Transformers Movie (2007):
Transformers is an American science fiction action adventure film directed by Michael Bay from a screenplay by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It is the first installment in the Transformers film series which is based on Hasbro’s toy line of the same name. Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro, and Jon Voight are the main cast members of the film. Additionally, the voice cast includes Peter Cullen, Mark Ryan, Hugo Weaving, Darius McCrary, and Robert Foxworth.
Principal photography for the film began on April 19, 2006, at Holloman Air Force Base and ended on October 4, 2006. Transformers had its worldwide premiere on June 10, 2007, in Seoul and was released on July 3 in the United States. It became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2007, grossing $709 million worldwide, with an estimated 46 million tickets sold in the United States. The film won four awards from the Visual Effects Society and was nominated for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards.
The film was followed by four sequels: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), as well as a spin-off titled Bumblebee (2018). A seventh installment, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023), is scheduled to be released on June 9, 2023.
Transformers Movie Information:
| Movie Name | Transformers |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action Adventure Sci-Fi |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Release Dates | June 10, 2007 (N Seoul Tower) July 3, 2007 (United States) |
| Running Time | 2hr 24min |
| Based on | Transformers by Hasbro |
| Starring | Shia LaBeouf Tyrese Gibson Josh Duhamel Anthony Anderson Megan Fox Rachael Taylor John Turturro Jon Voight Peter Cullen |
| Directed by | Michael Bay |
| Screenplay by | Roberto Orci Alex Kurtzman |
| Story by | John Rogers Roberto Orci Alex Kurtzman |
| Produced by | Lorenzo di Bonaventura Tom DeSanto Don Murphy Ian Bryce |
| Cinematography by | Mitchell Amundsen |
| Edited by | Paul Rubell Glen Scantlebury Thomas A. Muldoon |
| Music by | Steve Jablonsky |
| Production Companies | Paramount Pictures DreamWorks Pictures Hasbro Studios Di Bonaventura Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Budget | $150–200 million |
| Box Office Collection | $709.7 million |
Transformers Movie Trailer:
Transformers Movie Storyline:
An ancient struggle between two Cybertronian races, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, comes to Earth, with a clue to the ultimate power held by a teenager.
Transformers (2007) Movie Review:
The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with praise going towards its groundbreaking visual effects, action sequences, musical score, story, LaBeouf’s performance, and the return of Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, though some criticism was aimed at the Transformer redesigns, its focus on the human characters and excessive product placement.
Transformers Movie Cast and Characters:
Cast
- Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky; The young descendant of an Arctic explorer who stumbles upon a big secret that becomes the Earth’s final hope.
- 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 from her convict father.
- Josh Duhamel as Captain William Lennox; A good and dedicated hardworking leader of the Army Rangers team in Qatar and allies himself with Sam and others.
- Tyrese Gibson as Sergeant 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 and Lennox’s best friend.
- Rachael Taylor as Maggie Madsen; A former NSA data analyst recruited by the U.S. Defense Department.
- Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitmann; Maggie’s hacker friend.
- John Turturro as Agent Major Seymour Simmons; A special agent of the government agency 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 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 while exploring the Arctic Circle.
- Bernie Mac as Bobby Bolivia; A used car salesman.
- John Robinson as Miles Lancaster; Sam’s best friend.
- Travis Van Winkle as Trent DeMarco; Mikaela’s ex-boyfriend.
- Glenn Morshower as Colonel Sharp (credited as “SOCCENT sergeant”)
Voices
- Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime; The leader of the Autobots who transforms into a blue and red 1994 Peterbilt 379 semi-trailer truck.
- Mark Ryan as Bumblebee; The Autobot scout and Sam’s new guardian who transforms into a yellow and black Chevrolet Camaro (first a 1977 model and later in the movie a 2007 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 2007 search and rescue Hummer H2 ambulance.
- Jess Harnell as
- Ironhide: The Autobot weapons expert who transforms into a black 2006 GMC Topkick C4500.
- Barricade: The Decepticon scout and interrogator who transforms into a black 2007 Saleen S281 police car.
- Hugo Weaving as Megatron; The leader of the Decepticons who transforms into a silver Cybertronian jet.
- 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. Howard Stern was offered the role but turned it down when his agent talked him out of it.
- 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.
Non-speaking characters
- Blackout: Megatron’s third-in-command who transforms into a MH-53J Pave Low III helicopter.
- Brawl: The Decepticon demolition specialist who transforms into an up-armed M1A1 Abrams tank.
- Scorponok: A scorpion-like Decepticon and Blackout’s minion.
Interesting Facts About Transformers Movie:
- Murphy was initially interested in developing a G.I. Joe film, but then decided to develop a Transformers film after the United States went to war against Iraq in 2003.
- According to Megan Fox, she was attending a Linkin Park concert and when it was over, the band met her personally and stated that they heard about the live-action “Transformers” film, and requested whether they could have a song of theirs in the film, and thus “What I’ve Done” appears in the closing credits.
- The Transformers are designed so that their faces/bodies resemble the symbol of their faction. The Autobots (especially Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Ratchet) were modelled according to the Autobot face; and the Decepticons (especially Megatron, Barricade, and Blackout) were modelled according to the Decepticon face.
- To keep the film realistic and under budget, the U.S. Department of Defense provided their support towards the film’s production, the largest project they have assisted since “Black Hawk Down (2001).
- Michael Bay cut his fee by thirty percent, to save expenses on shooting, and to keep the film in the United States, territory he was familiar with.
- Director Michael Bay originally wanted an Apple iPod for Simmon’s demonstration in the All Spark chamber, but Apple CEO Steve Jobs objected to the use of one of his products, and a Nokia cellphone was used instead.
- In her role as Mikaela Banes, Megan Fox gained ten pounds of muscle to be more compatible for the action scenes.
- The film’s release date was set without a script or a cast.
- Transformers is the fastest-selling DVD release of 2007.
- Michael Bay spent most of the film’s $150 million budget on fifteen practical action sequences, making sure the visual effect aspects of the film did not overwhelm the live-action elements.
- Most of the cars that were destroyed in the film had their engines and transmissions removed to make them easier to flip around.
- It was once rumored that Megan Fox had to audition for the movie by going to Michael Bay’s house and washing his Ferrari for him while he filmed her. But she has since clarified she simply had to pretend to work on his car as part of the audition, but not at his house.
- This is the first time a female Witwicky appears in the “Transformers” universe. Before, there had only been male Witwickys (Spike and his father Sparkplug from The Transformers (1984); Spike’s wife Carly doesn’t count).
