Transformers: The Ride: The Controversy
Saturday, October 25th, 2008
Last week, Universal Studios announced that they would be making a ride based on Transformers. Michael Bay does not approve.
Universal Studios Hollywood and Singapore will be launching a theme park attraction based on Michael Bay’s Transformers. Planned for an early 2011 debut, the ride will use High Definition 3D footage, along with practical special effects and robotics that will “transform perceptions of theme park experiences”. The attraction will replace the former Backdraft special effects show and special effects stages in the lower lot. No word on if the storyline will tie into Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen or a possible third Transformers film. All we know is that the ride will “place humans in the middle of a war between the Autobots and Decepticons”.
The official press release claims that Universal was collaborating with director Michael Bay on the attraction, but apparently Bay has yet to approve the concept. Michael Bay writes on his official website:
“They had me in a press release saying I supported it – but Universal has a long way to go in my mind. I don’t support it – I’m not involved and not sure the story of the ride works, and I know Optimus is not going to just show up to be directed by some new people that have never worked with him. I hate when people bullsh*t a quote from me that I never said. I’ll keep you informed. Maybe the guy making the rides at Universal will direct Transformers 3????“
He doesn’t sound very happy.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen comes to theaters June 26, 2009.
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Michael Bay has too much of an ego. I agree that they shouldn’t be misquoting him. But to think that they need to go to him for canonical approval for a franchise that he hacked up quite a bit for his own movie? That’s absurd. Wasn’t he the one that threw a fit because Transformers came to HD-DVD rather than Blu-Ray as well? I loved Transformers, but Michael Bay, you need to get over yourself. It was good despite him, not necessarily because of him.
I’m very confused. It’s a theme park ride. Does anyone really demand their theme park rides to be ‘in canon’ or ‘in continuity’?
I’ve been to Universal Studios in LA. I rode the Terminator ride, being the Terminator dork that I am (unfortunatly the Back to the Future ride was down when I went there, which makes me mad because now it’s gone.) It doesn’t make sense in continuity, not in the least. And you know what? I really could’ve cared less. It was a theme park ride. The seats were shaking, smoke was everywhere, and it was fun. I could really care less about the continuity of a theme park attraction.
Michael Bay has had a lot to do with not only the directing of the film, but also with the tone and story as well. He has done a lot for the franchise, not all of which was perfect, but it was still good. I am a little tired or all the anti-Bay people out there. Michael Bay knows what kind of direct he is, and he doesn’t try to fool you into thinking otherwise. You know exactly what you are going to get when you go into one of his movies, and I think he had a lot to do with why I really liked the first movie.
That said I think that he has spent a lot of time with this franchise and feels a sense of ownership over it. Whether or not he actually has to sign off on the ride being made I doubt it, however I do think that he has a right to care how the ride turns out. He doesn’t want a ride that will be based off of his movies to misrepresent what he was trying to do. Personally I feel that I would react the same way if someone misquoted me like that, it’s libel. They didn’t even just misquoted him, they basically lied and said the exact opposite or what he said.
I kinda view Michael Bay the same way I view Dean Devlin and Roland Emerich. Are they artistes or whatever? No. Are there movies kinda bad and cheesy? Damn skippy.
But can you tell the difference between Independence Day and Armageddon? Yes. Without someone telling you can you tell it’s a Michael Bay film? (Or a Roland Emmerich film) Yes. And that, in my opinion, sets him a bit above the curve of just being another hack. Yes, Michael Bay movies are over-the-top, often superficial feeling, and often times force you take a huge leap in logic… but they’re fun. I honestly love the spectacle that is Armageddon, or The Rock and recently Transformers. (I didn’t like Pearl Harbor, but that had more to do with basic script and structure problems. Instead of climaxing with Pearl Harbor they midpointed with it.)
It’s like with Ed Wood movies. Yes, their bad… but you can always tell when it was Ed Wood and not some hired hand hackney director.
And I agree Hawkeye, I don’t care who you are no one has the right to misquote or take a quote out of context that you make in the press. He has every right to be angry about that.
I am most certainly not anti-Bay. I loved Transformers far more than most people I know. And that’s saying something, because I’m also a big Transformers original series fan. However, I’m not a fan of huge egos. This is a good example of that. It is NOT his material. The things he complains about have absolutely no effect on what he is doing. Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD is none of his business. Theme park rides are none of his business. He has the same level of obsessive control as Lucas does on Star Wars. At least in Lucas’ case, it is his property.
I honestly don’t care if he feels a sense of ownership over the property. He’s made one movie. Soon to be two. But if he made 5, I still don’t think that gives him the right to speak out about a ride’s plot line. In fact, to make it clear that I’m not picking on Bay, I would say the same if this was about Nolan with Batman. Good job, keep up the work. But you are a movie director, not PR, not Marketing, not a rights holder or creator. Get over yourself.
With that said, I repeat. They didn’t have the right to put words in his mouth. That’s assuming that his side of the story is completely truthful. Which I’ll assume is, but it may not be. Though, taking a quote out of context is done constantly, so that’s not quite the same issue, unless it’s to the point that it represents the exact opposite of what was actually said. For instance, don’t take “I REALLY didn’t like this ride’s story” and make it ” I REALLY … like this ride’s story”. Or, “Overall, this ride sucks, but the graphics were excellent” and make it “The graphics are excellent!”