STACK NZ Nov #57

DVD&BD

Q&A

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MarkWahlberg joins Optimus Prime and theAutobots in Transformers: Age of Extinction , which director Michael Bay considers to be the best in the series to date.

Transformers:Age of Extinction is the fourth installment of the Transformers franchise. What should fans expect?

What’s different about Transformers:Age of Extinction compared to the previous three.

This one is more grounded. It starts inTexas farm country among people living a simple, innocent life. But of course doesn’t stay that way.We go into outer space, to other parts of the US.We are in China and Hong Kong.While it is more cinematic than the previous films, we have Mark’s character, a father, and we see the story through his eyes and his relationship with his daughter.That’s completely different.The previous films we saw it through Shia’s eyes and he was fantastic. Mark gives it a different feel.  So because it is grounded in family relationships, Age of Extinction is more serious. It’s not a kid battling robots – there’s more on the line here. It feels a little grittier. Yes, that’s really it.There’s a reason “Extinction” is in the title of this film.This is our fourth film and the franchise has matured.We have to keep on improving, keep it fresh, keep the audience involved.That’s why this one has a more serious tone. It’s still fun, but definitely grittier and more grounded. It also seems like we get to know the personalities of the robots more this time around. T hat’s true.We wanted the audience to know more about them and theTransformer world. Their personalities.Their characters.We mainly just focus on five robots this time.That creates more of a connection with the audience.We have also tinkered with their design a little so you’ll notice Optimus and Bumblebee still largely look the same, but there’s slight design changes. It’s like when Batman gets a new suit for each movie.

MICHAEL BAY: I think this one is the best. It’s got a really fresh feel about it.The cast is amazing.

We’ve got MarkWahlberg starring and Mark’s record speaks for itself.We had a great time working on Pain & Gain together.

It’s the same on this. In fact, we have such a strong cast.There’s Kelsey Grammer, Stanley Tucci, Jack Reynor, BingBing Li and Nicola Peltz. There was talk after the last one, Transformers: Dark of the Moon , that you’d step away from directing this movie. Shia LaBeouf walked away, but here you are.Were you contemplating handing over the directing reins of the franchise to somebody else? I did think about it, but I came to the conclusion I didn’t want to hand it off to somebody else. The franchise has a big, loyal audience all around the world.We started working on the script and I worked with Mark on Pain & Gain and it was great fun.When Mark showed interest in doing aTransformers film it got me really excited.We redesigned the robots a little.That gives this film a totally different look and feel.  Let’s talk about Mark for a second. Can you describe his character and what he brings to the movie? Mark plays a father who is struggling to protect his daughter.We all know Mark’s previous work so you know just what he will bring to that. He’s a devoted family man, a great father away

Pain & Gain was so good it seemed like a natural fit.We also give this film some gravitas with Kelsey and Stanley. Kelsey plays the bad guy. They are just great actors. TheTransformers franchise is known for its big action scenes. But it seems like this time, you really took it to another level and pulled off some really complex action scenes. Yeah (laughs).We really pushed ourselves. We had some single 30 second shots with explosions, actors.That was great. It takes a lot of preparation and setting up, but it was definitely worth it. Our audience will appreciate it.

from the set and he really brings that into this role. Mark’s always prepared. I just love working with the guy. He’s a pro. He knows his lines and all of the other actors’ lines. He knows where to stand.

The franchise has a big, loyal audience all around the world.

Mark is obviously a lot older than Shia.Was there any talk of going with a younger actor as the lead instead of an older, established star like MarkWahlberg?  Yes there was. The

Transformers: Age of Extinction is out Nov 26

studio suggested that, but I liked the father- daughter story and my experience with Mark on

NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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