Transformers...more than meets the eye candy

I have given up on the Transformers franchise. It is not without a sigh of nostalgic regret that I do so, but frankly, Michael Bay has forced my hand. As a child of the 80's I grew up on what is now called retro pop culture : Voltron, Jem, She-Ra and He-Man, Thundercats, Wonder Woman, the Bionic Woman, V, and yes, Transformers. These shows are like memory markers bringing me back to a time when I didn't have the pressing worries of school loans and car payments; a time when I would leave the house at 9am in the summer and come back at 5 for dinner while the meat of my days was filled with playing the various characters and stories with the kids from my neighborhood. To me, all of these now iconic programs are representative of a life of innocent adventure and imagination. It is a true shame that Michael Bay has taken a classic franchise and created an oversexed and over-hyped brand to appeal to the raging hormones of teenage boys. Shia Laboeuf recently commented on this in defense of his former co-star Megan Fox, revealing the former female lead of the action series frequently disagreed with the director Michael Bay, about his demands that she play the sex kitten and basically whore herself out to rake in the money of 16 year old boys. That is "just his style" and this former 16 year old girl is adamant that a man who caters to the basest instincts for money and entertainment purposes and ruins a brilliant genre by sexualizing it will not be getting her meager $11 for any movie he directs ever again. In fact, although I am embarrassed to admit I own it, I am contemplating demolishing my never viewed copy of Pearl Harbor.

Perhaps Mr. Bay could take a page out of Matthew Vaughn's book. The entire time I was enjoying the depth and excitement of X-Men: First Class I couldn't help but think to myself: you see, Michael Bay, a great action movie can be made that has a great story, a bit of romance, and beautiful people without objectifying its female characters and trashing the legacy of a magnificent series. So, not that anyone will really notice the lack of my contribution to what is sure to be a gagillion dollar blockbuster, for the record, I prefer to not flush my money down the moral stink hole.

http://www.oregonlive.com/celebrity-news/index.ssf/2011/06/favorite_people_why_megan_fox.html