Unless you’ve been in hibernation, you’ve most likely heard that the world premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction went down in Hong Kong last week – and you’re probably somewhat aware that a big portion of the blockbuster was shot in the city. The human cast was in town to walk the red carpet for the event, and they were joined by replicas of the 3D robot cast, who have also been stationed in local shopping malls to publicize the film.
Having opened to packed out cinemas this weekend, and taking the title for top opening weekend of 2014, the film is expected to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2014, with the three prior films having made US$2.7 billion in ticket sales at global box offices, plus a whole lot more on merchandising being closely linked to toy giant, Hasbro.
It was the first time a Hollywood world premiere has ever taken place in Hong Kong – and the movie was only released worldwide a day after its debut in Hong Kong (which is only justifiable as the city takes a fair bit of beating in the flick).
Being much bigger, louder and grandiose than the first three outings, the story this time departs from the original human characters, with the movie being part-continuation and part-reboot. However, the main robotic stars of the show are of course still present, alongside all the trademark explosions, action, noise and a two-and-a-half hour running time.
During a top-secret press conference in Hong Kong, director Michael Bay revealed that he had not even planned to make a fourth film, and it was only after working with Mark Wahlberg on 2013’s Pain & Gain that the idea came to fruition.
With the first three movies having performed particularly well in China, the world’s second-largest film market, and surpassing records set by the likes of Avatar, Paramount Pictures took steps to further appeal to Chinese audiences in the latest installment – sometimes to almost farcical extents. It is no secret that Tinseltown has been playing up to China’s cinema market in the last few years and there have been plenty of brown-nosing motion picture examples of late. In Transformers 4 there are Chinese product placements galore, and during the Hong Kong scenes, the stereotypes run comically deep.
The climactic conclusion takes place in Hong Kong, and though it starts to get almost nonsensical at times, the scenes of the metropolis are by far the best in any Hollywood movie to have featured the city so far – plus it involves giant robot dinosaurs. The Dark Knight, Pacific Rim, Tomb Raider are some of the other notable films to have been shot in the city.
During shooting in Hong Kong last October, Bay was attacked by two brothers demanding money – one of whom even confronted him with an air conditioner unit. Ironically, there is also a big fight in the movie, during which Mark Walberg’s character and one of the villains battles it out amidst air conditioner units on the side of a Quarry Bay building (paradoxically the district where the real-life incident took place).
Bay said the air conditioner scene in the movie was just a coincidence, but he did feel the jail sentences handed out to the brothers after the incident were a bit extreme. “I personally wouldn’t want them to be punished. He was on drugs and he probably didn’t know what he was doing. I think it was a little stiff, a little harsh,” said the director.
Working in China also caused other headaches, with a Chinese sponsor demanding edits be made to the movie after it accused Paramount of not fulfilling their contract to feature the company’s building. Nevertheless, last week a Paramount spokeswoman said the issues had been resolved without any edits to the film.
During the press conference Bay also shot down questions from ignorant stuck-up reporters who questioned him on his use of clichéd catchphrases (“Is it clichéd that you ask such a question?”) and about future Transformers films. Nonetheless, rumours still abound, with talk of a possible crossover film featuring not only Hasbro’s Transformers but also G.I. Joe. The film made over US$300 million worldwide over the opening weekend and Paramount is certainly in no rush to end this gravy train.
With the appeal of the form-changing robots transcending boarders, and the films being impervious to bad reviews, air conditioner attacks and poor stereotype accusations, it is clear the magnetism of Transformers won’t be coming to a halt anytime soon. This is summer popcorn fodder at its best, though those who might find it hard to suspend their disbelief and those expecting Shakespearean scripting would probably be better off avoiding it, because this is, after all, in essence a two-and-a-half hour commercial designed to sell children’s toys.
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