Because creation is a dynamic process, creators inevitably come up with new ideas as their work develops. Once they feel a new idea is better than the old one, they will try everything they can to revise the work in their hands. Because of that, following an outline exactly is rarely possible.
As a result, the movie Isabella was watching now had certain story differences from the script she had seen before.
Previously, the opening of the Transformers script Isabella had seen went like this:
Cybertron had been left devastated by the war between the two Transformer factions.
After the war between the Decepticons and the Autobots tore Cybertron apart, the Decepticons wanted to find the origin of all things, the AllSpark, seize its power, end all battles once and for all, and then, in passing, dominate the universe. The Autobots wanted to find the source flame that had created their Cybertronian lives, so they could end the thousand-year war and rebuild their homeland.
Megatron was the first to find the AllSpark, in Earth's Arctic, but because he disrupted the magnetic field, he was instantly frozen.
This frozen state seemed as though it could last forever, but an accident led the American government to discover him.
Megatron was then dug out and sliced up by the American government, which loved human experiments more than anything.
In the original script, the story's opening perspective came from the Transformers. But the final version shown on screen mainly used a human point of view.
The movie opened with David, the researcher played by Tom Cruise, seeing Megatron.
The battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons existed only in the narration.
The reason for this change was simple:
First, Transformers was a live-action movie, not an animated film.
When a "live-action movie" is led by "real people," the human scenes naturally have to stand out.
Second, if the story were presented in a straightforward, linear way, the movie would become somewhat boring.
What?
Someone might say audiences walked into theaters to watch Transformers because they wanted to see Autobots fighting Decepticons?
That all everyone wanted was visual stimulation?
So there was nothing wrong with starting the movie with metal hunks beating up other metal hunks?
But the problem was:
A live-action movie was at least 120 minutes long!
You start the movie with a ten-minute war on Cybertron?
Then how are you supposed to shoot the remaining 110 minutes so the audience keeps feeling excited?
Even Japanese adult films care about foreplay!
You're shooting a commercial blockbuster, and you want to blow everything right at the start?
Wow.
If a movie really did that, the audience would see it as rotten through and through.
So releasing stimulation step by step was an essential skill for an excellent director.
Of course, this did not mean Michael Bay had erased the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons outright.
As a director who absolutely loved shooting Boom—
"Boom—"
"Boom—"
Since the great battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons had already been written into the script, he would definitely make it. As for how it would be presented...
After Megatron, who had gained the "sealed" buff, was dragged into the laboratory, David immediately led his team in studying him.
David brought out his invention: a brain-computer interface capable of forming an electrical connection with silicon-based objects. As the cables were connected and the helmet put on, "Boom—" one frantic image after another instantly appeared before his eyes.
That's right!
David saw Megatron's memories!
Perhaps David's technology was too limited.
Or perhaps Cybertronian life and human life simply weren't the same kind of thing.
Or maybe Megatron had been frozen too long, and his brain had been damaged by the cold.
Whatever the reason, the world David saw at that moment was somewhat fragmented.
But that didn't matter!
All those fragmented images were hot-blooded brawls between big metal bros!
The first scene was Ironhide from the Autobot camp and Barricade from the Decepticon camp hammering each other like crazy.
Barricade: You fucking dared to jab my forehead with your exhaust pipe?
Barricade: I'm gonna fucking roll my wheels all over your face!
The second scene was Jazz from the Autobot camp and Bonecrusher from the Decepticon camp smashing each other's heads.
Jazz: Bonecrusher! You little bastard, you dared to scratch your grandpa's skull with those broken shovels?
Jazz: I'm gonna fucking gouge out your eyeballs with my fingers!
The third scene was the final battle at the peak between Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. Optimus Prime's eyes widened, and two streaks of blue light shot out from his mechanical optics!
His face was firm, his teeth clenched, his expression fierce, as he swung an uppercut at Megatron!
Then, with an "Awooo—" David, who had been lying in the chair observing Megatron's memories through the brain-computer interface, suddenly sprang up. He clutched his head in pain, but madness flickered in his eyes. "He's an alien!"
"He has many others like him!"
"They are extremely powerful as individuals!"
"They seem to be fighting among themselves!"
Those brief words carried a huge amount of information!
On screen, David, having gained a tremendous harvest, was unusually excited.
The subject of mechanical life was usually rather vague and elusive.
But now, had his research achieved a historic breakthrough?
Any normal person would be excited!
Wouldn't they?
Off screen, the audience, staring straight ahead, climaxed instantly, because those two whole minutes of special effects had felt incredible!
"Wow~~~ They're going this big right from the start? Was that just now... Autobots versus Decepticons???"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! That was Autobots versus Decepticons!! Ironhide fighting Barricade! Jazz fighting Bonecrusher! Optimus Prime fighting Megatron!!! Oh my God, that battle just now was way too cool!!!"
"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Transformers is awesome!!!"
"Optimus Prime is so cool! The special effects in this movie are insane! Especially that first-person perspective just now! The instant Optimus Prime sent Megatron flying, I really thought I was about to fly too!"
"Yeah, I felt that just now too. Super cool."
"..."
"—"
The Sun of the North once said: a special effects movie must have special effects.
So, when Michael Bay obeyed His Majesty's decree and covered Transformers in special effects early on, Transformers, bathed in holy light, had already achieved half of its success.
As for where the other half came from?
Of course, it was in the world-leading special effects!
In Isabella's previous life, the main reason Transformers swept box offices in every country and region around the world was that its special effects were good. The IP itself had no real depth.
The metallic effects when the Autobots transformed were epoch-making.
The fight scenes in broad daylight didn't just display the most advanced technology in the film industry, with every detail clearly visible. They also showcased major advances in computer rendering, since physical models were no longer used in that era.
These things alone were already enough to make Transformers invincible!
And when Michael Bay turned the scene of David peeking into Megatron's memories into a first-person viewing experience...
That immersive feeling made countless people feel as though they had arrived on Cybertron!
So...
Even though what everyone had just eaten was not the main course!
It was only an appetizer!
That stunning glimpse was still enough to make every audience member wildly excited!
Since the hook had already landed, and Transformers' selling point was an unbeatable one that caught the audience's hearts the moment it appeared, the plot could now move forward.
The connection between David and Megatron had accidentally activated the spark hidden inside Megatron's body.
In other words, the AllSpark.
Then, while David's research team was still buzzing over their massive gain, the scene cut away. In outer space, the Decepticons, having picked up their leader's signal, all turned their eyes toward Earth.
At the same time, the Autobots, sensing something unusual, also moved after hearing the news.
There was no fighting in this part of the plot.
But the special effects in space were already enough to satisfy every audience member's appetite.
The quietly approaching crisis also made many viewers feel tense.
But just when everyone thought a great battle was about to arrive...
Michael Bay stepped on the brakes just as the plot had started sprinting forward.
If he didn't hit the brakes now, the whole movie would become nothing but fight, fight, fight!
This wasn't because 120 minutes of nonstop fighting would give the audience aesthetic fatigue!
It was that Paramount couldn't afford the cost of 120 minutes of nonstop fighting!
So—
David suddenly received a call from his daughter's teacher.
The teacher told him that tomorrow was the day of the school's prom, but his daughter had not prepared anything at all so far.
The teacher was not calling to complain. Rather, she had learned that David's daughter, Zoe, seemed to have never mentioned the prom to him. Was it because his work was extremely busy?
"David, I don't know whether I can call you that, but what I want to say is this: I know your work may be rather special, and you may not have much time to spend with Zoe normally. But tomorrow is one of the most important days of her life, so—"
"I hope you can come and attend her coming-of-age ceremony."
"Of course, you can also refuse."
"But I would like to say that one of the students attending our school with your daughter is the son of an Arizona state senator. He originally had a charity event scheduled for tomorrow, distributing relief food to refugees in Arizona. But after learning that tomorrow was his son's coming-of-age ceremony, he called off the event."
"Relief food can be distributed at any time, but his son's coming-of-age ceremony only happens once in his life."
"So please consider it seriously."
After the call ended, David fell silent.
"Go, chief!"
"Research is important, but your daughter's coming-of-age ceremony only happens once in her life."
"I don't think you'd want to miss it, right?"
"Besides, with the information we've collected so far, we could already write a hundred reports."
His subordinate's words made David decisively embrace his family.
He went to his superior and asked for leave. Since his superior knew about the previous experiment, he approved the leave very happily and even joked, "An injured person can rest for a few extra days."
After all, David had taken one of Optimus Prime's Shoryukens while reading Megatron's memories.
He flew more than three meters into the air, spun three and a half times sideways — difficulty coefficient 5.0.
His superior's words left David a little embarrassed. In his eyes, his superior was teasing him for his technology still not being up to standard. But getting leave so smoothly made him very happy. And just as he was packing up his things and leaving the base—
"Whoosh—"
An invasion also began.
Frenzy from the Decepticon camp had descended upon Earth and quietly slipped into the Hoover base where Megatron was located.
That's right!
The Decepticons had arrived!
They got here that fast!
As for why they could arrive so quickly?
Very simple—
Transformers was a special effects movie, after all!
A special effects movie might not be able to fight for 120 minutes straight, but if it couldn't even fight for half an hour, could it still call itself a special effects movie?
Right?
So once the dramatic scene passed, the action scene could come up!
And this pacing, lifting off, landing, then lifting off again, gave moviegoers a strong, rhythmic stop-and-go sensation, like a cat's claw constantly scratching at the audience's hearts.
With Frenzy's appearance, the screen immediately gained two main perspectives.
On one side was Frenzy's leisurely invasion.
On the other was David calmly leaving.
And the two also intersected in the plot.
After wandering around the base, Frenzy transformed into a radio, hid inside David's car, and left the base together with David.
The easy invasion and simple departure let Frenzy casually find his companion hiding in the dark.
That was Blackout from the Decepticon camp.
Frenzy told him all the intelligence he had gathered.
After Blackout learned that the defenses around their leader's location were very ordinary, the technology was just so-so, and the firepower was even more insufficient, he, loyal to the boss, decided to raid the base before support arrived.
He felt he could single-handedly rescue the boss from the weak humans!
He didn't want to wait for reinforcements — he knew the support arriving later would only be Starscream!
So he transformed into an Apache attack helicopter.
And set off on a journey doomed to fail.
What?
Someone asked why Blackout's surprise attack was doomed to fail?
Very simple!
When Blackout took off, his back was facing the sun!
Although one cannot look directly at the sun, one also cannot turn one's back to it. That is outrageous disrespect!
So the sun would definitely punish him by making his operation fail!
Ahem, ahem, ahem—
"Why doesn't Blackout want to work with Starscream?"
"Aren't they allies?"
As Blackout transformed, moviegoers who didn't know much about Transformers voiced the doubts in their hearts.
"That's because Starscream is the ambitious one among the Decepticons!"
"He thinks he's more suited than Megatron to be the leader of the Decepticons!"
"In the animated story, Starscream planned many betrayals!"
People who understood the background immediately started explaining.
Yes.
Although the plot of the Transformers movie was original, the character settings of the main characters still respected the original work.
Of course, if it didn't even respect the character settings of the original work, this movie would no longer be able to call itself Transformers.
Perhaps it was because the place where Blackout was hiding was rather far from the Hoover base.
Or maybe Frenzy's infiltration of the Hoover base counted as an action scene, and a dramatic scene had to be inserted between one action scene and another.
Either way, when Blackout set off, the camera on screen cut back to David again.
On the road home, David unexpectedly passed by a car dealership.
When he saw the beautiful Chevrolet Camaro parked at the entrance, he wanted to buy it and give it to his daughter.
To wish her a happy adulthood.
And this was Bumblebee—
Bumblebee's appearance meant the Autobots had also arrived on Earth.
But that wasn't the main point at the moment.
The main point at the moment was the appearance of Zoe, played by Margot Robbie—
Her father's appearance surprised Zoe.
The sudden gift made Zoe very happy.
But after learning that her old man had deliberately come home this time to accompany her to the school prom tomorrow—
Zoe's face instantly fell with a "whoosh."
"Who told you our school is holding a prom tomorrow?"
"Your... teacher? Jessica."
"Jessica? Oh — does she want to see me embarrass myself that badly???"
Zoe was extremely angry!
Because—
She felt that the old man standing in front of her, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, was somewhat unpresentable.
So no matter what confusion her old man showed, she refused to talk to him and rushed straight back into her room.
With a "bang—," the world went quiet.
David stood all alone outside his daughter's bedroom door, somewhat at a loss.
"Oh — you acted pretty well in that scene."
Isabella smiled. "It had quite a bit of tension."
"Thank you."
Margot Robbie, sitting right beside her, happily accepted her boss's compliment.
But the next second, she felt something was not quite right.
"When you say my acting had tension, you're not just saying I slammed the door really loudly, are you?"
"What else would I mean?" The corners of Isabella's mouth rose even higher. "Commercial blockbusters don't need that much acting."
"—"
At the same time Zoe slammed the door, the dramatic scene between father and daughter officially ended.
The action scene led by Blackout also officially arrived.
Blackout broke into the Hoover base. Although the U.S. military had already spotted him, how could humans possibly beat a Transformer?
Blackout used just one shockwave and instantly cleared the field.
Honestly.
The action scenes shot by Michael Bay, who shared the same faith as Deidara, were just cool!
The scenes of tanks flying everywhere after the explosions and aircraft melting were extremely cool!
The shocking visual presentation sent waves of exclamations rising throughout the huge theater!
Like a tide!
But in this section of the plot, the one who performed even better was Steven Spielberg, in his control of the firepower between the two sides.
That's right.
This invasion action scene was written by Steven Spielberg.
Because Blackout couldn't rescue Megatron right now.
If Megatron revived barely twenty minutes into the movie, the movie would have no way to continue.
Right?
To put it another way, this was like the ending of Titanic—
James Cameron had always known that Jack and Rose could both have fit on the door panel at the same time, but for the movie to be more moving, Jack had to die. So Jack soaked in the icy water like an idiot and froze himself to death.
And since Blackout had displayed explosive power the moment he appeared, defeating him was no easy matter.
So, in this section of the plot, Steven Spielberg had the U.S. military bring out a legendary weapon:
Little David.