Probably the one universal complaint from critics about the movie is the crude (and some call racist) humor, much of which comes from the Twins Mudflap (Reno Wilson) and Skids (Tom Kenny). I have read
some reviews where the humor so offended the writer that they couldn't even attempt to enjoy the movie. From
the AP, Michael Bay defends and somewhat dodges the charge of "racist robots". Thanks to Brian for the heads-up.
It's done in fun," he said. "I don't know if it's stereotypes — they are robots, by the way. These are the voice actors. This is kind of the direction they were taking the characters and we went with it." Bay said the twins' parts "were kind of written but not really written, so the voice actors is when we started to really kind of come up with their characters."
Actor Reno Wilson, who is black, voices Mudflap. Tom Kenny, the white actor behind SpongeBob SquarePants, voices Skids. Wilson said Wednesday that he never imagined viewers might consider the twins to be racial caricatures. When he took the role, he was told that the alien robots learned about human culture through the Web and that the twins were "wannabe gangster types."
"It's an alien who uploaded information from the Internet and put together the conglomeration and formed this cadence, way of speaking and body language that was accumulated over X amount of years of information and that's what came out," the 40-year-old actor said. "If he had uploaded country music, he would have come out like that. It's not fair to assume the characters are black, he said. "It could easily be a Transformer that uploaded Kevin Federline data," Wilson said. "They were just like posers to me." Kenny did not respond to an interview request Wednesday.
"I purely did it for kids," the director said. "Young kids love these robots, because it makes it more accessible to them."
Probably the one universal complaint from critics about the movie is the crude (and some call racist) humor, much of which comes from the Twins Mudflap (Reno Wilson) and Skids (Tom Kenny). I have read some reviews where the humor so offended the writer that they couldn't even attempt to enjoy the movie. From the AP, Michael Bay defends and somewhat dodges the charge of "racist robots". Thanks to Brian for the heads-up.
I don't get why people are going after the twins so much. As if we don't have other movies or TV shows that don't do worse.
ReplyDeleteHaha that's awesome he "did it for the kids" but he got Jar-Jar-Deuce sayin shit like "kuz you a pussy!"
ReplyDeleteThe twins might as well be called nig*a bots . Michael Bay should appolgise to all transformer fans and black people on a whole. In a movie where he uses the first black president's name he has these two sam-bo asss robots ,obviously black robots one with a gold tooth big lip and ears and both saying that "we don't read" and they are supposed to be advanced life forms. WTF. MR. Bay !!! That was an insult to the franchise and black people on a whole how do you thing the President of the United States would feel watching that crap with his two daughters????. If it where not for Megan Fox Mr. LaBeouf , Prime and Bumble Bee the movie would deserve an F- but because of them it got a D+. signed a pissed off Transformer fan. and having robots change into people was a big and stupid stretch. I thought you were a veteran director .I hope someone with common sense take over this Franchise.
ReplyDeletelol
ReplyDeletea black person helped make the twins and it is not racist
like allthe transformers they learn the emotions and lifes of humans and download voices.
why did jazz die? cos he was black? thats what people should be thinking only black transformer to die and not return.
people are stupid the Twins were the best they were just downloading the wrong voices and thought it would be cool to be gangsters so you know
you tell me the movie would have been better without them
because they were the main characters nearly!
I hate to say it but...
ReplyDeleteI ACTUALLY LIKED THE TWINS. I was really amused with their annoying antics. And I'm a hardcore fan, so yeah.
Gold tooth . Thats all im gonna say!!! Racist.
ReplyDeleteP.S. and yea they killed off jazz he was in every one of the cartoons but dies in the 1st movie.
yesterday i was in the movie and i gotta say: the twins weren´t half as annoying as i pictured them because of the previews and stuff. sure, they were sometimes a bit over the top, but this wasn´t half as bad as jarjar binks. by the way, i´m from germany, and jarjarbinks had the most terrible syncchronisation you can ever imagine. thank god they didn´t do it for the twins. they sounded like pretty normal. overall, not as bad as everyone thinks
ReplyDeletefor the kids he says?! but then why is there so much "idiotic" sex humor??? is it for the kids too, or maybe for retarded teeenagers or what???
ReplyDeletethe point is, the twins do not deserve so much screen time, one way or another!!!
life robot beings with a personality, and soul, incidentally downloads culture, language, and music to match their cybertronian selves. depending where they land and stay of coures.
ReplyDeleteI cant understand how people can work as critics. Everybody have their own tastes and i never agree with a critic.
ReplyDeleteNow all of sudden people want to speak up for black people..Its been plenty of movies that were offensive to blacks and didnt anyone say anything...but becuz this movie is so hyped up and it is a michael bay movie they are using that stuff to bash on it...Im black and im not happy becuz people are saying stuff about this becuz I know their doing it for all the wrong reasons they dont care if black people are really offended or not they just want to bash the movie...now i admit the gold tooth thing could have been takin out but whatever.. when Malibu's Most Wanted came out I didnt see anyone saying anything then so they can just shutup..and when I say they i mean these reviewers or critics who are not black and all of sudden are so caring about black people's feelings...I can smell BS from a mile away..
ReplyDeleteIts funny that people keep commenting on the gold tooth thing, "thats a black stereotype!" uh...well maybe look at your selves. The only way a stereotype works is if people can relate. If you immediately saw this and said. "Oh a gold tooth...that must mean they are black!" Wasn't the urban culture the first to wear grills? How many rap vids & advertisements did you see this? You should have been outraged then. Jazz supposedly spoke jive too, noone was upset with that, why care now? The bottom line, is a Bay film, they are alien robots, are you really going to take it that seriously?
ReplyDeleteMy only answer to this is, a stereotype like that has gone out. I find it funny, I am not racist. But you get all these enthnicities that are talking about segregation, and being different and wanting to unite us all together. When really they dont let go of the ' cause ' and keep the segregation going.
ReplyDeleteAs if there arent millions of white people who talk ghetto? Or gangsta. As if there arent white rappers. And white thugs. You cannot mock 2 characters because the way they talk is not a ethnic stereotype its a pop culture dialect.
People talk like that today. So maybe BAY chose their personalities based on the age he wanted the robots to reflect. Skips & Mudflap were immature & a lot like teenagers. Hate to say it
Teenagers TALK like that. White , Black, Chinese Ive seen it all. Thats just pop culture. Stop getting offended
I went into the movie expecting to hate Skidz and Mudflap but I wound up laughing at them throughout the movie. I saw the movie with a majorty black audience and there big laughs at Skidz and Mudflap.
ReplyDeleteAs an black man I was much more offended at Jazz's "What's crackin little bitches" and his "B-Boy stance" in the first movie.
Skidz and Mudflap could easily have been Jamie Kennedy's poser character in Malibu's Most Wanted and that is what originally came to mind with the exception that Skidz and Mudflap were actually funny.
I will say that the reactions I have gotten so far has been between the Twins, Jetfire and Wheelie the goofball factor was overkill and took away from the movie for them.
hows this for stereotypes... all critics are pussies. grow some genetalia and quit your wussy whining.
ReplyDeleteyours truly,
the twins
I'm pretty sure everytime the twins said something, the entire theater laughed.
ReplyDeleteDo the people complaining about the twins just preffer robots void of personality and not interacting with poeople at all?
I don't know what people were expecting when they saw this movie, did everyone just buy tickets for the wrong movie?
What is stupid about all this is that movies and TV have historically made fun of "rednecks" and "hillbillys" for years, made fun of southern whites, yet no one ever seems to have a problem or complain about that. I see black comedians all the time imitate a southern drawl or redneck country accents, and no one complains. So, when someone imitates an urban black accent or way of speaking, why is that a problem?
ReplyDeleteThe "they're not humans; therefor no racism" argument is flawed. You're right; they're not humans; they're not even real. That's the problem: they're fictional characters designed by a human being, who is perfectly capable of injecting his own biases and prejudices into a character. The twins aren't racist, Bay is. He controlled the way the movie was designed, he told Kenny and Wilson how to act for them, and he is to blame. Anyone who dismisses them and ignores that they're representations of racial stereotypes is lying to themselves, plain as day.
ReplyDeleteI will see the movie today. I'm black. I actually am satisfied with the defense Tom Kenny gave. I've read both sides of the argument and see some aspects of right and over the "topness" for both arguments.
ReplyDeleteNo one can stop someone from being offended and sounding off about it.
michael bay racist? okay. Bad Boys 1 and 2 ring a bell?
ReplyDeleteanyway, i loved the twins. I was so afraid i was going to hate them but i loved them so much. They were funny as hell and honestly i'm with everyone else, i never thought they were black, they sure don't sound it.
I just imagined them being kids who grabbed the language from myspace and facebook and basically turned into gangsta wannabes just like michal said. And honestly i thought it was great. When i saw it at midnight everyone was laughing so hard when they talked you couldn't hear half of it!
Get over it! And, get over yourselves! It's a comedic spot in an Action/Adventure/Fantasy film!!! Just like the previous post says...where is the outrage when movies make fun and depict dumb white rednecks and so on? There's not any because it's funny!! No one takes offense to it, or at least they shouldn't. What about the Wayans brothers in White Chicks...funny. The loveable Tow-Mater in Cars...funny. Shut your mouths. Enjoy movies and entertainment for what it is!
ReplyDeletethis has to be dumbest complaint ever. you go walk around any middle school or junior high you will find little kids wearing there pants below their butts and speaking like that. its everywhere in movies too. he shouldnt apologize. it was perfect for the characters. All twins I know are outrageous anyways
ReplyDeletepeople who think this is racist, is actually racist..nuff said
ReplyDeleteHere's my 2 cents:
ReplyDelete1)I LOVE this film EXCEPT for Skids and Mudflap: I kinda felt they were like Mantan Moreland and Step N' Fetchit;
2)The whole "It's just pop culture" defense:
Two questions: i)EXACTLY from WHOM and WHERE
does a huge majority of "pop culture" actually
originate? and ii)is the ORIGINAL
the same or RADICALLY DIFFERENT from the
co-opted mutated "pop culture" manifestion?
Think before answering that one;
3)Just because non-whites may be going along with something stereotypical DOES NOT make it any less so and damn sure DOES NOT mean that they should get any less scorn or hatred: If Burt Williams and Mantan Moreland were around today and if they were still performing the way they did when Al Jolson and Mr. Cantor were around, I'd hate them just as much as some racist white person;
4)This whole "gangsta/gangster" thing: I gotta say this: wouldn't REAL gangstas/-ers be TOO BUSY running gangs, trafficking drugs and contraband, and committing crimes to be SHOOTING VIDEOS, CUTTING RECORDS, DOING INTERVIEWS, and APPEARING ON TV??? Last time I checked, unless you roll with a certain organization with FIVE letters or, even further, certain ACRONYM-lettered organizations, you ain't a gangster, so cut the crap;
5)This whole "everybody gets caricatured, even southern whites and poor people" argument: yes, while that is true, there's a few SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES:
a)Historically, and to some extent, presently,
white people's choice of roles
WAS NOT and HASN'T BEEN limited to
stereotypical racist roles: last time I
checked, let's take a look at the majority
of roles
that non-whites have won Oscars for, then
compare and contrast that with the roles
that most white actors and actresses have
won Oscars for and LET'S BE HONEST: you'll
see a STRIKING difference; don't even
get me started on the lack of roles for
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE (Hmmm. . . . . . .);
b)The terms, "redneck", "hillbilly" and even
"cracker" DID NOT ORIGINATE with Black
people. You don't believe me? Check these
links and weep:
x)http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk
/rednecks/rednecks.html
xx)http://www.geocities.com/athens/academy
/3463/hillbilly.html
xxx)http://www.stumbleinn.net
/forum/showthread.php?t=10985
xxxx)The National Archives in D.C. - has
colonial documents showing where the
EARLY WHITE AMERICAN COLONISTS referred
to EARLY WHITE SETTLERS as crackers
and several other documents. Black people did not start using those words until AFTER slavery, as a means of getting back at the objects of their scorn.
Sorry for the length, but find out for yourself, what I stated in the aforementioned paragraphs. Now if this film was a SATIRE I wouldn't have a problem with Skids and Mudflap. Peace and Understanding.
AKA Sablebot at tfw2005.com
99% of people who where those gold grills (teeth) are black in the rap videos,so all of a sudden when its portrayed on a black voiced character in a movie its racist. give me break.
ReplyDeleteI think the movie could have been done without the Twins. I'm a Transformer fan and Michael Bay fan and The Rock is my all-time favorite movie. (Just had to throw that in). But pretty much they had more screen time than they should have. I was getting annoyed by them the more they showed them. I laughed when Bumblebee bashed them together and threw them out of the tomb entrance. I was like "get the crap out of here". Hahaha! That's my problem with them.
ReplyDeleteFirst, they are freakin' alien robots. Second, they learned about human culture through the Web and that just happen to result in "wannabe gangster types." Third, they cannot "read" because very few Cybertronians have been able to fully understand the language of the Primes. Fourth, they constantly "fight" because they are siblings. Fifth, nobody complained much when Jazz from the first movie acted very "jive."
ReplyDeleteIf they were talking in a southern accent and were brother and sister and were insinuating that they sleep with each other. No one would make a big deal about it. When u interpret it as racist you are making it so. He learned the language and culture from the internet what do u expect that is all the shit that is on the net. It is simply a knock at how even advanced species (like humans) can be stupid.
ReplyDelete^
ReplyDeleteLarry the Cable Guy wouldn't have a job if people bitched as much about his shtick as they do about the Twins.
It's truly comical how people use the race-card whenever possible. Human beings never cease to amaze me.
I don't see any problem with this... It actually pisses me off that people are making a big deal about this. Why does everyone take everything so personal? All of the past movies where people talk about white trash haven't drawn critics. Why is it that the black stereotypes are the only ones that take criticism? People who are offended whatever race you may be, need to stop and relax. Besides, since when were people proud of what gangs were about? Please stop being hypocrites.
ReplyDeleteHaha wait you people actually thought the twins were FUNNY? Man, did I watch a different movie? I agree with the Jar-Jar-Bots coinage moreso because they're IRRITATING more than the ethnic stereotype. And dear God, they took up so much screentime. I'm sure 90% of you would of preferred more Sideswipe, Soundwave, or Ravage if it meant sacrificing the amount of time spent with the twins.
ReplyDeleteanon @ 8:44 - I agree. hip-hop culture is so pervasive in this society that Buzz Aldrin (80+) just cut a rap song with Snoop Dogg.
ReplyDeleteSelective, why was what Jazz said a problem?? A black dude said it (Darius McCrary from Family Matters).
People take stuff like this too seriously but don't get nearly as upset when a woman claims a black dude abducted her and her daughter and the 2 of them are actually hanging out in Disney.
- Hud
people talk about Malibu's most wanted and why not body cares about that . well i think its because no one saw that movie. and if they saw it they knew what to expect. the original show did not have any robots with gold chains or teeth and it had much better cars. if they keep trying to bail out the car companies, the franchise will need a bail out. the original twins were lambo's. big difference from the crap they are now , gold teeth . they were cool, not fools.
ReplyDeleteUnemployment is sky high. Companys that we thought would be around forever (re: GM)are standing on the edge of the disater cliff. Gas, we can all feel,is about to go nuts again. Our goverorment is bailing out every or should I say burying the next gerenation in unfair debt. And here we are complaining about a couple of characters, not even characters animated things, that were made to entertain our kids. PLEASE GIVE IT A BRAKE.... Put the energy into something that might HELP!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIts a problem because it has been done for a very very long time and is a part of a greater systemic problem. That is why it is so tough to swallow the whole ignorance of it. It would be different if people saw a very well-rounded view of african-americans in hollywood, the good with the bad, but that is not the case. Aside from denzel washington, you rarely see african-americans (or robots "acting" like african americans) portrayed in a good light. You do get to see whites portrayed in both a good and bad light, but it is balanced. So for every Hillbilly you see, you also see much greater examples of a strong white lead.
ReplyDeleteThe usual response to this argument is "well why don't blacks just make their own movies then?" that's because major studios control distribution and so forth. it is a very systematic process and history has shown that they do not really do leading african-american men. Will Smith has mentioned his frustration with putting out his movies. Its a difficult process.
Transformers doesn't go anywhere near this, but I think this post gives a reason why african-americans tend to be hypersensitive to these types of portrayals. its not that they are saying "its just a bunch of robots"....its that they are saying "why this behavior in a robot movie? What's its purpose?" Those are the questions that are raised.
whats funny--is a gaurantee you its mainly white people sayign its racists lol. black folks are just like-"what? its a joke, get over it"
ReplyDeleteI honestly thought that the twins sounded more like trailer-trash wannabe wiggers... And I still laughed at it all, their parts were some of the funniest in the whole movie.
ReplyDelete^^^^ Well said.
ReplyDeletePeople need to get over themselves out there. As stated above, no one complained about the buck-toothed tow truck in Cars did they? I know, the narration didn't call for cussing and sexual overtones either but seriously how can we hold one standard and not another? Are we going to be so politically correct that we censor outselves to death? We have a magazine on every rack of every store called "Black Man." Is anyone blogging or ranting on the TVs and radios about that? I'll bet if someone started a magazine called "White Man" the whole U.S. would implode. I can find a thousand other things to worry about than a couple of robots. Next story.
ReplyDeleteI think the main problem with the twins is that they were NOT funny... in the theatre I viewed the movie in, there were only a few uncomfortable laughs when the two delivered punch lines. I respect the opinions of everyone who posted, but in my opinion the two robots were racist. Discrimination is not based upon the intent of the creator, but the perception of the audience. If it came up as an issue, than it is one. I hope this is truley taken into consideration when making the final cuts on the third film. It would be very easy to create another great film in this trilogy, without offending anyone further. Jazz did have a black accent, but he was not presented to the audience as a goofy joke like these two... that is why he was not taken in offense. It is true, stereotypes are generated based upon realities, they are an over-generalization of truths, but when you are making a movie for general audiences of mixed race and backgrounds one should be sensitive to their demographics. The movie would have been just as enjoyable, if not more without these two.... just my opinion. Also, "wiggers" is not at all an appropriate term, you can clearly break that word down to see where it is derived from... maybe we could use a diffent word to express that idea.
ReplyDeleteThere are people here saying that the Twins speak that way cos they uploaded the information from the internet and thats why its ok .
ReplyDeleteCan I have what you guys are smoking please?
All I've been reading is how racist this movie is and, frankly, it bothers me. As a black man who doesn't subscribe to the "hip-hop" culture, I don't appreciate being lumped into that group simply because I have African ancestry. I find it to be an unfair bias (or Racist!) to assume that all black people fall into the "hip-hop" culture or that said culture is only made up of black people. Wouldn't Eminem fall into that category? He isn't black.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about Tyrese Gibson's character? Isn't he one of the films primary heroes? I didnt see him portrayed in any sort of negative light. For that matter, there weren't any ACTUAL African-American's protrayed in poorly in the film at all. The annoying characters in question are actually a green car and an orangeish/red car. If you assume they are "supposed" to be black what does that say about YOUR biases??
Sorry to vent, the more I read about the "racism" in the film, the more I get annoyed.
Im not reading any other comments about the Twins because from what I have read already it just seems like that people with nothing better to do than stir up controversy are the ones who post on here or the IMDB message boards, etc ranting about these two characters.
ReplyDeletePeople love to bash this movie for so many reasons and the main reason for their objections (IMOA) are the artistic licenses Bay and co. have taken with both movies. I have no problem with this, seeing as how this is Bay's film, script, and imagination on screen. This is not the G1 cartoon, and as much as people who grew up with that nostalgia and have longed to see that exact era of the Transformers lifetime on screen, its just not going to happen. Therefore, people who don't have the intelligence or will to write a review or right an introspective paragraph about the movie* choose to take a five seconds to hold the caps lock are lay into two characters who were not meant for solely their demographic but also for the millions of kids who will see this movie. Furthermore, even if the Twins were meant for kids, my whole theatre laughed at their jokes, which although may have been light and full of nonsense, brought out my inner child and put a smile to my face. This is something that I feel balanced the movie, as there were serious scenes, ie NEST dealing with the United States government and a perished Optimus and the light hearted ones, ie the Twins fighting in Petra. These scenes are nicely juxtaposed, a technique used throughout the movie which gave the film a nice, rounded feel.
As much as people can't stand to see new characters such as Skids and Mudflap play a large role due to a G1 complex issue, or just a predetermined dislike for anything new, theses characters have a job to do. Their job is to make the audience laugh, move the story along, provide appeal to a younger, fresh minded generation, and generate revenue. Although the last point is a little depressing, it is true unfortunately, but, this doesn't mean that it makes me want to disregard them as useless, annoying, or unfunny.
It just makes me upset that instead of trying to look at the good parts of a film people will take the more lighthearted content are use that as ammunition to bash a movie which is made for millions of people. That is adults, teens, and kids.
People complain about this... but happily go out and watch movies like Borat, Bruno, The Hangover, and almost any other comedy with stereotypes and racist comments.. but of course its funny on there, cause it was strictly for comedy...
ReplyDeletepeople are so freaking stupid
I also agree with the "I honestly thought that the twins sounded more like trailer-trash wannabe wiggers"
To Anon at 1:32
ReplyDeleteYea thats what i thought. I saw the the movie last night and whenever The Twins were on screen the whole theatre laughed. I dont see why the critics think they are racist. Its just the personality they chose from the WWW.
He said that he did it for the kids? My kids won't get to see a movie that they have been anticipating since the first movie because of the twins. My husband and I both agree that we don't want them hearing the language and the sexual overtones that were in the movie. So no, it couldn't have been for the kids. What? He don't have any?
ReplyDeleteFor heavens sake! It's a freaking movie made to entertain us! THAT'S ALL!!! How the heck can anyone come up with the comments that it has racism in it?? It was funny and meant for comic relief. We have an African-American President in office and everyone is still covetching about picking on black people?? It's ludicrous!!! Nobody complains when there are jokes made about "white people, crackers, trailer-trash, rednecks", etc..... Nor when the African-American community has all their black award shows. If the Caucasion community where to have their own award shows, you know dang well that anyone not white would be up in arms!! And what about when the African-American community actually uses the "N-word" to each other??? If white people used that word to them, holy hell would break out, but they can demean themselves?!? WTF?! Get over it already, the race card has been pulled way too many times and it's annoying!! The show was freaking funny, action packed, wonderful and our family including my boys will see it over and over again!!
ReplyDeletehey morons have you ever listened to a rap or hip hop station. or have you ever listened to a group of young kids? maybe if we want to stop the stereotyping we should stop filling the role of the stereotype. stop speaking in bad english and talking like gangstas. and oh yeah have you ever heard these wannabe gangstas talk, gee sure sounds a whole lot like the twin robots. instead of blasting a movie we need to examine ourselves and the way we bring up our kids
ReplyDeleteI didn't really see Mudflip and Skids as racists. Everyone talks the way that they do. Everyone. I was more upset about people dropping their pants and the . . . I don't wanna give the movie away, but the Constructicon. I don't want my little girl seeing that. The twins were more annoying than anything. They had their part to play and they said a few things that was funny.
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm black and a mom. And although I'll probably ware the DVD out when it comes out, I will NOT let my kids watch. I was disappointed in many parts, but you can't deny the action or the effects. More editing was needed. But I don't think that it was in anyway racists.
OMFG...i bet that if nobody wouldve pointed it out it wouldnt have been a big deal. the twins are fkn hilarious, and common leo spitz acted like a stupid mexican kid and nobody seems to be offended by his actions in the movie.
ReplyDeleteoh come on ppl everyone talks like that...so if theyre gonna bash on the twins might as well talk about todays teenagers because thats how we all talk...and were not all black.
ReplyDeletethe twins weren´t half as bad as sam´s college buddy or his stupid mother! nothing against the actors, but those two werde more annoying than anything else in the whole movie!
ReplyDeleteJoe Pesci had a gold tooth that got knocked out in Home Alone 1.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, people are too pathetically fragile. You have a black actor voicing the character and was given some liberty about where to take the character. What is Bay supposed to do with his Black actors / voice actors? Tell them to "act more white"? Tyrese acted like gulp...a black man. People who are offended at this need to ask themselves...What would Devastator do? Answer: Grow a scrotum!
...
ReplyDeleteTo me, I think this was anything BUT racist.
For one: they're robots. Robots have no ethnicity. They have personality, but it's hard to say they have an ethnicity.
For two: It's a movie and it was for comedic relief.
I say screw the critics.
And I like it how people suddenly think they can bring up racism in a movie like this when there's been so much more (and dare I say worse) racism in other films and television shows.
If you can't take comedy, then gtfo. That's all I gotta say.
Im not reading any other comments about the Twins because from what I have read already it just seems like that people with nothing better to do than stir up controversy are the ones who post on here or the IMDB message boards, etc ranting about these two characters.
ReplyDeletePeople love to bash this movie for so many reasons and the main reason for their objections (IMOA) are the artistic licenses Bay and co. have taken with both movies. I have no problem with this, seeing as how this is Bay's film, script, and imagination on screen. This is not the G1 cartoon, and as much as people who grew up with that nostalgia and have longed to see that exact era of the Transformers lifetime on screen, its just not going to happen. Therefore, people who don't have the intelligence or will to write a review or right an introspective paragraph about the movie* choose to take a five seconds to hold the caps lock are lay into two characters who were not meant for solely their demographic but also for the millions of kids who will see this movie. Furthermore, even if the Twins were meant for kids, my whole theatre laughed at their jokes, which although may have been light and full of nonsense, brought out my inner child and put a smile to my face. This is something that I feel balanced the movie, as there were serious scenes, ie NEST dealing with the United States government and a perished Optimus and the light hearted ones, ie the Twins fighting in Petra. These scenes are nicely juxtaposed, a technique used throughout the movie which gave the film a nice, rounded feel.
As much as people can't stand to see new characters such as Skids and Mudflap play a large role due to a G1 complex issue, or just a predetermined dislike for anything new, theses characters have a job to do. Their job is to make the audience laugh, move the story along, provide appeal to a younger, fresh minded generation, and generate revenue. Although the last point is a little depressing, it is true unfortunately, but, this doesn't mean that it makes me want to disregard them as useless, annoying, or unfunny.
It just makes me upset that instead of trying to look at the good parts of a film people will take the more lighthearted content are use that as ammunition to bash a movie which is made for millions of people. That is adults, teens, and kids.
I don't get what the big problem is. None of the robots really had enough screen time for it to be that big of a deal. For me, they were just "there". I didn't hate them, I didn't like them. They were just there.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me about this crap is people are all up in a fit about racism but do you think this many people are like this when it comes to sexist crap?
If people are gonna make a big deal about stuff like this, then make a big deal about ALL of it. Not just racism.
I agree with what other people have said. They are just two idiots who played around with the internet for too long and wanted to act all gangster. I took no offense to it. If anything it was more stupid then racist.
get a grip u saddo's the specialeffects were min, the story was good megan fox is mint (just thought ad throw that in) an the twins were funny as. My six yr old son went to see this film with me an the twins were his favourite things in the film, 'THE FILM' that's all it is! get a life some of you!
ReplyDeletei thought most of the robots couldn't read cybertronian.
ReplyDeletehaha they weren't racist at all. They were ANNOYING.
ReplyDeleteI must however point out that I havent laughed so much in a long time at the arguments above ...some people are taking offence at the language used by the twins being of a racist nature .....others are taking offence that two computer generated fictional charcters are being made scapegoats ....and More people are actually defending Michael Bay who blamed the voice actors for all this ...
ReplyDeleteTop notch comedy .....12 yr olds of the world unite...mudflap and skidz rights as robots must be protected ,
I second anon @ 6.38. They weren't racist stereotypes. The were simply lowest common denominator characters put in to appeal to 12yr olds and those that never matured past toilet and gutter humour.
ReplyDeleteI like how since everyone thinks they are black it is all of a sudden racist, had they be seen as white we wouldn't be having this issue,
ReplyDeleteThis was seriously one of the worst movies I have ever seen and I'm a huge Transformers fan. Bay and company did a severe blow to Transformers with this movie. Complete and utter garbage. I can't believe I waited two years for this nonsense.
ReplyDeleteBeing a long time Transformer fan, I was overall disappointed in the movie;
ReplyDeleteThe Twins: Annoying.I agree with all the negative comments about them. It's ok kids, ignorant robots, people, etc. are cool.. give me a break and easy to see what type of class they portray. Pathetic.
Optimus Prime: Optimus would have never said "give me your face" and was really weak for being a Prime. Amazing how Prime can be killed yet, the rest of the autobots somehow hold off the rest of the dec. .. comon. BS PLOT, with a BS ending.....
What was up with the Mom.. what a crack head. Over dramatic script that really missed a great opportunity here. I doubt I'll watch the 3rd.
We've established that the Twins are funny but offensive... Mistakes were made and there's no excuse for it but what makes it worse is that Michael Bay insists that there is nothing wrong. It's troubling that the person responsible for the year's biggest blockbuster will not apologize.
ReplyDeleteThinking it through, I just don't see how anyone can go through a number of takes during the making of the film or watch the film multiple times and never think about the fact that the twins are embodying a negative stereotype. Most people including kids saw what we're talking about after seeing the movie once. It's extremely ignorant and disrespectful that he just won't apologize. Imus thought it was funny to crack jokes too, just through a different medium though.
The twins were fun the only person being racist is you for think that a robot with no skin color is black just because he talks a certain way. What if he was a surban white boy trying to be gangsta or what if they would of been redneck. Should the white people in the south be offended? Also, What about the new GI Joe I have seen the previews and Damon Waynes acts like the twins. Is GI Joe being Racist or is everyone that is critizing the Twins think that black people are dumb, can't read, and talk a certain way. I would be more offened about the people stereotyping the twins as being black think that is the way black people act.
ReplyDeleteIf Michael Bay did it for the kids, then why is there vulgar language and sex comments in the movie.... dont use kids as an excuse to get out of it. But anywway people need to stop acting like a baby and complaing it is racist.....go watch Dave Chapelle for Petes Sake and have a laugh, America is a melting pot, and were still sensitive about color!!!???
ReplyDeleteHe did it for kids? and there was all this bad language and sex talk in the movie yeeeeeaaa? dont use KIDS as an excuse to get out of it, but anyway people shouldnt be so GAY to get offended by this small crap, go watch Dave Chapelle and have a laugh, America is a melting pot, and were still sensitive about each other's skin color? give me a break.
ReplyDeleteanyone trying to defend the twins existence is a damn moron or an ignorant racist. theyre obviously supposed to be black playing on pretty basic stereotypes that many non blacks feel represent the worst in black culture in general. it goes to show you how dumb many people are and are becoming if they find that kind of humor or even this movie as a whole entertaining and funny.
ReplyDeleteits made to cater to the lowest common denominator in humanity and if it does well then those in power have succeeded. its a shit movie made by a hack director using whats pretty much the standard formula for most ovies these days.
1. token white guy hero who will save us al1
2. random piece of ass eye candy used to distract peopel from how shitty the movie is
3. tons of random pointless advertising and product placement
4. massive amounts of cgi action and explosives that serve no point other than to be the glue for the poorly tacked together soryline/plot
5. lots of pop culture references
6. low brow humor usually bsed around poop jokes , sexual references and racial stereotypes
mix all that together and charge people 10 to 12 dollars to see it and watch the masses get dumber.
He did it for the kiddies, I live with a shitton of kids, they act just like the damn twins. Quit your butthurt, all of you.
ReplyDeleteIt's would be funny if it wasn't so sad that there are so many freaking out about possible racism (which I think it was a "ganster" profiling. I know whites who speak trashy & blacks who never swear )When the real issue should be a movie based on kids toys is so full of sex and filth that no parent should let their kids watch it. Society continues to create issues about fabricated things while our kids are being destroyed by media & "parents" who let there kids watch movies and play video just because they either don't care or they want to see it themselves. If the parents who say they care stopped buying movies & the toys from these movies I can garantee you Hollywood would stop putting all the filth in!
ReplyDeleteman i can't believe that people wanna justify these two dumb ass ni@@a bots as it was so eloquently put earlier. and whatever idiot said wasn't it the "URBAN CULTURE" that started the gold tooth crap do some research on pirates and gold rushing 49ers. fact is if you weren't offended by this then a. your not black or b. you think thats how most black act in the 1st place. just look at the crap, they could not read, were retards, were talking about fighting and bust'en caps in folks ass, had gold teeth and to top it all off they looked like freaking damn monkeys. yep monkeys had big ears & all. ooooh and yeah just because a black dude was behind the voice & may have or not been behind the making of the characters doesn't make it right nor does it mean he wasn't pissed.... hell that fool may need a damn check or may not give a damn.
ReplyDeleteIt's rediculous that people are pointing fingers and calling those two characters out as the racist characters of the movie. The ONLY time I ever see anyone saying "these characters were racist" is when the movie/show is made by a white person. Yet, no one so much as bats and eye when a black person creates a show making fun of his "people's ways" (ie. The Boondocks). There are SO many other movies and TV shows that "make fun of black people" yet no one cares. Now, if there were a movie making fun of "rednecks", guess what, no one would care. They'd just laugh it off and never think twice. Would you like to know why? Because "rednecks" would probably be laughing saying "Yep, that's for damn sure. That's how we get it dun up in hur..." I should know. I have a family full of rednecks. So yeah...it's rediculous.
ReplyDeletedumb comments like these are what make sequels suck. this movie was funny as hell. and the twins were funny. and im black. and it wasnt racist. it was funny. the reason they cudnt read was becuz they were younger robots who cudnt read that old script. so stop hating on the movie. i dont see why ppl go to movies to hate on them and then hop on the enternet to b1tch about it all over websites. especially about twins whos characters were diverse. one black and one white.
ReplyDeleteFrom above "he was told that the alien robots learned about human culture through the Web and that the twins were "wannabe gangster types." The key word here is culture. Gangster types don;t have a race anymore. There are white, black, latin, greek, japaneese, chineese gangsters and guess what? They ALL sound like the Twins did. With their own individual set of idiosyncracies. You say it's racist...racist againt who? Gangsters? Hmmm, I'm kind of not worried about offending them. Some say the charatures depict blacks...ok. Ever hear of the Wayans? At this point in our society I think we can get past the notion that only black can make fun of blacks. If a white person does it then it's racist. It really depends on what is said. In my opinion if you actually look at WHAt the Twins said...it's the same that anyone from that culture woudl say no matter what race they were with. I'm tired of talking about this now. Peace out homie. I gotta go holla at thiz shawty over here. (BTW I'm black. *gasp*)
ReplyDeleteI'm black and I loved the twins. Anyone who think they were racist is an IDIOT...plain and simple !!
ReplyDeleteI love the twins they are so funny i dont see the problem?
ReplyDeleteWe are all as different as the pebbles of sand on a beach. Within each race we are all unique and no one stereotype can apply to all peoples. Some Blacks may think it's racist, others do not. However, if this were an American company, if even one person finds it offensive, action must be taken. Keep that in mind. It may have been purely coincidental and was viewed in typical comedic fashion, and then again, it may not and was intentional. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteComedians of all races make fun of their own race as do pretty much all people. What's funny to some can never be funny to all and much of it may very well offend somesone. To prove my point, I know a few other Blacks that feel that the comedian Michael Richards, the character Kramer of Seinfeld, was in the right when he unleashed his racist tirade on that unsuspecting young Black guy. They said he shouldn't have been heckling him. I, on the other hand in that instance, disagree with them. Pushed to the edge or limit or whatever, it brought out who he was within.
In regard to the Twins in this film, I feel it can be taken both ways, that it could be coincidental and Michael Bay meant no wrong, or that he is a little racist and it was deliberate. There is no way to tell or prove it, but if many people are offended, an explanation is forthcoming which he has provided. Apology? It wouldn't hurt but I don't believe it necessary, though I could be wrong about that, public relations-wise.
The bottom line is this: given the rocky beginnings of this nation, there will continue to be sensitivity with regards to race and this should be understood and patience should be accorded. Just because we ourselves don't see how someone could be offended doesn't make the person who is offended wrong for feeling thus. We have to have a sympathy and a tolerance that is ever-widening if we are to grow as well-rounded human beings in this world. Cultural, racial, ethnic and spiritual understanding is needed in a world of heated arguments, discussions and disputes that often erupt in violence. Why not acknowlege what each person feels about it and move on? Opinions will never be the same so why expect them to be?
Leave the twins alone already, they were adorable ffs, I literaly felt more emotion for them than for the humans.
ReplyDeletei actually like the twins there funny and i dont care what you guys say and i get why they kiled jazz cuz eventually they were gonna kill one autobot from the first film and of course optimus prime wouldnt die and neither bumblebee and it would be ridiculous if they killed rachet cuz hes the doctor of the autobots and he is needed in the films such as ironhide is as well cuz he belongs to the films and hes weapon specialist and i like jazz but if they had to kill an autobot then it would hav to be jazz cuz he doesnt belong to live that long cuz hes only a comrade
ReplyDeleteI dnt kno wat evryone's so mad about the twins are not racist they were lik a comic relief in da movie.
ReplyDeleteThe movie is action.action..action... WTF
I thought it wuz actually amusing the twins were thur for the fans 2 get a quik laugh while watching diz movie
By da way a real fan wuldnt hav cared about the twins acted bcuz thur lik centuries old they can say wat they want another thing is tht they still took care of business by helping ditract devastator
One mor thing remember in da first movie optimus used eBay 2 find those glasse nd i think he mentioned using the web 2 lern da wayz of da humans so thtz most likely where the personalities came frum.
Signing off tru TF fan R.I.P Jazz fav character SideSwipe