Wednesday 1 August 2007

Transformers

The song in the backgroun, Mi Swing Es Tropical, is quite cool and swingy and my feet were tapping under my seat at the cinema when they played this new iPod advert. Went down to see Transformers with some friends which was quite alright given that you don't mind excessive noise, headrushing special-effects and annoyingly cliche American teenagers hailing eBay.

An interesting scene, I found, was the one in which some American soldiers in Qatar, while fighting off an scorpion-like Decepticon, tried to get through to the American Defence only to face the compulsory service of an Indian call-centre worker. How fitting, I thought, that mankind would always have to combat some such economic hurdles that it has placed within itself, to save itself. I like that this multi-million dollar franchise of a movie, which is probably going to start a new rave over Transformers merchandise and made-in-China toys, still cheekily accuses the American government of having excessive secrets and sheds new light on the 9/11 conspiracy debates, showing how easy it for for them to both keep and manipulate informaion.

It also explains to children, the major-target audience and adults alike ( in the process subtly undermining the gulliblly government-and-media brainwashed American parents in the movie) that in times such as ours when leaders simply want to push dangerous buttons and retaliate to possible terrorist attacks, it would be nice if everyone just calms down and check the skies first for any flying contraptions. The lead actress Megan Fox is quite a fox and should be coming to a teenager bedroom near you in the form of a pin-up poster and keeping enough guys waiting in anticipation of the sequel. I just think I won't be one of them. On a 2-4-1 Orange wednesday deal (two quid) the movie was good enough to watch, but for six quid of my hard-earned cash, I would watch something else.

I was never a fan of Transformers. In India, we had a cartoon show called The Centurions which was quite similar except the transformers were American vigilantes and only human. Does anyone remember that? I have to say, these Autobots and Decepticons with their special effects may have more (ok, much more) appeal but the eleven year old me that came home from school in Calcutta, tired and heavy with education, found this cartoon quite cool. Now, you wouldn't find me dead around shows or movies that have such premise. How time changes things. For the good. Click below and find out!

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