HD DVD formats. The standard DVD was released in single-disc and two-disc editions. [cite news|title=DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures Transformers Rolls out on DVD and HD DVD October 16|work=Seibertron|date=2007-09-05|url=http://www.seibertron.com/news/view.php?id=11567|accessdate=2007-09-05] The Wal-Mart edition of the DVD included an animated version of the , entitled "Transformers Beginnings". Mark Ryan, Peter Cullen and Kevin Dunn reprised their roles, while Frank Welker played Megatron.cite news|title=Exclusive Transformers Movie Comic & Animated Prequel Coming To Target & Wal-Mart|work=Comic Books News International|date=2007-09-13|url=http://comicnewsi.com/article.php?catid=208&itemid=10370|accessdate=2007-10-12] The Target casing is a transformable two-dimensional image of Optimus Prime, [cite news|title=Images of Transforming Prime "Transformers" DVD|work=TFormers|date=2007-10-11|url=http://www.tformers.com/Images-of-Transforming-Prime-Transformers-DVD/8521/news.html|accessdate=2007-10-12] and it contained a prequel comic book about the Decepticons. The DVD sold 8.3 million copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling DVD of 2007 in North America, and it sold 190 thousand copies on HD DVD, which was the biggest debut on the format. [cite news|author=Mike Snider|title=Bay says 'Transformers' DVD could have been better|work=USA Today|date=2007-10-22|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/dvd/2007-10-22-transformers-bay_N.htm|accessdate=2007-10-29] The DVDs sold 13.74 million copies, making the film the most popular DVD title of 2007. [cite news|author=Mike Snider|title=DVD feels first sting of slipping sales|work=USA Today|date=2008-01-07|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-01-07-dvd-sales-slippage_N.htm|accessdate=2008-01-09]

It was released on Blu-ray on September 2, 2008. [cite news|title=Transformers 2007 Movie Out On Blu Ray Today|work=Seibertron|date=2008-09-02|url=http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-2007-movie-out-on-blu-ray-today/13875/|accessdate=2008-09-03] In the first week, the two-disc edition of the Blu-ray DVD was number one in sales compared to other film on the format. The Blu-ray version accounted for two-thirds of the film's DVD sales that first week, selling the third most in overall DVD sales. [cite news|title=Movie DVD Sales #1 On Blu-ray, #3 Overall Last Week|work=TFormers|date=2008-09-11|url=http://tformers.com/transformers-movie-dvd-sales-1-on-blu-ray-3-overall-last-week/10138/news.html|accessdate=2008-09-11] The film has earned approximately $278,025,537 in DVD sales. [cite web|title=Transformers DVD sales|work=The Numbers|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2007/TFORM-DVD.php|accessdate=2008-09-28]

Awards

Before its release, "Transformers" was voted "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, [cite news|author=MTV|title=The MTV Movie Awards Winners!|work=ComingSoon.net|date=2007-06-04|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=20777|accessdate=2007-06-04] and at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, it was voted "best film". "Entertainment Weekly" named Bumblebee as their fourth favorite computer generated character, [cite web|title=Our 10 Favorite CG Characters|work=Entertainment Weekly|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20041669_20041686_20046918_7,00.html|accessdate=2007-07-30] while "The Times" listed Optimus Prime's depiction as the thirtieth best film robot, citing his coolness and dangerousness. [cite news|author=Michael Moran|title=The 50 best movie robots|work=The Times|date=2007-07-25|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2133609.ece|accessdate=2007-08-06] Visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar was honored at the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony on October 22, 2007 for his work on the film. [cite news|author=Carly Mayberry|title=Hollywood fest to fete quartet
work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=2007-09-07|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/awards_festivals/news/e3idae648b19a12ff13b359ab0ff4228a50|accessdate=2007-09-08]

In 2008, the Visual Effects Society awarded "Transformers" four awards: for the best visual effects in an "effects driven" film and the "best single visual effects sequence" (the Optimus-Bonecrusher battle). The film's other two awards were for its miniatures and compositing. [cite news|author=Carolyn Giardina|title='Transformers' tops VES nods|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=2008-02-11|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i0b3cac8aceae512fe6759bb70c21297b|accessdate=2008-02-11] Broadcast Music Incorporated awarded composer Steve Jablonsky for his score. [cite news|title=2008 BMI Film/TV Awards|work=Broadcast Music Incorporated|date=2008-05-21|url=http://bmi.com/news/entry/536622|accessdate=2008-05-22] It was nominated for three Academy Awards, in the fields of Achievement in Sound Editing, Achievement in Sound Mixing, and Achievement in Visual Effects. [cite web | url=http://www.oscars.org/80academyawards/nominees/index.html | title=80th Academy Awards nominations | publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | accessdate=2008-01-22] It received a 2008 Kids' Choice Award nomination for Favorite Movie. [cite web|url=http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=22404|title=Voting Underway for Kids' Choice Awards|publisher=Animation World Network|accessdate=2008-03-18] In 2008, "Premiere" named Bumblebee as their eighth favorite robot in film. [cite web|title=Top 10 film robots|work=Premiere|year=2008|url=http://www.premiere.com/gallery.aspx?section_id=66&webtrends_section=best&article_id=4620&window_id=2&gallery_id=554&page_number=1&seq=3&slide=on&cnt=17|accessdate=2008-07-28]

References

External links

* [http://www.transformersmovie.com/ Official site]
*imdb title|id=0418279|title=Transformers
*amg title|id=1:322407|title=Transformers
*Ymovies title|1808716430|Transformers
*rotten-tomatoes|id=transformers_the_movie|title=Transformers
*metacritic film|id=transformers|title=Transformers
*Mojo title|id=transformers06|title=Transformers
* [http://www.transformersmovie.com/cctheirwar/transformers_cc.html "Transformers"] at Circuit City

;Concept art
* [http://www.benprocter.com/SITEv2/HTML/PROJPAGE_Trans_01.html Ben Procter's portfolio]
* [http://www.jamesclyne.com/projects.php?gallery_id=297 James Clyne's portfolio]
* [http://timflattery.com/transformers/popup.html Tim Flattery's portfolio]

Box Office Leaders USA
before = Ratatouille
date = July 8
year = 2007
after = Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix