I saw this thread and it made me chuckle. I'm literally in the middle of the extended edition Return of the King, taking a few minutes' break before switching over discs. The first disc alone was just over two hours.
I think there's a place for long movies. The original Solaris was like five hours long, and everyone says it's a masterpiece. However, the multiplex is not the place for it. Let people pay for the extra hour or so - most people want a concise story. That's what you expect from a movie at the cinema. The home experience is totally different.
As for Transformers 4 specifically, I can't see how Michael Bay can stretch any story of his beyond an hour and a half. I'm not saying he's a bad director (though he is becoming one) but it seems that he's becoming a bit self-indulgent. Same with The Hobbit movies. As much as I love them, it is filled with Peter Jackson patting himself on the back at how wonderful a storyteller he is, leading to longer running times but with less in the film. The moor chase in the first Hobbit was drawn out far too long, as was the entrance to Lake-town in the second.
I'll be seeing Transformers 4, but only when it comes out on DVD. I'm not in a hurry, though I'm glad the Dinobots have made it to the screen. For the fact that I'll be seeing it at my own pace, in my own controlled environment, I don't mind the long running time, but for people going to the cinema I do think it's a bit too long.
HoldingOurOwn wrote:Transformer 1 was a disgrace.
I disagree. 2 was one of the worst films I've ever seen, and I can't comment on 3 as I haven't seen it yet, but the first was fantastic. This is coming from someone who used to idolise the 1986 movie and the Unicron trilogy. Transformers 1 was the absolutely perfect mainstream Hollywood Transformers movie, and I would not have done it any other way (though for a sequel, I may have gone for something closer to Fall of Cybertron).
But that's just my opinion. I do however feel fairly strongly about it, seeing how if you can ignore the pointless sequels it's one of the few aliens-versus-heroes-tearing-up-huge-city blockbusters I can stand (along with The Avengers and Man of Steel, the latter because of the sheer horror factor).
"Nothing goes down 'less I'm involved. No nuggets. No onion rings. No nothin'. A cheeseburger gets sold in the park, I want in! You got fat while we starved on the streets...now it's my turn!" -Harley Morenstein