Transformers IV • Age of Extinction • 2014

[The_Somnambulist]

Release Date: June 27, 2014

Director: Michael Bay

Screenplay: Ehren Kruger

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Sophia Myles, Li Bingbing, Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz

---

The Michigan Film Office has released an official synopsis:

As humanity picks up the pieces, following the conclusion of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Autobots and Decepticons have all but vanished from the face of the planet. However, a group of powerful, ingenious businessman and scientists attempt to learn from past Transformer incursions and push the boundaries of technology beyond what they can control – all while an ancient, powerful Transformer menace sets Earth in his crosshairs. The epic adventure and battle between good and evil, freedom and enslavement ensues.

I love this franchise. Bring it!

[The_Somnambulist]

Autobot (in disguise) designs, including Optimus Prime's new look:








Bumblebee!




First official photo from the set!



Also, spoilery rumors abound that this entry...

Spoiler

...will include Dinobots.

[bearvomit]

DINOBOTS CONFIRMED!

photographed call sheet from the set confirms Dinobots as well as other new transformers!

link

[align=left]Date: Friday, August 23
Shoot Day: 57 of 96
Filming location: McCormick Gate 4 Lobby & Square

Friday story location:
Exterior Cityside Base of Ridge - 1st Dinobot Attack
Exterior Hong Kong - Autobots and Bad Guys drive thru the area

Cast:
1) Mark Wahlberg - Cade
2) Stanley Tucci - Joshua
3) Kelsey Grammer - Harold Attinger
4) Nicola Peltz - Tessa
5) Jack Reynor - Shane
6) Sophia Myles - Darcy
7) Li Bingbing - Su Yueming
8) Titus Welliver - Savoy
11) TJ Miller - Lucas
12) James Bachman - Gill Wembley
15) Melanie Specht - Joshua's Executive Assistant #1
16) Abigail Klein - Joshua Jr. Assistant
61) Victoria Summer - Joshua's Executive Assistant #2
69) Ty Smith - SOG Agent #3

Referenced Transformers: (character vehicle models not specified on sheet)
New Optimus
Bumblebee
Drift
Hound
Crosshairs
Cyclonus
Lambo. (assuming reference to Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, likely character name not finalized)
Pagani (likely character name not finalized)
Dinobots (character names not specified)

Saturday Schedule:
- Filming at the offices of Baker & McKenzie as "KSI" which Joshua likely owns (having three executive assistants screams rich boss, not employee)
- Confrontation between Joshua (Tucci) & Cale (Wahlberg) with Joshua ridiculing him and "Yeager Enterprises"
- Bumblebee rescuing Cale from Attinger (Grammer) who is questioning him (what not specified)

Sunday Schedule:
- Darcy (Myles) & Cale talking about a "fossil find" while rejecting his dinner offer ("not a chance") at KSI
- Exterior shots involving Autobot vehicles and a "Decepticon Fighter" (probably Cyclonus) are referred to as the "KSI Campus"
- "5 Autobots are rolling" (filming at Columbus Drive, Monroe to Randolph)
- Autobot vehicles watching a building (filming at The Beehive on Michigan Avenue)
- "Fighter crashes thru grating and back onto street"
- Aerial Unit filming CGI plates for Decepticon "Fighter dives into tunnel pursued, fireball chases"[/align]

[The_Somnambulist]

[The_Somnambulist]

New set vids:

[Thundercracker]

The title has been confirmed and so begins the age of "Age of" subtitles.

Teaser Poster:

[The_Somnambulist]

Bay at work:

[The_Somnambulist]

Michael Bay attacked on set! Continues filming.

[bearvomit]

Grimlock revealed!!!!!



and yes, that's Optimus riding him with a sword![/spoil]

[Cryostar]

Spoiler

Optimus Prime is riding Grimlock into battle.

Your argument is invalid.

[The_Somnambulist]

Optimus Prime redesign revealed:

[bearvomit]

rumored robot version of Grimlock: If so, it's badass!

[CoGro]

Remember when they said the robot designs would be a departure from the first 3 movies and more in line with the show - where you could actual see some distinction between robots?

Not so.

Optimus looks less like Optimus.

[Thundercracker]

Certainly do but I didn't believe for a second that the robot designs were going to be any different with Bay still in charge. The same guy who's been saying that he'd be done with TF after each of the last two films and yet keeps coming back. Guess you can't blame him since this cash cow doesn't seem to be running out of milk anytime soon.


with that said, here's a first glimpse of Grimlock's bot mode.

[The_Somnambulist]

I've always seen these designs as future-proof. They're unlike anything in existence, except for perhaps hardcore Japanese anime/manga. I admire that boldness.

And I've never had any difficulty distinguishing between the main players. Maybe among the Decepticons. But I like that aspect too. When those action scenes reach their zenith in intensity, it's like a kaleidoscope of mechanized mayhem. Things bleeding into one another and meshing into an indiscernible tangle of metal. It's quite beautiful and Bay, to borrow the above metaphor, wonderfully milks that cow.

[The_Somnambulist]

"'No goofiness' in Transformers 4, says Michael Bay"

Kinda vague, but I like Bay's description of the film as more cinematic and cool (implied) than the previous entries.

[Cryostar]

Didn't he say that about the last one?

[The_Somnambulist]

To the untrained ear. He said there'd be no more "dorky" humor in DOTM.

Bay is clearly a man in tune with myriad classifications of humor.

[Cryostar]

If, by humor, you mean explosions, i would agree.

[CoGro]

He caught lightning in a bottle with TF1. The rest have been train wrecks of modern blockbuster entertainment.

My expectation is that this one will be equally terrible but with Mark Wahlberg.

[Cryostar]

And Grimlock.

[The_Somnambulist]

Here's something different as we await what I'm sure will be a Super Bowl trailer debut.

Not a meltdown or panic attack as some are reporting. As funny as that sounds.

Wow! I just embarrassed myself at CES – I was about to speak for Samsung for this awesome Curved 105-inch UHD TV. I rarely lend my name to any products, but this one is just stellar. I got so excited to talk, that I skipped over the Exec VP’s intro line and then the teleprompter got lost. Then the prompter went up and down – then I walked off. I guess live shows aren’t my thing.

But I’m doing a special curved screen experience with Samsung and Transformers 4 footage that will be traveling around the world.

Michael

Teleprompter snafu and some nerves is all. Happens to the best of 'em.

[CoGro]

It happens. People (see: internet losers and pansy media types) are going to rip on Bay and have a laugh at his expense, but I feel for the guy. It was a legitimate show of humanity. Public speaking isn't easy - especially when you don't do it often and you're forced to go off script.

[The_Somnambulist]

I was kinda surprised. He always displays such poise and ease in all the media I've seen or heard him in (press interviews, behind-the-scenes interviews, commentary tracks, etc.).

And as a prospective member of Toastmasters International, I completely understand the difficulty of public speaking. Especially impromptu style.

[Longtime_Sunshine]

Yikes. Poor guy. I feel for him but at the same time hasn't he been in this business long enough to be able to wing it? It's a UHDTV demo at an electronics expo and he bounced like he was in 4th period forgetting his lines to Julius Caesar. The dude even threw him a line: Talk about yourself and your movies as a fan, not a spokesman. Hasn't he ever pitched a movie to a room of execs?

It's not the end of the world though. To be honest, I actually respect him a bit more now. He felt embarrassed and it's really unnatural being in front of a room full of strangers. Glad there's a normal, nerdy guy in there and not the arrogant "Hitler" he's been portrayed to be.

[The_Somnambulist]

Tweeted confirmation of a Super Bowl trailer (on February 2nd). Sweet!

[The_Somnambulist]

Lo and behold, the new Super Bowl spot is up!



Finally! Nothing like the sweet smell of new Transformers amidst the fetid pile of lesser Super Bowl commercials!

Feels as dark as DOTM. Hard to discern scale. No military porn sighted. And all the bots have a different, matte-like sheen to them.

Weird first impression, I know. Want more!

[Cryostar]

The gun in the face was idiotic.

[CoGro]

Looks like it will be horrible.

[bearvomit]

"gunface" is thought to be Galvatron. There's been a toy insert photographed which shows several new Dinobots.

The T-Rex = Grimlock, a Spinosaurus, a raptor, Swoop = the flying one and a mutant/tricerotops+rhino+stegosaurus thing.

[Cryostar]

"gunface" is thought to be Galvatron. There's been a toy insert photographed which shows several new Dinobots.

So they put a gun...in his face?!

Fuck Da Wut?!

Why is it so difficult to make a robot that has a gun on his god-damned arm, like the Megatron and Galvatron we all know and love?!?!


Jesus H Christ, this isn't rocket science! You don't need to come up with brand new designs. you just need to fscking execute on the old ones!

[E_CHU_TA!]

Upon seeing gun-face, all I could think of was the Giger-inspired hero of the videogame MDK.



Optimus riding Grimlock is a cool visual. I wish I had more faith that the film would be worth watching. Bay’s going to milk-this franchise’s cash cow till it's completely dry. On one level, I can’t blame him.

[The_Somnambulist]

Why is it so difficult to make a robot that has a gun on his god-damned arm, like the Megatron and Galvatron we all know and love?!?!

Jesus H Christ, this isn't rocket science! You don't need to come up with brand new designs. you just need to fscking execute on the old ones!

To quote the DOTM Linkin Park song, "Let it go!"

The gun-arm has been done to death! Almost every bot has one in the previous entries: Optimus, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Megatron, Shockwave, etc. Even that shitty fan art (fake concept art) above features a bot with a Goddamn gun-arm.

There's more at work here than being faithful to original Transformers media. If that was what it was all about, we'd all be staring at boxy, simplistic and wholly lame robot designs that satisfy a miniscule group of devotees. I doubt someone as creative as Bay wants to tie himself up in that way. There's so much potential in a series about transforming alien robots and it's high-time for alike radical new design ideas. Freshening things up. Tilling the soil. Sparking the imagination. Doing something new.

[Cryostar]

Did you just call Bay creative?

Look, I know he's artistic and all that, but he's got the same schtick in every movie. And his "transformers" are less about design, and more just a jumble of moving metal parts that don't even look like anything that "small devoted fanbase" can recognize, even though the fan base is not all that small.

[The_Somnambulist]

I think Bay is eminently creative. And there's a difference between having a very distinctive style and thoughtless, rote repetition.

However, I will concede that there was at least one visual in the AOE Super Bowl spot that seemed lifted right out of ROTF. Beyond that, I find that each of the Transformers films adds something new and keeps things fresh. Is Star Wars' ROTJ less a film for regurgitating the Death Star concept?

My sense of the Transformers über-fan base is more anecdotal than anything, I'll admit. Through browsing forums and comments sections of various websites, you come across this pocket of discontent over what Bay is doing. But they are far from dictating how well these films do in a business sense. For all the shit-talking about the first two entries (especially the second one), DOTM stands as the sixth highest-grossing film ever made.

And I think the bots are exquisitely designed and animated. Aggressively complex and highly modern. Outside of Japanese manga/anime media, there's nothing remotely like them. I also think that the intention, in some shots, is to show the violent, chaotic and indistinct tangle of bots because that's what it would look like from the limited perspective of the human characters.

[Cryostar]

I ask then, what is Bay's style? Explosions? Dick and Fart Humor? At least five times, a slow motion shot showing boobs bounce and robots getting their "teeth" knocked out?

And no, why would a fanbase, in today's day and age of hollywood abandon, dictate anything that a film does? These films aren't made for transformer fans. These films are made for the masses to mindlessly consume, then go out and buy the toys of. They're not cancelling sequels because toy sales don't come up to expectations. Remember, this is not just hollywood, but it's hasbro too.

Lastly, I don't want to see things from my "limited perspective". I see my limited perspective all day long. I go to movies to see things that I don't get to see. I despise shaky cam. I can't stand the blurriness of modern film making as they try to get "in close" on the action. I want to see it unfold in all its glory.

[Topeka]

I lament the death of the locked-off wide shot.

The first film had the right spirit. It was fun, character driven to the most extent and felt fresh. If Bay can get back to that there could be a chance.

I left the second film having no idea what had gone on. I fear this will be another vapid installment.

[CoGro]

I lament the death of the locked-off wide shot.

The first film had the right spirit. It was fun, character driven to the most extent and felt fresh. If Bay can get back to that there could be a chance.

I left the second film having no idea what had gone on. I fear this will be another vapid installment.

This new one looks nothing like it wants to capture the imagination and spirit of the first film. It looks like more of the same of the second and third instalments.

The sequels have been utter rubbish. I don't care that it's the 6th highest grossing movie; Pirates 4 made a ton of money too and it's also a miscarriage of summer entertainment.

[The_Somnambulist]

I ask then, what is Bay's style? Explosions? Dick and Fart Humor? At least five times, a slow motion shot showing boobs bounce and robots getting their "teeth" knocked out?

You're not too far off but that's a rather simple view of Bay's style. Off the top of my head, I'll name some reoccurring stylistic flourishes that keep me enchanted: Americana imagery; magic hour lighting; colorful, high-contrast cinematography; sweeping and fluid camera movements; dynamic shot variety; quirky, high-energy, improv-heavy performances; exhaustive and relentless action sequences; whip-fast pacing; techno-fascist porn; slow-motion and speed ramping; photo-real visual effects; dark and vulgar comedy (four references to balls in ROTF alone!); elaborate production design; explosions, as you mentioned; and finally, an obsequious appreciation of the female form. Love it!

In response to all the concern about shakiness and lack of geography that I mostly sympathize with, I think it's a bit exaggerated. There's a fair balance of messy intensity and clean remove within all of the sequences in these films and the greater Bay filmography. I think it's Paul Greengrass and other prevalent, shitty imitators you're all thinking about.

Let's all simmer down a bit and recall that we've only seen 30 seconds of this thing (minus intertitles and credits).

These films are made for the masses to mindlessly consume...

Yum.

[Cryostar]

While I appreciate the female form as much as the next guy, I would just love to see something substance.

GI Joe was pissed on.

Transformers has gone down hill.

Fox is steadily pissing all over the X-Men and Fantastic Four....

I'm not even going to go in to He-Man...

My childhood has been ruined.

[Longtime_Sunshine]

I don't think Bay is a very substantial filmmaker, but then again I don't know that he's trying to be. He's noisy and kind of clueless about how human beings behave. I appreciate your support for him by not clueing us all in to some missing substance in his craft, but instead embracing his style completely.

In response to all the concern about shakiness and lack of geography that I mostly sympathize with, I think it's a bit exaggerated. There's a fair balance of messy intensity and clean remove within all of the sequences in these films and the greater Bay filmography. I think it's Paul Greengrass and other prevalent, shitty imitators you're all thinking about.

Here, however, I don't really find a connection between Bay and Greengrass in terms of style. I don't think Bay has the restraint (or interest, really) to direct a movie like United 93, which was kinda jingoistic but had amazing tension, or Cap. Philips, which had some amazing performances. I can't think of great instances of acting in Bay's movies. Maybe the scene in The Rock between Connery and his daughter? He likes to direct Transformers because their every move is dictated by him.

[The_Somnambulist]

I was referring specifically to the leveling of the shaky cam/lack of geography charge against Bay. From what I've heard and what little I've seen of Greengrass' work, his camera is more queasily dancy than Bay's.

But you're right. Greengrass delves into much more mature, nuanced subject matter. No doubt.

In defense of my defense of Bay, I'll pass on a quote that always comes to mind when discussing his work.

"You're considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity." -Sofia Coppola

[The_Somnambulist]

He's... kind of clueless about how human beings behave.

Why should any filmmaker or artist be shackled to realism and the confines of normal human behavior (if there is such a thing)? Look at Picasso. That's not how people see. Look at Shakespeare. That's not how people talk. And for a more pertinent example, look at Star Wars. Sound and dogfights in space?

There's a wild, hyper energy running through most of his work that is clearly reaching for something far beyond regular, mundane, ho-hum existence. Obviously, in content (that's what nearly all movies tend to be) but, more specifically, in form. Through editing, performance and cinematography. And he's not alone in that respect. Edgar Wright, Baz Luhrmann, Guy Ritchie, Terry Gilliam and Jean-Pierre Jeunet all spring immediately to mind as other filmmakers dabbling in a more potent oasis of imagination.

While I appreciate the female form as much as the next guy...

Sarcasm noted. Pain & Gain has you covered. It's also a break from the franchise/genre world we're all so repelled and attracted by and I think it says a lot about where Bay is coming from. Maybe there's an argument to be made for Bay as a filmmaker of more substance with that particularly interesting and surprisingly low-budget excursion.

[Longtime_Sunshine]

He's... kind of clueless about how human beings behave.

Why should any filmmaker or artist be shackled to realism and the confines of normal human behavior (if there is such a thing)? Look at Picasso. That's not how people see. Look at Shakespeare. That's not how people talk. And for a more pertinent example, look at Star Wars. Sound and dogfights in space?

There's a wild, hyper energy running through most of his work that is clearly reaching for something far beyond regular, mundane, ho-hum existence. Obviously, in content (that's what nearly all movies tend to be) but, more specifically, in form. Through editing, performance and cinematography.

And he's not alone in that respect. Edgar Wright, Baz Luhrmann, Guy Ritchie, Terry Gilliam and Jean-Pierre Jeunet all spring immediately to mind as other filmmakers dabbling in a more potent oasis of imagination.

Mr. Bay... is that you?

While I appreciate the female form as much as the next guy...

Sarcasm noted. Pain & Gain has you covered. It's also a break from the franchise/genre world we're all so repelled and attracted by and I think it says a lot about where Bay is coming from. Maybe there's an argument to be made for Bay as a filmmaker of more substance with that particularly interesting and surprisingly low-budget excursion.

I actually wanted to see Pain & Gain because it seemed like a nice break from his over-the-top, convoluted action movies plus it looked like Michael Bay was having fun. And Wahlberg is such a great actor when he wants to be. Should I redbox it?

[The_Somnambulist]

It's definitely a curiosity. Worth checking out at least once if it's not too much effort to do so.

You'll still find many of Bay's trademarks (even an explosion for Christ's sake) but with an extra helping of depravity. Overall, an engaging and vivid crime story, not unlike the best of the Coen brothers (I'm thinking Fargo). It was one of the best films of 2013, in my estimation. And, for all my defense of Bay, that's not a spot I'd easily reserve for his other films in their respective years. Plus, Wahlberg is Wahlberg and Ed Harris does a great job as the calm, cool and collected foil.

[Cryostar]

Pain & Gain was that wahlberg movie?

[The_Somnambulist]

New character posters!









Kinda baffling tagline. Selling the rejiggeredness of the planned new trilogy, I guess.

[The_Somnambulist]

New teaser trailer up!

[CoGro]

Looks to have a bit softer of a touch, but my hopes aren't high.

[The_Somnambulist]

Oozes cool and, a Michael Bay trait I pointed out in an earlier post, Americana. Sun-drenched, Midwestern Americana.

But I can see how these can wear on someone. Even in such a short tease, there seems to be a lot of retread.

-Government as bad guys (Sector 7)
-Dinobots as friend or foe? (Sentinel Prime)
-Asian setting (opening of ROTF)
-Family dynamic (Witwicky)
-Exile of Autobots (DOTM)

And I'm not really feeling the new font choice.

Still, let it at me!