Fixing the first Transformers movie

Rethinking some of this (and thanks for all the comments), my main gripe with the movie was that almost every character was used as comic relief: all Autobots (including Prime), most humans (good guys, bad guys, side guys no one cares about), most Decepticons. So, in the revamping, Bumblebee and maybe one Decepticon, but toned way down. None would be hyperactive, Blur did that wonderfully and they can't be all Blur. One of the thing that works well in the original movie is the dynamic between Bumblebee and Sam, and I want to keep that.

So, more on the main plot: Decepticons have two goals on Earth: find energy and bring it back. Part 1 (with Megatron, Starscream and co.) is to get to a power plant, see what sort of defences they're up against, etc. It's primitive technology to them but they're starving for energy.

Part 2 is to get it back to Cybertron, and that's where we have Soundwave do his magic. He's the ideal infiltrator with the others (Ravage, Laser Beak, etc) and they go for what they see as still primitive but somehow their best bet at getting back to Cybertron without a ship: build a space port from already present human technology. They scour and ultimately get to the Large Hadron Collider (it doesn't have to make scientific sense. Before it was fired people thought it would create miniature black holes...) So Soundwave finds this and just comments "Adaptable technology detected. Commencing upgrades." (you just read that in his voice) He releases all his crew which begin adapting the LHC. Because the Autobots are busy fighting off the others at the power plant, they aren't aware and can't stop him. (And yes, I'm aware the LHC is huge. It's intentional)

We get two things out of the ending: Soundwave completes the portal and leaves for Cybertron and the discovery that they have been away for a very long time. This will easily bridge us into a sequel.

More on Cybertron: I want to establish that Cybertron isn't just a planet, it's a small-ish Dyson Sphere around a red dwarf. It can thus be relatively close (a few light-years) from Earth without us knowing. Their initial interest was in our sun (a yellow dwarf, comparatively much more powerful), but having crashed on Earth, without means to leave, they make-do with our primitive technology. Their main motivation is energy, it's much more relatable than a matrix of creation at this point.

/r/fixingmovies Thread