Terry Gilliam was not impressed by Transformers

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Terry Gilliam could never be accused of making boring or ordinary films. While some people may not completely understand the vision the director creates, it’s wonderful to see what he does create when he paints his canvas.

Gilliam may feel like the world of cinema is more concerned with instant gratification than a deeper meaning. “The thing is, some really good scripts come my way, but there’s nothing in them for me to come to grips with, they are complete in themselves. There’s no uncertainty. I don’t look for answers; I look for questions. I like when people leave the cinema and feel like the world has been altered for them somewhat. On ‘Brazil,’ I know a woman who said she saw the film, went home and later that night she just started weeping. I also heard about an attorney who saw the film and then locked himself in his office for three days. Fantastic. On ‘Fisher King,’ I know specifically of a woman in New York who saw it and then walked 20 blocks on her way home and realized she was walking in the wrong direction. Movies used to do that to me, but they don’t do that to me anymore.”

Example? TRANSFORMERS. Gilliam tried but ultimately the experience left him with a sad feeling.“You just sit there and watch the explosions. I couldn’t tell you what the movie was about. The movie hammers the audience into submission. They are influenced by video games, but in video games at least you are immersed; in these movies you’re left out. In films, there’s so much overt fantasy now that I don’t watch a lot because everything is possible now. There’s no tension there. People can slide down the side of a building that’s falling and they don’t get ripped to shreds? The shots are amazing, but if there is no consequence, no gravity, what’s the point? I can’t watch Hollywood movies anymore. There’s no room for me.”

Okay, so maybe Gilliam wasn’t a child of the 80s who was in love with transforming robots. The Transformers are simply just nostalgia and fun. There’s always a place for that. But it would be nice to get a little more substance from films, especially if they make you walk 20 blocks in the wrong direction.