History Trivia / TransformersFilmSeries

* RoleReprisal:

** David Wise, one of the writers for [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the original Transformers cartoon]], has a bone to pick with the films. He feels that they have less story and characters than the show he worked on, and has questioned the portrayal of Optimus Prime, mainly him [[spoiler:executing Sentinel Prime]] in ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon''. He compared the original Optimus with Abe Lincoln, and responded: "He's got to have malice toward none. And Abe Lincoln doesn't just up and bust a cap in a dude's ass because he was a turncoat." He told Michael Bay "Leave my stuff alone!" in relation to both the original ''Transformers'' cartoon and ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987''.

* WorkingTitle: ''Transformers Universe: Bumblebee'' first emerged as title, before reverting to simply ''Bumblebee''.

* ActorAllusion:
** Crosses into YouLookFamiliar in the first movie; Sam meets Bobby Bolivia to buy his first car, and Bobby says "that practically makes us family", alluding to both their previous roles in ''Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle''.
** John Turturro's previous role in ''Film/YouDontMessWithTheZohan'' has him owning a restaurant after leaving his previous job (terrorist leader in ''Zohan'' and government agent in ''ROTF'').
** In ''ROTF'' Shia Lebouf is [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull chased through a library, visits important archaeological sites and finds out that aliens were involved in ancient human history.]]
*** This is not the first time Shia has had to [[Film/IRobot battle murderous robots.]]
** Also in ''ROTF'', [[Creator/HugoWeaving Megatron]] [[Film/TheMatrix tortures Sam and has a mechanical bug burrow into Sam's body]]. {{Squick}} ensues.
** In DOTM, [[spoiler:[[Creator/LeonardNimoy Sentinel Prime]]]] states [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.]] This time, however, the line is much darker in context.
** Also, counting as {{foreshadowing}} as well, Wheelie watches an episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' in Sam and Carly's apartment and says; "I've seen this one. This is the one where Spock goes nuts". [[spoiler: Hinting at Sentinel Prime's later betrayal]].
** Dutch, played by Alan Tudyk, [[Series/{{Dollhouse}} has a suppressed personality buried within him that has a violent streak.]]
** Wheeljack/Que in DOTM has a face that resembles UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein. His voice actor, George Coe, once voiced Einstein in ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch''.
** Sam calls Carly "Angel" as an AffectionateNickname. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley rose to fame as a Victoria's Secret Angel.
* AuthorAppeal: Michael Bay has always been a car aficionado, the TechnologyPorn largely stems from this.

** Downplayed with Hugo Weaving. After the films were done, Weaving said that he wasn't invested in his role as Megatron, but expressed genuine regret that he didn't care too much for the role that is so beloved by fans. Michael Bay was offended and sniped at him for the backlash.

* CreatorsPest: Michael Bay has gone on record to say he hates Arcee, and [[spoiler: happily killed her off, without much of a sendoff. He even openly said so in an interview prior to ''Revenge of the Fallen''. IDW stuck a big middle finger up to that a few years later in their ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel comics by having all three sisters as alive.]]

** David Wise, one of the writers for [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the original Transformers cartoon]], has a bone to pick with the films. He feels that they have less story and characters than the show he worked on, and has questioned the portrayal of Optimus Prime, mainly him [[spoiler:executing Sentinel Prime]] in ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon''. He compared the original Optimus with Abe Lincoln, and responded: "He's got to have malice toward none. And Abe Lincoln doesn't just up and bust a cap in a dude's ass because he was a turncoat." He told Michael Bay "Leave my stuff alone!" in relation to both the original Transformers cartoon and [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon]].

* EnforcedMethodActing: Most of the stunts were performed live, with no CGI. While safety measures were put in place, Shia [=LaBeouf=] was really holding onto a statue 20 stories up and the actors were fully briefed on what kind of explosives were used to create the Scorponok sand explosion.

** Apparently, the only reason Megan Fox didn't quit after the ''first'' movie.
** Similarly, Hugo Weaving freely admits to phoning in his performance, a comment that Bay evidently took personally.

** Frank Welker replaces [[spoiler:Hugo Weaving]] as Galvatron's voice. It's unknown whether this is intended to be an in-universe result of [[spoiler: the new body]] or just a plain old case of TheOtherDarrin. The fact that he is back as Megatron in the fifth film implies the latter.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Sam would've originally had the nickname of "Spike", and while the door was open for him to gain it in the sequels, it never happened. "Spike" does eventually get used in the fourth movie...as a nickname for Scorn, the Spino-Bot.

** Amusingly, Frank Welker's brief lines for Shockwave in DOTM sound an awful lot like his G1 Megatron voice. Fans have also noted (often derisively) Soundwave sounding similar to [[WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget Doctor Claw]]... which, amusingly is because Soundwave's voice ''is'' the same as Claw's; the vocoder effect from G1 was what made them different.

* DisownedAdaptation: Several actors and writers from the ''Transformers'' franchise, (usually for ''Generation 1''), whether they're [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers old]] [[ComicBook/TransformersGenerationOne and]] [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW new]], have expressed backlash to the films and the characters' handling:
** David Wise, one of the writers for [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the original Transformers cartoon]], doesn't have too many nice things to say about the rest of the films. He also shares the same words that many fans of the cartoon have said to Michael Bay: "Leave my stuff alone!" He also questioned the film series' Optimus Prime's [[spoiler:morality after the character executed Sentinel Prime]] in ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'', which he also compares the original Optimus with Abe Lincoln, and responded: "He's got to have malice toward none. And Abe Lincoln doesn't just up and bust a cap in a dude's ass because he was a turncoat."
** Simon Furman, writer of [[Comicbook/TheTransformers the first Transformers comic series]], has said that he personally isn't a fan of the films, but that he believes that they are great for "the intended audience" of young kids. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids Funny story about that...]]

** Likewise, Andrew Griffth of IDW fame also admitted that he isn't a fan of the live-action films either.

* DisownedAdaptation: Several actors and writers from the ''Generation 1'' franchise, whether they're [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers old]] [[ComicBook/TransformersGenerationOne and]] [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW new]], have expressed backlash to the films and the characters' handling:

** Michael Bay has gone on record to say he hates Arcee, and [[spoiler: happily killed her off, without much of a sendoff. He even openly said so in an interview prior to ''Revenge of the Fallen''. IDW stuck a big middle finger up to that a few years later in their ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel comics by having all three sisters as alive.]]

** Before he was involved to the series starting from the video game adaptation of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Creator/JohnDiMaggio immediately lambasted Michael Bay for ruining his (and everyone's) Christmas mood after the trailer of the 2007 movie was shown. The audience's reaction is quite joyful to his lament.

** Several actors and writers from the ''Generation 1'' franchise, whether they're [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers old]] [[ComicBook/TransformersGenerationOne and]] [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW new]], also expressed backlash to the film and the characters' handling:
*** Creator/PeterCullen has expressed dismay at some of the more aggressive lines he is given as Optimus, and particularly singled out the line in ''Age of Extinction'' where Optimus vows to kill Harold Attinger as the line he felt was the most out of character. Peter has remained a trooper and does as asked, but he's expressed sadness at the more aggressive Optimus we see in the sequels.
*** Matt Moylan, the former editor and staffer for Dreamwave's ''ComicBook/TransformersGenerationOne'' comics and author of ''WebComic/LilFormers'', also expressed complete distaste to the entirety of Michael Bay's live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is financially dead because of this]].
*** Likewise, Andrew Griffth of IDW fame also admitted that he isn't a fan of the live-action films either.
*** David Wise also questioned the film series' Optimus Prime's [[spoiler:morality after the character executed Sentinel Prime]] in ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'', which he also compares the original Optimus with Abe Lincoln, and responded: "He's got to have malice toward none. And Abe Lincoln doesn't just up and bust a cap in a dude's ass because he was a turncoat."

* DisownedAdaptation:
** Again, David Wise doesn't have too many nice things to say about the rest of the films, either. He also shares the same words that every fan said to Michael Bay: "Leave my stuff alone!"
** Though no longer involved to the official ''Transformers'' franchise, It's pretty obvious that Matt Moylan ultimately ignores the live-action films, given his recent focus on ''Generation 1'' Transformers fanarts.

* DisownedAdaptation: Again, David Wise doesn't have too many nice things to say about the rest of the films, either. He also shares the same words that every fan said to Michael Bay: "Leave my stuff alone!"

*** Matt Moylan, the former editor and staffer for Dreamwave's ''ComicBook/TransformersGenerationOne'' comics and author of 'WebComic/LilFormers'', also expressed complete distaste to the entirety of Michael Bay's live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is financially dead because of this]].

*** David Wise also questioned the film series' Optimus Prime's [[spoiler:morality after the character executed Sentinel Prime]] in ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon, which he also compares the original Optimus with Abe Lincoln, and responded: "He's got to have malice toward none. And Abe Lincoln doesn't just up and bust a cap in a dude's ass because he was a turncoat."

*** Matt Moylan, the former editor and staffer for Dreamwave's ''Transformers: Generation One'' comics and author of ''Lil' Formers'', also expressed complete distaste to the entirety of Michael Bay's live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is financially dead because of this]].

*** Matt Moylan, the former editor and staffer for Dreamwave's ''Transformers: Generation One'' comics and author of ''Lil' Formers'', also expressed complete distaste to the entirety of Michael Bay's live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is financially dead because of this]]. To add more of his criticism, he also drew a few comics regarding to the [[https://www.deviantart.com/mattmoylan/art/Lil-Formers-More-Movie-59402171 film's]] [[http://www.lilformers.com/blog/2007/02/20/02202007/ design aesthetic]] on the Cybertronians.

*** Matt Moylan, the former editor and staffer for Dreamwave's Generation 1 comics and author of Lil' Formers, also expressed distaste to the whole live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is financially dead because of the movies]].

* DisownedAdaptation: Again, David Wise doesn't have too many nice things to say about the rest of the films, either.

** Several actors and writers from the ''Generation 1'' franchise, whether they're [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers old]] [[ComicBook/TransformersGenerationOne and]] [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW new]], also expressed backlash to the film and the characters' handling.
** Creator/PeterCullen has expressed dismay at some of the more aggressive lines he is given as Optimus, and particularly singled out the line in ''Age of Extinction'' where Optimus vows to kill Harold Attinger as the line he felt was the most out of character. Peter has remained a trooper and does as asked, but he's expressed sadness at the more aggressive Optimus we see in the sequels.
** Matt Moylan, the former editor and staffer for Dreamwave's Generation 1 comics and author of Lil' Formers, also expressed distaste to the whole live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is financially dead because of the movies]].
** Likewise, Andrew Griffth admitted that he isn't a fan of the live-action films either.

** Creator/PeterCullen has expressed dismay at some of the more aggressive lines he is given as Optimus, and particularly singled out the line in ''Age of Extinction'' where Optimus vows to kill Harold Attinger as the line he felt was the most out of character. Peter has remained a trooper and does as asked, but he's expressed sadness at the more aggressive Optimus we see in the sequels.

** Matt Moylan, the former editor and staffer for Dreamwave's Generation 1 comics and author of Lil' Formers, also expressed distaste to the whole live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is financially dead because of the movies]].

** Matt Moylan also expressed distaste to the whole live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is financially dead because of the movies]].

** Matt Moylan also expressed distaste to the whole live-action films. He even claimed that the [[https://twitter.com/LilFormers/status/1079398931233153024 Transformers franchise is finally dead because of the movies]].

** Amusingly, Frank Welker's brief lines for Shockwave in DOTM sound an awful lot like his G1 Megatron voice. Fans have also noted (often derisively) Soundwave sounding similar to [[WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget Doctor Claw]]... which, amusingly is because Soundwave's voice ''is'' the same as Claw's; the vocoder effect from G1 was what made them different.

** And then there's the ''Studio Series'' line.

** Bay had to be coaxed into making the third one in 3D, because he said it was "gimmicky". ''Seriously''.

* FanNickname: "Bayformers," while starting as a pejorative (and to some still is) has gone on to be an affectionate name for the series and the robot designs in general.