I'm going very OT with this diary, but I will (somehow) bring it back to politics. I thought it might be funny to look at what happens when adult men think their childhood is being raped, and how a certain cartoon can be looked at as a metaphor for the current political situation in the United States, while I geek out a bit.
I always giggle when I hear fanboys crying about the purity of a character. I've always wondered if it was a consequence of not getting laid, that you have extra-time to bitch about stuff like this...
- Spider-Man fans got upset when Sam Raimi changed the web slingers from contraptions Peter Parker created to an organic change caused by the spider bite.
- X-Men fans have been upset with the changes of certain characters in all 3 movies. Some were pissed that the costumes were changed from yellow spandex (as in the comic book) to black leather.
- Some Superman fans are upset with the costume in the upcoming Superman Returns. Specifically, changes to the shape of Superman's "S" crest & the shade of blue in Superman's costume.
...To be fair, it's not just comic book geeks that get into these types of debates. Good movies like
The Shining,
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest &
The Color Purple have been targets of debate over changes made from book to film. All of this leads me to
Bumblebee...
...Transformers was a series I worshipped as a child. I have so many memories tied around the show, and my parents getting me the toys. So when I heard that they were going to make a live-action CGI ILM movie, I was interested & turn into an uber-geek whenever I hear news about it.
They just began principal shooting last month, and it's scheduled to be released July 04, 2007. However, fans want the original characters (Optimus Prime & Megatron) & the original voice actors (Peter Cullen & Frank Welker) from the 80s series. However, some of the news coming out isn't promising in that regard. Michael Bay is directing the movie, and there's already been some changes that's pissed people off. Namely, that the VW Bug Bumblebee is being changed to a 2008 Saleen Chevrolet Camaro...
There's been 2 reasons given for this. One is that Volkswagen won't allow any of their products to be associated with war or war toys. The other is that GM wants the product placement in the movie & paid greatly for it.
Over at Ain't It Cool News there's a very very long thread with fans making comments like this...
BumbleBee a Camaro? This movie officially is dead to me. Fuck Michael Bay and this fucking tired bullshit car chase film that it's tuning out to be. Bumble bee is a fucking VW Beetle motherfucker!!!!!!!!! He's the little guy. The underdog. The one with heart. And your making him a shitty muscle car??!! Hell there's even the new Beetle to show off. Hell even a fucking Mini Cooper would have been better than this fucking bullshit! Bay I hope you die painfully. Stupid FUCKING asshole!!!
Among other chages:
- Megatron is not a gun. Hasbro can't or won't sell a toy that transforms into a plastic gun (even though my parents bought me one back in the 80s). The script that's leaked has him as an alien fighter craft.
- Script leaks have Soundwave still being a boom-box. One rumored scene has him on board Air Force One.
- Optimus Prime might be changed from a semi to a fire truck. There's been conflicting news about that.
- Starscream will be a F-22 Raptor.
- Director Michael Bay has said he'll only "audition" the original voice actors.
I've had this theory for a while that politics in this country has become like "The Transformers". We are two opposing forces who define our existence & allegiance by symbols. Fighting a never-ending struggle that isn't really about winning, but proving that the other side is wrong...
You can also see scary similarities between the Republicans & the Decepticons...
Bush Is Megatron
Both have gotten their forces into wars that go terribly awry because of piss poor logic. They both get their Republicans/Decepticons to support their plans even though deep down they probably know their leader is an idiot.
Rove Is Soundwave
Both are the right hand men of their leaders. Both are arguably the brains of their respective outfits. Both do the dirty work too. Who know's, maybe Ken Mehlman & Ed Gillespie spits out of Karl Rove's chest like the casettes coming out of Soundwave?
Frist Is Starscream
Both are ambitious, but are even bigger idiots than the idiots they're trying to replace (Bush/Megatron). They both have their schemes for power blow up in their face, making their position weaker when all is said & done.
But maybe one sweet day...