Transformers (Film)
From Iwe
- This article is about the 2007 live action film. For the 1986 animated film, see The Transformers: The Movie.
| Transformers | ||
| International theatrical release poster | ||
| Directed by | Michael Bay | |
| Produced by | Lorenzo di Bonaventura Tom DeSanto Don Murphy Ian Bryce | |
| Screenplay by | Roberto Orci Alex Kurtzman | |
| Story by | John Rogers Roberto Orci Alex Kurtzman | |
| Based on | Transformers by Hasbro | |
| Starring | Shia LaBeouf Tyrese Gibson Josh Duhamel Anthony Anderson Megan Fox Rachael Taylor John Turturro Jon Voight | |
| Music by | Steve Jablonsky | |
| Cinematography | Mitchell Amundsen | |
| Edited by | Paul Rubell Glen Scantlebury Thomas A. Muldoon | |
| Production companies | Hasbro Di Bonaventura Pictures | |
| Distributed by | DreamWorks Pictures (North America) Paramount Pictures (International) | |
| Release date | June 12, 2007 (Sydney) July 3, 2007 (United States) | |
| Running time | 143 minutes | |
| Country | United States | |
| Language | English | |
| Budget | $150 million | |
| Box office | $709.7 million | |
Transformers is a 2007 American science fiction action film based on the toy line of the same name. The film, which combines computer animation with live-action filming, was directed by Michael Bay, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. It was produced by Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto, and is the first installment in the live-action Transformers film series. The film stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets caught up in a war between the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two factions of alien robots who can disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery, primarily vehicles. The Autobots intend to use the AllSpark, the object that created their robotic race, to rebuild their home planet Cybertron and end the war, while the Decepticons have the intention of using it to build an army by giving life to the machines of Earth. Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro, and Jon Voight also star, while voice actors Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively.
Murphy and DeSanto developed the project in 2003, and DeSanto wrote a treatment. Steven Spielberg came on board the following year, hiring Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman to write the screenplay. The U.S. Armed Forces and General Motors (GM) loaned vehicles and aircraft during filming, which saved money for the production and added realism to the battle scenes. Hasbro's promotional campaign for the film included deals with various companies; advertising included a viral marketing campaign, coordinated releases of prequel comic books, toys, and books, as well as product placement deals with companies such as GM, Burger King, and eBay.
Transformers received mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans. It is the 87th highest-grossing film of all-time and was the fifth highest-grossing film of 2007, grossing $709 million worldwide, with an estimated 46 million tickets sold in the US. The film won four awards from the Visual Effects Society and was nominated for three Academy Awards, for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. LaBeouf's performance was praised by Empire, and Cullen's reprisal of Optimus Prime from the 1980s television series was well received by fans. It was soon followed by four sequels and a prequel: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), The Last Knight (2017), and Bumblebee
Contents |
[edit] Plot
[edit] Cast
- Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, the young descendant of an Arctic explorer who stumbles on a big secret which becomes the last hope for Earth.
- Tyrese Gibson as TSgt Robert Epps, a U.S. Air Force Combat Controller and technical sergeant of a Special Operations team based at the U.S. SOCCENT base in Qatar.
- Josh Duhamel as Capt. William Lennox, the leader of the Army Rangers team in Qatar.
- Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitmann, a hacker friend of Maggie's.
- Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes, a classmate of Sam who assists him in his mission by using skills she learned as a juvenile car thief. She is also Sam's love interest.
- Rachael Taylor as Maggie Madsen, a hacker recruited by the U.S. Defense Department.
- John Turturro as Agt. Seymour Simmons, a member of Sector 7 Advanced Research Division.
- Jon Voight as John Keller, the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
- Michael O'Neill as Tom Banachek, head of Sector 7.
- Kevin Dunn as Ron Witwicky, Sam's father.
- Julie White as Judy Witwicky, Sam's mother.
- Amaury Nolasco as ACWO Jorge "Fig" Figueroa, a Special Operations soldier who survives the destruction of the SOCCENT base in Qatar and was also a member of Captain Lennox's team.
- Zack Ward as First Sergeant Donnelly, a member of Captain Lennox's team.
- W. Morgan Sheppard as Captain Archibald Witwicky, Sam's great-great-grandfather who accidentally activates Megatron's navigational system.
- Bernie Mac as Bobby Bolivia, a used cars salesman.
- John Robinson as Miles Lancaster, Sam's best friend.
- Travis Van Winkle as Trent DeMarco, Mikaela's ex-boyfriend. The character later appeared in Friday the 13th (2009).
- Glenn Morshower as Colonel Sharp (credited as "SOCCENT sergeant")
[edit] Voices
- Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots who transforms into a blue and red 1994 Peterbilt 379 semi-trailer truck. Peter Cullen had previously voiced Optimus Prime in the original 1980s cartoon and was chosen to reprise his role, which was warmly welcomed by audiences and considered one of the film's best aspects.
- Mark Ryan as Bumblebee, the Autobot scout and Sam's new guardian who transforms into a yellow and black Chevrolet Camaro (first a 1976 model and later in the movie a 2006 model).
- Darius McCrary as Jazz, Optimus's second-in-command who transforms into a silver 2006 Pontiac Solstice.
- Robert Foxworth as Ratchet, the Autobot medic who transforms into a yellow 2004 search and rescue Hummer H2 ambulance.
- Jess Harnell as
- Ironhide, the Autobot weapons expert who transforms into a black 2005 GMC Topkick C4500.
- Barricade, the Decepticon scout and interrogator who transforms into a black Saleen S281 police car.
- Hugo Weaving as Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons who transforms into a silver Cybertronian jet. Originally Frank Welker (voice of Megatron in the original series) was considered but according to DVD commentary, Bay thought his voice didn't fit, so Weaving was chosen instead.
- Jim Wood as Bonecrusher, the Decepticon mine sweeper who transforms into a Buffalo H Mine-Protected vehicle.
- Reno Wilson as Frenzy, the Decepticon hacker and Barricade's minion, who transforms into a PGX Boombox, and later a Nokia 8800.
- Charlie Adler as Starscream, Megatron's second-in-command who transforms into a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Adler had previously voiced several characters in the original series, most noticeably Silverbolt.
[edit] Non-speaking characters
- Blackout, Megatron's third-in-command who transforms into a MH-53J Pave Low III.
- Brawl, the Decepticon demolition specialist who transforms into a dark green M1 Abrams.
- Scorponok, a scorpion-like Decepticon and Blackout's minion.
[edit] Production
[edit] Development
| "In all the years of movie-making, I don't think the image of a truck transforming into a twenty-foot tall robot has ever been captured on screen. I also want to make a film that's a homage to 1980s movies and gets back to the sense of wonder that Hollywood has lost over the years. It will have those Spielberg-ian moments where you have the push-in on the wide-eyed kid and you feel like you're ten years old even if you're thirty-five." |
| — Tom DeSanto on why he produced the film |
[edit] Design
[edit] Filming
[edit] Effects
[edit] Music
- See also: Transformers: The Album and Transformers: The Score
[edit] Release
[edit] Marketing
- Further information: Transformers: The Movie toy line, Transformers: Movie Prequel, Transformers: Movie Adaptation, Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday, and Transformers: The Game
[edit] Home media
[edit] Reception
[edit] Box office
[edit] Critical reception
[edit] General
| "From the king movie geek Harry Knowles of AintItCool.com to newspaper film critics and regular Joe (and Jane) comments, there is general raving about the mechanical heroes and general grumbling about the excessive screen time given to some of the human characters played by Shia LaBeouf, Anthony Anderson, Tyrese Gibson and Jon Voight. Optimus Prime, the leader of the good-guy Autobots, doesn't appear until midway through the film." |
| — USA Today |
[edit] Accolades
[edit] Sequels and spin-offs
- Main articles: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Transformers: The Last Knight, and Bumblebee (film)
The second film, Revenge of the Fallen was released June 24, 2009. The third film, Dark of the Moon was released June 29, 2011. The fourth film, Age of Extinction was released June 27, 2014, and the fifth film titled The Last Knight was released on June 21, 2017. All have received negative critical reviews but were still box office successes.
A prequel/spin-off titled Bumblebee was released on December 21, 2018 to universal critical acclaim. It is currently the highest-rated film in the Transformers series.
