In a rare moment of humility, Michael Bay admitted that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen might have been a bit of a suckfest. Bay-style modesty only goes so far, though, as the director claimed he was only partially responsible. In an interview with USA Today published yesterday, Bay said, “I’ll take some of the criticism. It was very hard to put (the sequel) together that quickly after the writers’ strike (of 2007-08).” Amusingly, he was quoted as calling The Fallen, the villain from the second film, a “kind of a (expletive) character.” We’re left to wonder what magical word he used.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura echoed these thoughts about the rushed production, which he said caused the bungled plot: “We tried to do too many things in the second movie, which didn’t give enough time in any one of them. We were constantly jumping to the next piece of information, the next place.”
So what should we expect from the third film, which has already received much eyebrow-raising with Megan Fox‘s exile and the introduction of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley?
For one, the movie will definitely be in 3D. Though Bay has expressed his disdain for 3D in the past, this bit of news was to be expected, as the major movie studios continue to drink the 3D koolaid. Whether it will be shot for 3D from the get-go or converted into the third dimension in post is still uncertain.
The other big chunk of news is, of course, the big bad wolf in the third installment. So who is it?
Shockwave.
That’s right: fans of the original 1980s cartoon rejoice. We will be seeing the cold, calculating raygunnin’ Decepticon that ruled Cybertron after other Decepticons and Autobots left for Earth.
Other plot details that have been revealed:
- Less “dorky comedy,” more “mystery.” The movie will “delve into the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA,” and suggest that the Transformers had a crucial role in the development of human history. John Turturro will still return; I can sign on with that. Unfortunately, the twins are only “basically gone.” Instead of, you know, “utterly destroyed from the face of cinema.”
- Sam Witwicky struggles to find his place in the world. Di Bonaventura says, “Shia has this great line: ‘You know, I’ve saved the world twice, but I can’t get a job.'” I get it, they’re really focusing on the human element.
- Death is final. Di Bonaventura also mentions there will be no more resurrections (a deus ex machina used repeatedly in the last two films), a decision which also includes the film itself: Transformers 3 will be the final installment in a trilogy. But never say never! According to Bay, “As a trilogy, it really ends. It could be rebooted again, but I think it has a really killer ending.”
Well, we can’t be sure what all of this really means. Remember, Bay is infamously a liar deceiver, claiming Megatron would not appear in Transformers 2. Just expect many ridiculous explosions, attractive women, and “No, no, no, no, noooo!”
(h/t Latino Review)
