Optimus Prime is the man, as far as I’m concerned.
I’m a nerd. This is hardly news. I grew up loving Transformers and Captain America and all kinds of things that I’m not supposed to still love now because I’m supposed to be a grown-up, but I do.
I got to see Wolverine (granted a taller version of Weapon X) come to life in 2000 thanks to Bryan Singer. Something Wizard magazine had been talking about since I was mimicking Jim Lee’s impossible drawings in the early 90’s. Then Sam Raimi got his hands on Spider-Man in 2002, and I was delighted to see the wall-crawler in action. Also awesome, despite Tobey Maguire being kind of a goofy superhero. Things had gotten pretty exciting for us nerds, once the folks in Hollywood realized they could cash in on us. And for the most part (Fantastic Four *cough*cough*) these flicks were turning out pretty well.
When Michael Bay directed the first Transformers movie in 2007, I was hesitant. After all, you’re talking to a dude that still makes a point to watch the 1986 animated joint every 6 months or so.
There was a point in that film where the little boy in me just about lost his mind. I was so absolutely enthralled to see robots in disguise on the big screen. It felt real to me, and that feeling of amazement was likely shared by my fellow 80’s kids across the country. The film is not great by any means, and depending on how you feel about Shia Lebouf, you may not even be able to stand watching it.
But despite the fact that these new robots were pretty different from the ones I grew up on, I still loved what it represented, and I couldn’t help but enjoy myself.
So of course, every blockbuster gets a sequel. Two years later, along came “Revenge of the Fallen.” As much of a fanboy as I was, I couldn’t blindly love something just for the sake of what it was supposed to be. After all, the third X-Men movie, and the third Spider-man movie make me want to punch kittens. This sequel was only marginally more enjoyable for me because Optimus Prime went straight up berserker rage status and mauled like three Decepticons at once. This did not save the movie, and the overtly racist depiction of what were referred to “Sambots” by critics was horrendous.
Nerd-tirade aside, I just saw the new trailer for the third movie. It’s a love/hate relationship over here. Once again, I think it looks pretty cool, and can’t help but be excited. Maybe my excitement means I have lowered my standards for my childhood dreams of seeing “real-life transformers.” Maybe I’m just more forgiving than I thought. Maybe I can’t help but be lured in by the image of flying giant robots knocking over buildings and stuff.
Oh well. Michael Bay, get ready to take more of my money, ‘cause this looks pretty dope to me.
-Prolix