FAQ for
Transformers (2007)

Autobots: Optimus Prime - Peterbilt 379 Semi Truck. Bumblebee - 1976 Chevrolet Camaro (later reformatted as the 2008-2009 model of the same vehicle). Jazz - Modified Hardtop Pontiac Solstice. Ironhide - GMC Topkick Pickup Truck. Ratchet - Hummer H2 (designed to look like an emergency vehicle).

Decepticons: Megatron - Alien/Cybertronian jet. Starscream - F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet. Blackout - MH-53 Pave Low Helicopter. Devastator/Brawl - Modified M1 Abrams Battle Tank. Barricade - Saleen-Modified Ford Mustang Police Cruiser. Frenzy - 2-speaker CD player, mobile phone. Bonecrusher - Buffalo H Mine-Protected Vehicle. Scorponok - Mechanical Scorpion (note: Skorponok is not seen transforming between his scorpion and robot form, however the Hasbro toy does have a robot mode.)

Neutrals (made with cube's Energy): Sector 7:Glen Whitmann's mobile phone; Sam Witwicky: X-box 360, Stockade: Cadillac Escalade(seen only while transforming), a Mountain Dew Vending Machine.

Optimus Prime's alternate mode is a modernized version of his Generation 1 mode.

Bumblebee's alternate mode is original to the movie.

Ironhide's alternate mode is original to the movie.

Jazz's alternate mode is original to the movie.

Ratchet's alternate mode is from "Transformers: Armada".

Megatron's alternate mode is from the "Unicron Trilogy" ("Transformers: Armada", "Transformers: Energon" and "Transformers: Cybertron")

Starscream's alternate mode is a modernized version of his Generation 1 mode.

Blackout's alternate mode is from "Transformers: Energon".

Barricade's alternate mode is original to the movie

Frenzy's alternate mode is original to the movie.

Bonecrusher's alternate mode is original to the movie.

Scorponok's alternate mode is from "Beast Wars: Transformers".

Stockade's alternate mode is original to the movie.

X-Box is an original character.

Mountain Dew is an original character.

Devastator/Brawl is a picky issue. If you think he is Devastator, then his alternate mode is original to the movie. If you think he is Brawl, then his original mode comes from Generation 1.

[spoiler] Barricade was damaged by Bumblebee. After he had repaired himself, he answered the Decepticons call during the final battle, but he disappears after the freeway scene.

In the novel adaption, Barricade was taken down by Optimus Prime right after he destroyed Bonecrusher. The reason why this scene wasn't included in the film is still unclear.

However, in a recent interview with the writers (http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2007/07/kurtzman-and-orci-post-move-q.html) the disappearance is mentioned and although the writers do not explain why the scene was cut, possibly because it happened by accident, they hint that Barricade might return in the sequel. This seems to be the case as two Saleen Mustangs, the cars used as Barricade, have been spotted driving through Culver City. (http://jalopnik.com/373254/two-barricade-saleen-mustangs-spotted-transformers-2-already-filming).

This is despite parts resembling Barricade, most noticeably police car doors, being visible in the pile of destroyed robots waiting to be dumped into the sea at the end of the film. [spoiler]

UPDATE

[spoiler] On numerous websites lately, the exact same Slaeen Mustang(s) that have been used for the character have been spotted in Culver City.[spoiler]

Several reasons have been given for the change:

First, producers couldn't get rights from Volkswagen to use a Beetle. Volkswagen didn't want their product being associated with a violent film.

Next, Michael Bay also told Wired Magazine he made the change because he wanted the mass of the Transformers in robot form to be believable compared to their vehicle form, and thus a Beetle would have resulted in Bumblebee being much smaller in robot form.

Another reason is that Bay wanted to avoid comparisons to Herbie the Love Bug, and that he felt that Bumblebee needed an updated look. Thus, Bumblebee was changed from a VW Beetle to a Camaro.

We do briefly see Bumblebee next to an old 1971 VW Beetle (incorrectly stated in the film; the car is actually a 1973-1977 VW Super Beetle, a very different model than the common Beetle) early on in the film, however, in a nod to his past. Sam has to choose between the old yellow Beetle and the Camaro, but of course chooses the Camaro.

Yes, see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. A third film is also anticipated.

On May 30, 2007, Dreamworks greenlit two more sequels. Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky), Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes) and Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) have signed on for the sequels. Michael Bay has not signed on yet to direct, saying "I'm trying to keep some leverage for the negotiations." Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are undecided, and have said, "we want to have a reason to do it, not just say, its a business, its a franchise, were going to go do the second one because thats what we do and we're going to get the big money, and Star Trek by the way is taking up kind of all of our time."

UPDATE: Michael Bay has signed on to direct the first sequel, as well as Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman returning to write it. Writer Ehren Kruger has been brought on to assist Orci and Kurtzman after producers were impressed by his knowledge of the Transformers mythology. The script was not finished, however, due to the 2007 WGA Strike, but filming is expected to begin in June 2008.

Disclaimer: There is no *solid* proof about which new characters will be included in the sequels

Soundwave is intended to be a new major character in the sequels. It is rumoured fans would like Soundwave to be an SUV with a very large sound system in the boot, as being a radio would not be realistic to his true size. Producer Tom DeSanto has "a very cool idea on how to introduce the Dinobots and Constructicons." One fan came up with the idea that the Dinobots will scan mechanical robot models of dinosaurs in a museum near where they land in earth. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura felt production would be quicker as the design aesthetics had been worked out. If he decides to helm a sequel, Bay may put in an aircraft carrier character,(speculated to be Tidal Wave), an idea which was previously too expensive for the first film.

UPDATE: On the current IMDB homepage for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, it is rumored that Wheeljack will be the new SAAB-Aero X Concept Car, making its cinematical debut.

It is stated by Simmons that Earth tecnology was reversed engineered from Megatron, thus when the cell phone and other objects are created, they in turn are Decepticons. Kind of like Megatron's children.

The writers have stated that the laser Ratchet fired at Bumblebee's throat halfway through the film took a while to take effect.

Another theory is that Bumblebee's voice is fixed after he touches the Allspark, when he goes to compact it into the smaller cube he gets a "jolt" or a "shock". This is the most logical explanation, as Frenzy's body (the small stereo robot) becomes fully regenerated when he comes into contact with the Allspark.

Scorponok's ending was never told. He just went underground to hide or maybe repair himself. He will more than likely return in the sequel. (Spoilers!) The early plot synopsis for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen stated that Scorponok will sacrifice himself by giving his spark to megatron to revive him. (end spoilers)

According to Robert Orci, Jazz was chosen to die because they couldn't kill Optimus or Bumblebee, and Jazz was the next Autobot most likely to be cared about by the audience.

Also, with the exception of Bumblebee, Jazz was the only Autobot small enough to be ripped apart by Megatron.

According to Robert Orci on Transformersmovie.com, Maggie Madsen (Rachael Taylor) and Glen Whitmann (Anthony Anderson) may not have been necessary for seasoned Transformers fans, but their characters were needed for "a story mechanism to explain certain things in a deliberately paced manner" for those unacquainted with the Transformers mythos.

The official names of all the Transformers seen in the film were confirmed in August of 2006, nearly a year before the film's North American release date. However, director Michael Bay was not fully aware of these names and sometimes referred to some of them by their "on-set names" -- For example, he said in an interview that he often referred to Frenzy as "Soundbyte". Thus, on-set he would refer to the tank Decepticon as "Devastator". Somehow, the name made its way into the final cut of the film. When Starscream calls all the Decepticons into action, they all give their names and status in Cybertronian, which is translated through subtitles on-screen. The tank apparently says "Devastator reporting...".

It was not fixed, despite recognition of the error by the writers of the film and Hasbro. Writer Roberto Orci even stated that "Devastator" was the mistake and that the tank was supposed to be named "Brawl" all along.

The name Devastator was actually the name of the giant robot that all six of the Constructicons in the original animated series and toyline would combine together to form. The fact that one of the Constructicons in the original series was named "Bonecrusher", which was the name of one of the Decepticons featured in the film, only added to the confusion. To add even further confusion, the movie's toys and video games referred to the tank Decepticon as "Brawl".

Afterwards, Bay even stated that he preferred "Devastator" to "Brawl" as it sounded more threatening, and more suitable for a Decepticon.

This is unknown. One theory is that he said "I shall return!!", since he usually said that in the show. Another possibility is he might have sent a signal to all Decepticons in space, just as Optimus did at the end.

The Transformers have incredibly sophisticated software meaning there is no logical reason why they couldn't scan books or databases then breakdown and learn the language in minutes, the same would apply from hearing English being spoken. All a Transformer would need to learn a language is a sample of sufficient size and enough time for his software to work it out which would take minutes or possibly hours depending on the amount of computing power available to the Transformer and possibly the complexity of the language.

Also, it would arguably be distracting to have to follow subtitles during the final battle with Optimus Prime. It may be that we are to understand that they are actually conversing in Cybertronian, even if the film's soundtrack is rendering the conversation in English for ease of comprehension.

To clarify;

Optimus Prime is the Autobot who crash lands in the field, and quickly runs off. He is the last one to be seen scanning a vehicle for his alternate mode as he becomes a Peterbilt semi truck, which passes by him as he stands on that hill by the road.

Ratchet is the Autobot who crashes into the building with the neon "TV" sign on it. It makes sense that this one is Ratchet, as there are several emergency vehicles around and he could have easily scanned one of them. i.e. The search and rescue/fire department Hummer H2, he becomes.

Jazz is the Autobot who lands in the baseball stadium near the Casa De Cadillac car dealership, which he later climbs off the roof of and scans a Pontiac Solstice on display in the showroom.

Ironhide is the Autobot who lands in the pool, in that family's backyard. (To clear that up, once and for all.) He scans a GMC Topkick pick-up truck, that most likely belongs to the family in question.

Yes. Not only is it a reference to Michael Bay, but if you look carefully on the front, you'll see that It's a GMC, standing for General Motor Corporation. With the exception of Optimus Prime, all of the Autobots are General Motors vehicles (Chevy, Pontiac, Hummer, & GMC).

Also, late in 2007, Hasbro released several toys that weren't featured in the movie, and the tow truck is one of them. He is indeed an Autobot, and his name is Longarm.

No one knows yet. Maybe. If so, any such character would have to be a Decepticon, as Hasbro has a deal with General Motors for all of the autobots (Pontiac, Hummer, GMC, Chevy), with the exception of Optimus Prime (Peterbilt).

It has been confirmed on www.blu-ray.com that Transformers will be coming to Blu-Ray on September 2nd. Here is what Paramount has released about the features so far: *Commentary by Director Michael Bay *Featurette: OUR WORLD: *Featurette: The Story Sparks HD *Featurette: Human Allies HD *Featurette: I Fight Giant Robots HD *Featurette: Battleground HD *Featurette: THEIR WAR: *Featurette: Rise of the Robots HD *Featurette: Autobots Roll Out HD *Featurette: Decepticons Strike HD *Featurette: Inside the AllSpark HD *Featurette: Transformers Tech Inspector (TBD) HD *Trailers: TRAILERS (will play after the feature via a menu): *Trailers: Iron Man Trailer HD *Featurette: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: *Trailers: Transformers Teaser Trailer HD *Trailers: Rise of the Autobots HD *Other: Transformers H.U.D. (Heads Up Display) *Other: BD-Live Features (TBD) *Featurette: From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack HD *Featurette: Concepts HD *Trailers: Trailers HD: *Trailers: Teaser Trailer 1 HD *Trailers: Theatrical Trailer 2 HD *Trailers: Theatrical Trailer 4 HD *Easter Eggs: Michael Bay Cameo HD *Easter Eggs: Girl in Dress HD *Easter Eggs: Bay Bot HD *Easter Eggs: Casting Mojo HD

Transformers divided critics fairly clearly, you eiether loved it or hated it. On Rottent tomatoes the movie has a 57% approval rating with the consensus being the acting is weak, but the action is stunning as are the CGI effects. Metacritic gives it a 60/100 rating indicating mixed or average reviews.

Critics quotes

"It's outrageous, stupid fun and you should see it on the biggest screen you can find." BBCi review, 2007

"It's lightweight fun for the kid in all of us, but I would emphasize the word lightweight. " DVD Town, 2007

"Films directed by Michael Bay are usually like being shouted at by a halfwit for two and a half hours, and Transformers is no exception." Wendy Ide, 2007

"Its a big, cool, dopey, noisy, non-stop action powerhouse. Its also too long by a half hour and it left my ears ringing, but its a lot of fun. " Richard Roeper, 2007

"Michael Bay has once again claimed the years top honors for loud, stupid filmmaking." New York Observer, 2007

"Not only has Michael Bay directed a movie that works, he has directed one of the most satisfying films of the summer." Aisle Seat, 2007

"All in all, pretty generic." Scott Weinberg, 2007

"For Transformers fans, I suppose this is a dream motion picture. For everyone else, it's a nightmare." James Berardinelli, 2007

"A movie of epically assaultive noise and nonsense." New York Times, 2007

"It's goofy fun with a lot of stuff that blows up real good," Roger Ebert, 2007

"Action packed...you're not leaving your seat once the lights go down." Elizabeth Weitzman, Daily News, 2007

"Features some of the most spectacular action and effects sequences of any movie of its kind and will appeal to the kid in all of us." Claudia Puig, USA Today, 2007