Chapter 678: Full of Confidence

As prominent filmmakers in the country, Jiang Xiaojun and Baldy Ge were spotted by sharp-eyed reporters before they even walked out of the multiplex. A female reporter quickly intercepted them.

"You two just watched Transformers..."

The reporter clearly knew them both, asking directly, "Could you share your thoughts on the movie?"

"The film has a magnificent sense of scale." Baldy Ge thought for a moment before adding, "Its visual effects are outstanding, and the technology is groundbreaking. Domestic films simply can't compare to that... oh, and the staggering production cost."

"What do you think?" the reporter asked, turning to Jiang Xiaojun.

Although he had been banned from directing films by the big scissors for years, Jiang Xiaojun was still a director. Speaking from that perspective, he said, "Duke Rosenberg used every visual tool at his disposal. Like a master strategist, he guided the audience in appreciating the magnificent scenes and spectacular vistas. Even though the story is too simple, the technical execution is simply impeccable."

The reporters didn't just focus on celebrities; they also approached ordinary moviegoers.

Miss Lu, who worked at Merchants Bank, told a reporter that she had originally disliked these kinds of movies, especially ones about a bunch of machines beating each other up, but had now changed her mind.

"I found it stunning," she said. "Mostly because of the special effects. A lot of the ideas left me dumbfounded. For a movie to be shot like this, you really can't find a single visual flaw."

Mr. Zhang, an advertising agency employee, said, "Nowadays, both domestic films and imported blockbusters have high ticket prices, but I feel it's worth the money for a movie like this."

This sentiment was shared by many fans.

Wang Ziming hurried home after leaving the multiplex. Although it was late, he wasn't sleepy in the slightest. His head was full of images of Autobots and Decepticons colliding. Those realistic scenes unfolding right before his eyes momentarily made him wonder if Transformers actually existed in the real world.

His phone suddenly rang. Wang Ziming checked the caller ID before answering; it was a friend. The guy was a fanatic Transformers enthusiast but hadn't gone to see the movie. Moreover, he didn't have much goodwill toward Duke Rosenberg's film for a very simple reason: it had altered too many of the Transformers' designs.

"How was the movie?" a familiar voice came through the receiver. "Pretty disappointing, right?"

"No, not disappointing at all."

Holding his phone, Wang Ziming paced back and forth across his room.

"The special effects in Transformers are phenomenal," he said decisively. "If this movie sits on the highest throne of CGI, the effects in Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Spider-Man 3—which we watched together—only deserve to sit on the steps below and draw circles. They are on two entirely different levels. Transformers made it hard for me to believe those big guys were created with computers. They felt like they existed in reality."

"Is... is that true? You aren't lying to me?"

The voice on the receiver sounded hesitant. "But he changed all the Transformers' designs. Weren't you really upset about that too?"

"Stop obsessing over those blocks from the cartoons, even if they are our childhood memories. I honestly can't imagine what it would look like to put those blocks into this movie. Don't just look at a few stills and start shouting about how this scrap metal looks like skeletons, because you can truly feel the impact of this 'scrap metal' on the silver screen. I guarantee you'll accept this so-called scrap metal in the film."

Unwilling to let his friend miss such a brilliant film, Wang Ziming continued, "This movie isn't here to teach us about life or pretend to be deep. It only has two goals: first, to take the money from your pocket, and second, to make you feel thrilled after spending it. I just walked out of the theater, and the vast majority of the audience felt thrilled. Furthermore, they felt exactly like I did—one viewing wasn't enough. I'm planning to go see it a second time tomorrow."

He asked, "Li Ping, are you going?"

"I..."

His friend Li Ping was still a bit hesitant. "Let me check the online reviews first."

After hanging up, Li Ping turned on his computer and logged onto Mtime, the premier professional movie website. In the most prominent spot on the homepage, a massive headshot of Optimus Prime was exceptionally eye-catching. He clicked the link and ignored everything else, scrolling straight to the bottom of the page where the comment section was located.

With over a thousand fans having attended the premiere, quite a few reviews were already posted.

"It's over, I've lost my mind again."

"The absolute classic Transformers. Even if the premiere was just a slideshow of posters, a devoted fan like me would pass out from excitement. I tried to act calm at first, but the moment the film started, I lost all reason."

"The movie can only be described as astonishingly gorgeous. When the mechanical sounds of transformation began echoing one after another, the entire theater stopped breathing..."

"I'll only say one thing: I absolutely love Duke Rosenberg's Transformers."

Seeing these, Li Ping felt as if he had returned to the era when everyone hated being called Bumblebee and fought to be Megatron. Back then, the Decepticons were much more popular than the Autobots. Thinking about it now, the Autobots had never really won fair and square; they always had the help of the directors and screenwriters. This was why many of his peers back then would use Megatron's tone of voice to say, "The enemy has been discovered, prepare to fire!"

Unconsciously, he grabbed his phone and dialed the number from earlier. As soon as the call connected, he blurted out, "Ziming, let's go together tomorrow!"

"If we're going to watch it, we have to watch the IMAX 3D version. I'll book the tickets first."

Hanging up, Wang Ziming checked online and called one of the only three IMAX cinemas in Shanghai. However, he was met with disappointment: the IMAX 3D version of Transformers was completely sold out for tomorrow!

He called the other two theaters with IMAX screens, but the answer was the same: no tickets available.

Left with no choice, Wang Ziming had to settle for the next best thing and choose the standard 3D version. Fortunately, while 3D tickets were a bit tight, he could still manage to get them if he waited in line.

"I called to book tickets, only to find out that the IMAX ones were all gone. I finally managed to book 3D tickets, but it's for tomorrow's midnight screening."

He called his friend to inform him, sounding quite helpless.

As an emotional bond that connected the generation born in the seventies and eighties, Transformers held a particularly prominent status. Even in China, there were still Transformers fan clubs, annual conventions, and online fan communities. These were more than enough to provide a foundational audience for the live-action movie.

As midnight approached, more screenings of Transformers began to play. An increasing number of fans watched this commercial blockbuster, and the internet was flooded with the opinions of ordinary moviegoers.

On Tianya Forum, a user with the ID Optimus Prime left a comment: "Saying this movie is going to be a 'hit' is a massive understatement. Transformers is unbelievably good!"

"Just got back from watching Transformers. The special effects are absolutely top-tier, though the movie felt a bit long," an anonymous netizen commented on Mtime. "But I really loved it!"

"Okay, review Transformers? ...Wow, wow! Incredible... it's awesome!" This was what someone said to their friend on QQ.

Similar remarks could be seen everywhere online.

"Completely blown away by Transformers! For those 110-plus minutes, I felt like I was back in my childhood. Thank you, Duke Rosenberg! Also, the 3D stereoscopic effects are absolutely groundbreaking and shocking!"

"This is a spectacular experience, something never seen before!"

"This was so fucking awesome! Transformers is simply unparalleled, incredibly shocking, and invincible!"

"Every second is packed with so much action. When you walk out of the theater, you might not be able to resist the temptation to add another 100 yuan to the box office."

This wasn't the relatively mature film market of North America. Both the fanbase and the industrial chain were still in their initial stages of rapid development. Duke wouldn't overlook the media's ability to guide public opinion and influence audiences, and paid online shills were extremely prevalent on this massive regional web.

Then there were the professional film critics in this market. They were all just starting out, and their prices were nowhere near as outrageous as those in North America; a mere few hundred dollars was enough to buy their vocal support.

To put it bluntly, the industry was no different on either side of the ocean.

However, there were also those who didn't buy into Transformers. Just as some people loved this genre, others disliked it.

On Douban, China's famous niche cultural website, Transformers wasn't very well-received.

Although Douban Film had no shortage of applause calling it "brilliant, shocking, and successful," it also encountered some "bad reviews."

Someone bluntly suggested boycotting the film: "This noisy, crude movie will bring you more pain than joy."

Another person questioned whether the film was just a commercial, calling it "a nauseating, forcefully indoctrinated commercial act meant to sell cars, toys, and war, masquerading as a movie. This isn't a movie; it's a sour garbage beverage. I suggest you don't let your kids near it."

Undoubtedly, given Duke's production style, he wasn't very popular among the mainstream users of this website.

Someone else left this comment: "From the moment the explosion-obsessed Duke Rosenberg became the director, Transformers lost its last chance to be an even passably decent film. He has no plan, no style, can't tell a story, and doesn't know how to control the pacing. All he knows is how to pile on special effects and chase after the biggest and loudest spectacles. Whether the stars in his hands are Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves, or those giant machines that turn into cars, he just throws them all together with an endlessly shaking camera."

However, this was destined to remain a minority opinion. No matter what they said, it couldn't change the fact that audiences were lining up in front of theaters to buy tickets for Transformers. Furthermore, the major cinema chains were full of confidence in the box office.