Hot off the presses, and right after Midnight Pacific time, we now have the first official trailer for the Bumblebee movie! We get great looks at Bee’s new (old) mode(s) and get a feel for how the movie’s tone differs from the previous Bayhem versions. Check it out below!
Black Convoy
MattDallas
Well, this was year ago now.
How I remember watching this over and over and absolutely loving it! It got me so excited for the film and raised my hopes that this would be 'the one'. I remember also thinking that, this time next year, I'd actually own the film. Of course, the actual film more than lived up to the trailer!
User_136440
And there were quite a few reports of him being in the pre-screen looking g1-ish with the arm cannon at the time too. And the Tiny Turbo Megatron that's just popped up also seems to be a hint. Given the prevalent use of repaints in the line and Megatron already having two different moulds, I doubt they'd create a G1 homage just to fit in with the 80's theme, especially as Shatter and Dropkick didn't get new moulds at all (the Movie Edition branding also suggests that if they wanted to, they could just make a G1 branded wave for that purpose).
User_136440
No, I didn't think it was either. I though it miGht be from the end when she dives in after Bumblebee, but then remember that was at night.
Red Goblin
Ye, they do.
Pre-screener differences: warning spoilers ahead
octobotimus
From all the test screening stuff i've read, they only mention him, not show him.
Red Goblin
The scene of him being frozen in hoover dam was shot and included in the test screenings.
TheSoundwave
Was that shot of Charlie looking out at the water in the movie? I don't remember it…
octobotimus
Megatron was never in the movie. In an interview, It was stated that they storyboarded a scene with him (whether that was him in ice or cybetron, no idea) but it never started to be made with cgi. This pretty much means that its possible that even concept art of him may not exist, as a storyboard doesn't need a design to make. I would love to see the cut scenes, but Megatron definitely won't be something we see until they admit this is a reboot and make a new movie.
User_136440
I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but seemed pointless starting a new one. Just rewatched this (or rather it auto-played on YouTube), and noticed there's quite a bit that's not in the final movie.
The very first shot appears to be Bumblebee, presumably when he's just arrived from Cybertron, though the whole opening of the movie got altered in reshoots. There's also a shot of Charlie driving her brother in Bumblebee. And even the final shot in the teaser with JeepBee standing up after his fight with Blitzwing is different and at a different angle.
I hope we get to see some of the cut scenes, and scenes that were included in the pre-screening version as extras on the home release. Especially as fans will want to see Megatron.
Xaxis
What the hell are you talking about? In which movie was this revealed and to which movie’s Blu-Ray extras are you referring?
Searching Google for “Sam Witwicky created by Allspark” or “Transformers Sam Witwicky adopted” only turns up fan fiction results. If what you’re saying is actually movie canon then please provide more specific references.
You’re making a false assumption. See my post about a suggested storyline in this other thread.
TheSoundwave
Technically, Megan Fox's character was probably supposed to be a teenager in the '07 movie. Weren't they in high school in that movie? If Sam went to college in 2009 (presumably at age 18), that would put them at about 16 or 17 in 2007. I'm really surprised this has slipped under the radar, considering how vocal people are about Tessa and even Izzy.
On a side note, I showed the trailer to some of my friends and most of them were onboard. One guy didn't like it and thought they should have hired someone "hotter" in the role. Ugh, I mean, the entire point is that she's supposed to be a normal everyday girl. I don't know if it's just me, but I'm a bit weirded out when they cast someone who looks like a supermodel in the role of a teen/young adult, especially one who's supposed to be fairly unremarkable. That would be like getting Chris Hemsworth to play Sam Witwicky, lol!
ambitron
?? Hailee Steinfield is 21 – exactly the same age Megan Fox was when she made the first Transformers film. Perhaps Hailee just seems so young because, like the rest of us, you have aged eleven years since then?
I’m a bit baffled over all the debates I see everywhere a film as a female lead. It seems to be a bit of a self-perpetuating (or possibly conditioned) myth that boys don’t like stories about girls. When I was training to be a primary school teacher I was told as much by one of my lecturers: that boys only liked to read books with boy leads, but girls didn't mind. I never saw this in practise, though: boys got just as engrossed in Lyra’s adventures in His Dark Materials as those of Harry Potter, and enjoyed the BFG as much as George’s Marvellous Medicine.
Just give me a well-written film with characters I can care about and I will weep with joy that someone finally managed it in a TF movie. If they deliver that, parents who’d given up on the franchise despite a nostalgia for Transformers toys might come back and introduce more kids to it. As long as it’s exciting and has them concerned for the fates of likeable characters, boys will like it; we do a disservice to our gender to assum otherwise.
shadowbug
You're absolutely right; the scene where she gets her first period is going to be a real downer for boy audiences…
Seriously, dude, deal with the fact that little boys can handle a female lead better than you can and move on. As far as toys go…they'll still be genderless (though obviously male interpreted) giant transforming weapons of mass destruction.
TheSoundwave
I don't think the movie having a female as the main human character is a problem. I mean, Bumblebee is still technically the protagonist anyway. What they're doing here is the Doctor Who formula. If you had Bumblebee team up with a boy, people would complain that it's too male-focused. This is a clever way of representing males and females without having an unnecessary love-interest or something.
I don't think it will turn away young boys. Boys aren't really interested in females in that age, but it doesn't mean they dislike them. Boys might be turned away if she were overly girly and it came across like a "girl's show", but since she's a tomboy that shouldn't be a concern.
Also, the main concern with female characters in 'boy's media' seems to be toy sales. From what I gather, female characters like Rey and Jyn Erso just don't sell very well, even if they are tomboyish. This also shouldn't be a concern here, because Hasbro generally only makes toys of the robots, not the humans.
ZapRowsdower
Hold up:
TLK failed because it EXCLUDED CHINA. The story is that Paramount/Bay got too many lawsuits from their last movie trip to China, so they just skipped the entire hassle this time around.
I was saying that was a TERRIBLE idea from the moment the plot was leaked. China is the bread-and-butter of these movies, period. Excluding Chinese actors and a Chinese location? That's just stupid on stupid.
Kiss Players was interesting to me. I know Westerners balk and laugh and get waaaaay shocked about these things, but Japan is home to some bizarre stuff. I can almost commend the attempt to do something crazy with the brand. And yeah, it did fail. And probably a good thing it failed. But that's not to say that thinking outside the box is the problem. If I had to choose, I think I'd rather keep Kiss Players than any of the Unicron Trilogy by Aaron Archer. But that's just me. I don't promote underage kissing, but I'm also open-minded enough to not consider any of that REAL or intended to be live-action. Also, I've never actually read the manga to properly judge it all. Kiss to activate powers is cute, sans loli fetish. But again, my opinion will flip on a dime, were I more knowledgeable about the topic – so none of this is meant to condone any horrible underage scene I'm not aware of.
ZapRowsdower
You're right: about adult males. But you forgot to mention Ripley's famous undies scene? Was she really, "middle-aged" when she made that movie?
Anyway, Hasbro aims to sell TFs to young boys. The giant climb in TF sales during the "good" movie years was NOT from adult fans.
I sincerely question the marketing choice to have BB co-star with a young girl, when the original 80s G1 TFs (of which this new movie is clearly borrowing from) featured a young BOY.
This very much feels like Hollywood making every male-centered product into a female product (i.e. Ghostbusters, Oceans8, etc.). And trust me, the success rate on these things are not high. Now, if you look at this movie from the perspective of a toy company (because arguably, Hasbro intends to use the BB movie to move TOY product), then you have to wonder if this cast will really attract the key 7-12 boy demographic.
I actually worry about the males the movie may attract. Like adult Britney Spears fans! And I don't mean that her fans are grown up now; I mean the creepy ones who went to her show when she started out! At least when we make off-color remarks about Megan Fox, she was NOT underage. The sexy scenes in TF movies were already a bit of a bad choice (imo), and I'm sincerely concerned that they chose such a YOUNG actress for this… but at least it's not Bay at the wheel, and I think Knight will handle it better.
Autobot Burnout
Pretty much, the TF films only succeeded because they were CGI spectacles on an unheard of level initially. As technology improved in other films, they had to go to China which hadn't been as exposed as the west, so they could milk that money. It was when China largely thought TLK was forgettable compared to their reaction to AoE that it became clear the Transformers couldn't coast on gorgeous CGI to cover a shit plot.
Uh, I'd prefer we NOT go down that route again. Kiss Players is largely not spoken of for a very good reason in terms of 'adult content' and 'in Japan'.
ZapRowsdower
I would love a more fan-focused, adult version of TFs. A sexy Arcee would sell well in Japan, too. But this would be waaaaaaay too controversial for Hasbro to ever green light.
I wonder when we'll start seeing 3P movies, though!
ZapRowsdower
Not too familiar with Kamen Rider, sorry!
Well, that's good news about the even split, I guess. Now wait for the release and give me the toy numbers, please! I suspect this will NOT revive the slumping sales, because young boys need a young boy lead in their movies. But maybe I'm being cynical – they may ignore the girl and enjoy the movie for BB.
But please don't debate that young boys like female leads. I don't think this has ever been the case, ever. Some kids don't mind, but the majority of boys are looking for characters they relate to. And young boys don't have the emotional depth to relate to females like that.
Hasbro wants girls to buy the toys, I think. Or they're staying out of the creative process and this is all a happy accident???
I hope the movie does better. But that redesigns continue, as well. We need to move FAR AWAY from Bay choices and designs. The success of the previous movies are like the success of the Sam Raimi Spider-man flicks: I think it had more to do with the novelty and strong brand than it had to do with the actual strength of the films. Once the gleam and shine of the new product wears off, we're left with actual substance to push the brand. And sadly, the TF films have lacked real substance. It's been BOOM BOOM KA-PLOWEEEE for too long!