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"Transformers: Rise of the Power Warriors" actor talks about his favorite mecha character. (00:48)
This summer, we were able to reunite with some old friends on screen, including a very "iron" old friend.
On June 9, "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" produced by Paramount will be released in major theaters across the country, synchronized with North America, and released in 2D, 3D, IMAX and other formats. On the eve of the film's release, The Paper interviewed producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and actors Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and Tobe Nwigwe about their views on the film series and their respective characters.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (left) with director Stephen Kapoor Jr
Starring Dominic Fishback (left) and Anthony Ramos
Speaking of "Transformers", many post-80s and post-90s generations know about it from many animated series born since 1984; The live-action series of movies that came out in 2007 transformed this cash cow in the toy store into a visual feast of glory and dreams on the screen. These mecha warriors from the planet Cybertron, even if they do not have flesh and blood, even if they do not have rich and changeable expressions, their blood will never be lost to the superheroes or superheroes of the present.
The "Transformers" series of movies includes five films created by Michael Bay and "Bumblebee" released in 2018. The latest "Rise of the Power Warriors" ranks seventh. If you want to say who is most familiar with all seven films, I am afraid that Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who participated in the production of the whole process, is none other than Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. Asked what is the charm of the 16-year film series from a producer's point of view, he said, "I think this has to mention the original creative source of Transformers." It was inspired by the idea that the car you own is not cold, but has its own unique personality. From this point of view, we used our imagination as much as possible, adding many action elements to the confrontation of different camps, and finally expanding it into a movie. On top of that, we incorporated a sense of humor into it and traveled around the world to take the audience around and broaden their horizons. ”
It should be pointed out in particular that although "The Rise of the Power Warriors" is related to the previous work, it opens a new story line. The biggest difference is that the previous five films all set the time in the present, while the latest one is set in the 1990s, and the appearance of the Beastman Big Mac team is the biggest attraction of the whole film.
The film is created by Stephen Kapoor, Jr., who once directed "Quidi: Heroes Rise". The protagonist Noah (Anthony Ramos) returns home to Brooklyn after an unhappy military life, where he is dedicated to taking care of his family, but he can't even find a job. When desperate, Noah had to take a desperate step, but unexpectedly met Phantom, the Autobot who turned into Porsche, and then encountered Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Alsie and other Autobots. However, Optimus Prime has considerable hostility towards him as a human, and only the Phantom believes that he can help a lot.
Optimus Prime appears
Bumblebee joins the fray
On the other hand, Elena (Dominic Fishback), who works at the museum, has profound expertise, but has been oppressed by her superiors. As she tries to scan a mysterious statue, a mysterious light source suddenly leads Optimus Prime to discover the Hyperwarp Key that can return them to their home planet Cybertron. At the same time, the villain Catastrophe also came to Earth and wanted to snatch the Super Warp Key.
The villain Cosmic Emperor and the Catastrophe
After a great battle in the museum, the Autobots suffered major losses, but they and Elena temporarily turned enemies into friends and went to Machu Picchu to find the remaining keys. Locally, the Autobots meet the Big Mac led by Optimus Saint (Captain Orangutan)... Whether the Autobots and the Big Mac can join forces to fight natural disasters; What role Noah and Elena played at critical moments; Can departed companions return? In order not to affect everyone's viewing of the movie, spoilers are still good here, and the mystery is left to be revealed in the theater.
The Optimus Saint appears
The Autobots assemble
Regarding the change in the story line, Bonaventura explained: "To be clear, we don't think Rise of the Power Warriors is a reboot of the series. It's an important part of Transformers' complete storyline. The story of "Bumblebee" takes place in 1987, and the story of "Rise of the Power Warriors" takes place in 1994. The story of the previous film is from 2007. Therefore, it is a follow-up to "Bumblebee" and a prequel to the previous "Transformers". ”
"The choice of the line of Beastman was decided after we examined all the characters in the "Transformers" IP. The question is, how can the fate of the Autobots be intertwined with that of Beastman? This requires a full story. We thought that since the protagonist is Beastman, it is natural that the jungle should be used as the background, so there is a scene transition from the metropolis of the United States to the small town of Peru, so as to create an opportunity for the meeting of the two teams of Autobots and Beastman. ”
In addition to Beastman, the emergence of new human characters is also an important attraction of "The Rise of the Power Warriors". I believe it is not difficult to see from the above synopsis that the protagonist Noah first appeared in an image similar to "Luthor". The Paper specifically mentioned this when interviewing Anthony Ramos, who played Noah, causing him to laugh and laugh, apparently he had a different opinion on this.
"Noah did suffer a few setbacks when he first appeared in the movie, but after he met Phantom, he gradually understood that he could actually do something. Later, in the process of being born and dying with the Autobots, he gradually believed that ordinary humans may also become superheroes. I think through the whole film, we can see Noah's changes from the inside out. That's where the character is cool. Ramos rhymes with his character as "from Zero to Hero."
Phantom meets the male protagonist for the first time
And Elena, another protagonist of "The Rise of the Power Warriors", is also a very special character. Often in action-like movies, female characters are either treated as vases; Or be portrayed as three heads and six arms, on par with male characters. But Elena didn't stick to either side. On the one hand, she is very close to us ordinary people, and she is not less angry at work; On the other hand, as an archaeologist, she is full of wisdom.
Asked how to show Elena's multifacetedness, actor Dominic Fishback gave credit to director Stephen Kapoor Jr. "I think a lot of that is thanks to Stephen. When we discussed the character of Elena, he told me that he wished she had her own story and did things for her own motives. These words inspired me a lot. So, when I played Elena, I focused on who she was and what she had been through in the past. ”
In addition, it is worth mentioning that the famous rapper Torbe Wigway who plays Noah's friend Rick in the film. He has made guest appearances in American dramas such as "Amu's Way to Survive", but it is the first time he has appeared in a big-screen work. Asked which is more difficult to write songs or act, Wigway replied without hesitation: "It must be harder to write songs, after all, you always want your songs to move different people, so try to make the wording interesting enough." When filming, you may just be part of a big scene, as long as you show your unique side. Compared to writing songs, the performance is still much easier. ”
By the end of "The Rise of the Power Warriors", the fates of these protagonists have changed a lot, but the story seems to have room to continue. However, what is somewhat confusing is that there was news that "Transformers 8" is the next one that will create an independent world view, which is different from the previous "Transformers" movies.
The Paper asked producer Bonaventura for confirmation, saying, "In fact, we don't know what the next Transformers movie will be, but it is definitely related to other movies in the series. I don't know where the rumors came from, but logically we'll continue along the latest one. We love the characters in this film, and the audience will love it. ”