July 11, 2007

 

More than meets the eye

A few days ago I went with some friends to see the newest reincarnation of Transformers now in live action.

Leading up to the release of this film in theaters I kind of avoided reading much about it. And to be honest, had fairly low expectations. It is, after all, a movie where good and evil are represented by living robotic vehicles that transform into fighting robots. And I gotta say, having seen it, I was surprised at the justice the film makers gave this classic from my childhood. It was really good!

For one thing, the special effects were perfect. The Transformers looked completely realistic (or well as realistic as can be for 18-wheelers, hot rods, and fighter planes that transform into two-story-tall fighting robots). Bay did a great job; which didn't surprise me, considering the quality of the FX of his last film. And the story matched up very well with what I would have expected as that five-year old who loved the original show.

It makes me wonder, as a child what was it that made them so extraordinary. The very idea of them was captivating. There was indeed something more than meets the eye. I guess sometimes it takes something extraordinary to show how nothing is merely ordinary. And I guess that reminds me of something becoming increasingly less obvious to my eyes as I continue to phase into "adulthood." I keep forgetting...it's important to take time out to recognize the miraculous nature of each and every moment.

Here is a list and brief description of some of the other films looking pretty interesting coming down the pipe...

Bourne Ultimatum - IMDb - Apple Trailers - 08.03.2007 - the third in the Bourne Trillogy
Across the Universe - IMDb - Apple Trailers - 09.28.2007 - looks like a 70's era flick heavy with Beattles references and drug-use imagry.
I am Legend - IMDb - Apple Trailers - 12.14.2007 - Will Smith is the last human alive living in Manhattan. Oh, and everyone else is either a vampire or a zombie.
30 days of night - IMDb - 10.18.2007 - another zombie film taking place geograpically where the sun stays down for 30 days.

Note: I remember that my parents didn't take me to see the original 1986 animated Transformers movie, even knowing full-well how much I enjoyed the show. I guess at some point I lost interest in seeing it. But in college I decided to rent it to see what I had missed, and having seen that, I wonder if my parents were tipped off by someone that taking me to see it would have destroyed me; shortly into the movie, in a heroic battle, the character I adored most, the character we all adored most, Optimus Prime, is fatally wounded, and the rest of the movie is about the remaining transformers trying to make a last stand. If that's the case, then well done parents. You made a good decision.

Labels: movies

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