Has TRANSFORMERS sold out to liberalism?

Dave's World Blog ^ | 6/10/2006 | SouthJrzReaganite18

[SouthJrzReaganite18]

As I do everyday, I checked the headlines of BWTF.com to find the most recent news conscerning one of my favorite childhood franchises - Transformers. I was elated to find a link to the new website going up for the live-action movie coming up in 2007. As dramatic music played on the web page, the flash animation had the Earth zoom into view and behind it a large robotic eye staring back at me. Excitedly, I awaited one of the typical Transformers tag lines (expecting either, “More than meets the eye,” or “Robots in disguise”). Then the slogan for what I hope will be a huge summer blockbuster came into view, “Our world. Their war.” Suddenly, I sank my head and looked in disbelief like that child who looked under the tree on Christmas morning seeing Santa Clause had not brought him what he had asked for all year.

I must make a few claims before I go on: 1) I know I am jumping to conclusions, 2) Steven Spielberg is the executive producer of this film, 3) The only cast anyone knows about is what appears to be the large and still growing human cast and there has still been no mention of which giant robots will be in it, or who will be doing their voices. With that said, I will continue.
My first reaction was of course what you read in the headline - oh my God (with a capital “G”) they are going to ruin the political message of Transformers. Steven Spielberg has already made the pity case for those responsible for the murders of the Israeli Olympic Wrestling team in Munich, will he defend the Muslim Extremist cause again by bastardizing Transformers?

The world of politics and Transformers have always been intertwined. The original show served as an analogy for the cold war. The Autobots (the good guys) were led by the benevolent Optimus Prime (who was conveniently red, white, and blue) whose famous quote was, “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings,” and his alternate mode was an 18-wheel semi-truck - the symbol of industry and capitalism as he ruled the road. The Decepticons (the bad guys) were led by the warmongering Megatron who boasted the alternate form of a handgun and whose motto was, “Peace through tyranny.” As the inhabitants of the world were stuck between the conflict of the American and Soviet titans, its was never left unmentioned that the humans were being adversely affected by the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons - and we were always reminded by Optimus Prime that while war is a necessary evil, it presents better hope for all sentient beings than an unchecked tyrant like Megatron. In the 80's when this cartoon was made, it was obvious that moral relevance could not be a viable weapon against either Megatron or the imperialistic communism of Soviet Russia - Optimus Prime knew that just as much a Reagan did.

However, the fact that today’s terrorists are often viewed by the left as nothing more than having a different way of life or a different opinion then ours has not been hidden by Hollywood. From Fahrenheit 911 to Munich to Syriana the idea that “we are just as bad as they are (if not worse)” has invaded the silver screen more than it ever has before. So, you can imagine why when I see a Spielberg project with the line “Our world. Their War,” I can only imagine that the war between the Autobots and Decepticon will not be the ultimate struggle of right and wrong as our President views the war against Muslim Extremism. Rather, the epic struggle of the Autobots and Decepticons will be made into a new analogy. The Autobots will remain America, Megatron will now stand for Muslim extremism, and the humans being maligned by the war will be the theaters in the Middle East where our soldiers are currently fighting (those being Iraq and Afghanistan). I predict that instead of Optimus Prime reminding us that to defeat evil we must meet it wherever it rears its ugly head, we will instead see Autobots and Decepticons as Cybertronians with differing opinions, and like the left’s depiction of Iraq (who apparently had never felt the effects of terrorism until the oppressive American government led them there despite the discovery of mass graves upon our invasion) the humans who are maligned by the Transformers’ Great War will never truly understand why the Autobots and Decepticons must fight (as opposed to the humans in the original show who sided with the Autobots as they realized it was their only hope to conquer evil).

So, to those who love America, Transformers, and Conservatism, I ask you to transform and roll out. Let us hope and pray (since we believe in doing that kind of thing) that this Transformers movie will teach the next generation what it taught mine so many years ago - that the forces of good must travel the galaxy and meet the forces of evil wherever they may be in order to defend the freedom of all sentient beings.

[lesser_satan]

Wow. Have kids today ever even heard of the Transformers? If they're going to dredge up '80s childhood memorabelia, I wish they'd bring back the Garbage Pail Kids.

[SouthJrzReaganite18]

Unfortunately, kids today have only heard of the post-Beast Wars shows, and thus really have no idea of the majesty of the original Autobots and Decepticons (perhaps making this another reason why it is ripe for the picking for "revision"). This is why I think its so important for those of us who remember the true meaning of the original Transformers to pass it on to the next generation as it was meant to be. (Jeez, I could just as easily be talking about the constitution, do the liberals hold nothing sacred?)

[HitmanLV]

You seem to have really run with the 'Our world, their war' slogan. There's nothing notably liberal about that tag line. Wait and see the film.

By the way, did you see 'Munich?'

[SouthJrzReaganite18]

As I said, I of course am jumping to conclusions and like all Transformers fans will wait for the movie to truly pass judgment. This was at best speculation and a vehicle to discuss the left's fascination with moral relativism.

[HitmanLV]

The slogan in itself 'Our world, Their war' isn;t notably liberal, nor moraly relative.

The topic of the left's fascination with moral relativism is a good one and your observations are sound, but using 'Our world, Their war' as the jumping off point doesn't make much sense.

[SouthJrzReaganite18]

While I agree that there is nothing "inherently liberal" about the idea of turning someone else's home into a battlefield, the reason my initial reaction to that motto is so strong is because of the departure it seems to be from what I believed to be the essence of the original cartoon. The focus on the old show was about the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons and how no matter where the war went it was up to the Autobots to meet that evil so it did not spread. Furthermore the only humans focused on in the original show were few and only the ones who sided with the Autobots and thus fought on the incorruptible side of good (whereas now where the cast of human characters is already in the double digits according to web sites like IMDB). The emphasis which now seems to be placed on the plight of those whose land has become a battlefield by emphasizing it is their war as opposed to a war everyone should be involved in to stop evil is a departure from the idea that all that mattered was good and evil. Automatically by emphasizing an us versus their war mentality, it no longer reflects good versus evil but instead reeks of the mentality the left seems to hold dear that evil may exist, as long as it does not bother us (a philosophy being applied heavily to our involvement in Iraq). While I may have held my tongue if this motto were attached to a property I knew nothing of or even to a new original idea, it is instead potentially changing the philosophy of one of my generation's greatest childhood shows that displayed the simple lesson that no matter where or how, evil must be stopped. Though it may seem preemptive and without merit, it was a call to my fellow FReepers - who are tired of seeing stories of good and evil become stories about differing opinions and how even the good guys can be bad guys - to not let it happen again to Transformers and based on this, attempt to find the truth quickly to make sure Hollywood will not claim another victim.

[HitmanLV]

When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

[SouthJrzReaganite18]

Now I have found a truly disturbing piece of evidence showing that Hollywood has hijacked this movie.

According to Left Lane News, this will be the vehicle form of one of the evil Decepticons. In the original series, a police car would never have been the alternate mode of an evil Decepticon, and portraying a police car with the slogan "to punish and enslave" makes me sick. Is this what Steven Spielberg wants us to think of the police force - an oppressive law enforcement agency? Because as every liberal would like you to believe, the police force does nothing but arrest innocent people and parade all over people's rights. You could never get away with putting something like that on the side of a police car immediately after 9/11, but like always the left makes it a point to forget the kind of sacrifices our heroes both abroad and at home make to keep us safe.

The more I read and see about this movie, the more I realize it is a sad day for the Autobot and American cause.

[Ace of Spades]

The more I read of this thread, the more I realize you need to get out of your mother's basement.

[nightingale2887]

Clearly you don't know SouthJrzReaganite18 like I do.

[HungarianGypsy]

Actually I just took the DVR setting off for Transformers, since we were so backed up on the show. My son said it was easier watching the shows online.

[SHOOT THE MOON bat]

and still your here....making personal attacks on young budding conservatives. Perhaps showing them what FR is all about? Or maybe its just that your an assclown.

[SouthJrzReaganite18]

While I understand why you might think I write this out of nerd-dom, the idea of such a franchise falling to the left stands for more than that. Children will be watching this movie and if my assumptions are correct (and I understand they are quick and perhaps rash assertions) then now even children's programming isn't safe from what conservative parents worry about when, for example, they send their kid to public school. Something intended for children to learn important lessons for life are instead indoctrinated to think like the left. The line must be drawn somewhere.

Even if the foreign relations implications of what I suggest turn out to be invalid, I think any parent trying to teach their kids who to trust and who can help them can understand the implications of my other post in which a Decepticon will be Transforming into a police car and then an evil robot. To potentially undermine a child's confidence in the police just to get a political point across just seems ridiculous.

I can only hope that as my parents did when I was little, parents today will continue to watch their child's entertainment with them to help them learn the lessons they should be picking up and to separate fact from fiction...or liberalism.

And for the record, I am a freshman at a Washington DC University studying International Affairs and Arabic.

[Ace of Spades]

Actually, I think he's got a pretty good idea of what FR is all about, since he seems to be finding creeping liberalism under every rock.

[SHOOT THE MOON bat]

Well if that's your problem than maybe you should have expressed it. Instead you chose to throw out a personal insult. Maybe you need to get and idea of what FR is all about.

BTW under every rock IS where you find liberalism.

[Starter]

I think you're jumping at shadows here. Yes, there's political bias in Hollywood. A lot of it. But not every change made is due to politics. In the case of this film, I think it's simply a case of "trying to translate the source material into something that will work as a movie." Let me put on my Michael Bay hat for a sec and walk you through it:

"Okay, The Transformers. We've got a bunch of alien robots fighting here on Earth over energy. But we don't know that. To us, there's just a bunch of weird alien machines fighting each other and blowing stuff up. Yeah. Blowing stuff up is good. And even worse, they can disguise themselves as our machines. Okay, we've got the good guys, the Autobots. They're mostly cars. That'll be easy to work with. The bad guys? Let's see. They're, er, fighter jets. And a gun. And a boombox and tapes. And a train. Which also turns into a space shuttle. What the hell? Wait! Here's some that are construction equipment! Oh, but if I add them in, I'll probably have to add the Aerialbots in as well for balance, and dear lord, I've already got 20 of these robots in the movie already. Sigh.

Okay, it's going to be kind of hard to sneak fighter jets in. They're not really stealthy, and if you see on in a city, you'll ask 'Why is that F-18 parked next to the What-a-Burger?', so let's make some of the Decepticons into cars as well. Yeah. That'll make them more deceptive. And if they're stealing human vehicles for forms, why not have them co-opt the more 'authoritative' cars? I can see it now. The humans are being chased by a Decepticon. They're running around frantically, and to their relief, they see a cop car in the distance. They run over and… it transforms into another bad guy. Ooh. That's good. And then something blows up."

Look, sometimes Hollywood messes things up due to liberalism. (ex "Clear & Present Danger.") But other times they mess things up from the source material because they're trying to make a better movie. I think the filmmakers are going the latter route on this one.

[SouthJrzReaganite18]

I think that's a very sound theory and I thank you for sharing it. As more and more news comes out about this movie, I will certainly keep what you said here in mind to help me stay positive about this film. I of course am a big Transformers fan and so I hope for the best when it comes to this film.

I just read your tag line, was Michael Bay really responsible for "Pearl Harbor?" I missed that one when I looked him up on IMDb.com.

[Starter]

Last question first: Yep. Bay directed and produced Pearl Harbor in 2001.

That being said, prepare yourself for disappointment. I'm not a Transformer fan (although I did watch the show in its original airing) but I do know some rather rabid fans of the show, and I know many other fandoms, so I can make an easy predicition: Bay will do something that will aggrevate a sizeable chunk of the fanbase at some point. It's pretty much unavoidable. He'll leave out a character, or add one in or maybe "He won't be true to the spirit of the character" or the SFX department will give Prowl the wrong paint job or something, and a chunk of the fan base will go nuts. It happens. It always happens. Sometimes it's justified (ex: Batman Forever) and sometimes it isn't (ex: Lord of the Rings). But the rabid fans going nuts is as predictable as the tides.

That being said, there are some things to be hopeful about:
1) Despite my and Mr. Parker's opinion about Pearl Harbor, Bay's awfully good at making enjoyable popcorn fics. And from looking at his blog, he seems pretty enthusiastic about the film. And he is one of the top tier action directors right now. If it was Uwe Boll in the director's chair, I'd be more concerned, but even Bay's worst stuff is still pretty watchable.

2) The studio seems to be backing the film. And the other studios seem to be running away from it. Right now, the movie is *the* 4th of July release. The one other film scheduled for that Wednesday (Fantastic Four 2) got pushed forward to avoid going head to head with it. Paramount's given the film a budget and I imagine that it'll get one heck of a push next year, advertising wise. They need a hit, and with Star Trek's departure and the so-so results for MI3, they really need a new franchise and I don't think they'd cut their own throats by politicizing the film.

My advice? Just treat the film as if it's a knock-off of the original series- pretend it's "Michael Bay's Transformobots". If it's good, then embrace it as a worthy tribute to the original. If it's the same quality as "Wild Wild West" then just mark it up as Hollywood's usual clueless-ness when dealing with a property and dream of someone doing a *real* big screen version of it.

[SouthJrzReaganite18]

The ruptured capillaries in your nose bely the clarity of your wisdom.
-Stewie Griffin

Well said sir.