So its just come out in Japan

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:20 pm

And I can confirm that the Japanese approve of the line about Bumblebee being a super advanced robot, and probably from Japan. Biggest laugh the movie got from the audience, and actually, the biggest reaction I've ever heard from a Japanese movie audience.

Post by **Clay** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:31 pm

I take it they subtitled it rather than dubbed the audio, then?

Hmm. I half-recall Slarti mentioning that it was dubbed into French over where he is (this place called 'paris' or somesuch). I guess it just depends on the country.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:35 pm

Originally posted by Clay
Hmm. I half-recall Slarti mentioning that it was dubbed into French over where he is (this place called 'paris' or somesuch).

... they speak French in Texas?

RID Scourge · Post by **RID Scourge** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:44 pm

Well, they both have special toast . . .

EDIT: Glad to hear the line went over well. What'd you think of the movie?

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:22 pm

Yeah, Western movies are pretty much exclusively subbed over here, which makes my dates considerably more tolerable.

I thought the movie was ok. Nice action, I mean, Michael Bay is good at blowing stuff up. It was a little tight shot and confusing at times, but nowhere near the worst I've seen, and it was mostly in scenes which were supposed to be chaotic. The dialogue was terrible and Bay showed once again that he's not much good at directing non-action scenes.
And how come Sam got almost all of the movie's characterisation, but even that basically just amounted to "horny teen". Mind you, kudos to the casting director for the oldest "teenagers" that I've ever seen in a big budget flick. Michaela's jock boyfriend was older than his teacher.
I'm picking at it I know, but honestly, I enjoyed it. And some of the jokes did make me laugh, even if they didn't feel right for the movie they were in.

Still, and I realise this is soooo the wrong place to say this, Die Hard 4.0 was better.

edit: also, the robots looked better in motion than in stills, I liked what they did with bumblebee, and I'm glad they killed Jazz because he was annoying and generic.

RID Scourge · Post by **RID Scourge** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:52 pm

Ah. Glad to hear you liked it. Yeah, definitely was more entertaining during the parts, with "big ****in' robots, pummelling each other."

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:21 pm

Originally posted by angloconvoy
Mind you, kudos to the casting director for the oldest "teenagers" that I've ever seen in a big budget flick. Michaela's jock boyfriend was older than his teacher.

I don't know if it's because I'm getting older but I'm finding it harder and harder to suspend my disbeife over the American thing of casting thrity year olds as teenagers.

The Japanese line got a big laugh in the cinema I saw it in as well. Ironic really as it got a bit of a kicking on here when the trailer came out for being far to much of an obscure joke about the origins of the Transformer toys. Which was of course missing the point that it's a joke about how everyone knows the Japanese love robots...

Vincent · Post by **Vincent** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:27 am

I have to ask, is Transformers as famous in Japan as it is in the US? More famous? Less?

RID Scourge · Post by **RID Scourge** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:47 pm

Kinda hard to say, at this point. Takara seems to put out stuff that's either high end (Masterpiece, Music Player-type) or just plain weird (KISS players, transforming shoes that can't be worn).

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:29 pm

Actually its not all that different from the UK. It was at its height of popularity during G1 but has maintained a low level of entertainment for kids or hardcore fans since and is currently enjoying a resurgance thanks to the movie.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:32 pm

Am I right in thinking that, from a general cultural perspective, it's just another one of about a thousand Giant Robot toylines/cartoons?

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:38 pm

From what I gather from friends, it enjoyed a brief day in the sun during G1 where its popularity amongst kids elevated it above that for a while, but from then until the release of the movie, well, pretty much yes.