Devastator's WRECKING BALLS are THE CORE OF THE MOVIE!!!
DEVASTATOR'S WRECKING BALLS ARE THE CORE OF THE MOVIE!!!
Firstly, it's worth noting that I find Devastator's wrecking ball scrotum absolutely HILARIOUS and in no way in need of ANY further justification beyond that alone.
However, as with my similarly-titled thread analyzing the symbolism of a likewise commonly dismissed and VASTLY unappreciated scene from Transformers: Dark of the Moon, "The Red Cup FREAKOUT Scene is THE CORE OF THE MOVIE!!!," I assure you that I am actually 1,000% SERIOUS about this and hope you'll all gird your loins long enough to hear me out and bear with me for the sake of better understanding the IMMENSE subtlety of such a BLATANTLY balls-out and IN-YOUR-FACE yet somehow still incredibly sneaky and clever scene such as THIS:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Hazekiah/Mobile%20Uploads/transformers-revenge-movie-screencaps.com-15502_zpsywqacxnu.jpg
So here we go!
As I'm sure you're all WELL aware, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is easily the most maligned film of the series to date, and no scene in the film is MORE reviled by its detractors than THIS scene. Often called "pointless," it is among the most blatant examples of the so-called "toilet humor" which is so commonly at the heart of the movie's criticisms, particularly because so many think it "has no place" in the movie or any value AT ALL beyond that of a cheap laugh.
THIS THREAD SEEKS TO REMEDY THAT MISUNDERSTANDING.
So what IS the "core" of the movie, and how exactly DOES this scene fit into that thematic statement???
As the opening and closing monologues of this movie establish, one of the core plot points of the entire movie is the revelation that Earth and Cybertron share a FAR more ancient history together than was previously known. In fact, the film even goes so far as to establish that the core of the dispute between Autobots and Decepticons actually revolves around The Fallen's attempt to break the code of the Primes by eradicating all life on Earth with the Sun Harvester for his own selfish and evil motives.
But, stepping back from those points for a moment, we must also acknowledge the baselessness of yet another common criticism of the film, regarding the so-called "toilet humor" prevalent throughout, such as the Witwicky family's pets humping away on the sofa, for instance.
However, are they even really fornicating?
Nope! In fact, Ron Witwicky's dialogue makes that explicitly clear:
MOJO! STOP DOMINATING FRANKIE!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Hazekiah/Mobile%20Uploads/transformers-revenge-movie-screencaps.com-1109_zpsmudxaka6.jpg
Yes, as the scene above establishes, the "dog-humping" scenes DO NOT depict actual reproductive acts, but represent instead acts of DOMINANCE, behavior which even neutered males and the female of the species engage in socially to express their "alpha" status over others.
Likewise, the scene of Wheelie "humping" Mikaela's leg later in the film is meant as a display of dominance for the film's audience as much as for the characters themselves, brilliantly set-up and foreshadowed by Mojo's OWN display of dominance over Frankie, illustrating not only that Mikaela is Wheelie's "goddess" and that he belongs to her, but also that SHE belongs to HIM, much to Sam's dismay.
YEAH! YEAH! SAY MY NAME! SAY MY NAME!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Hazekiah/Mobile%20Uploads/transformers-revenge-movie-screencaps.com-10062_zpsguhcw45j.jpg
Which leads me to the point of this thread!
How exactly do these so often derided and misunderstood scenes play into the movie's CORE themes of a shared history between Earth and Cybertron and the root of the schism between the Autobots and Decepticons?
Wait for it...
Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly submit to you...
DECEPTICONS DOMINATING OUR PLANET
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Hazekiah/Mobile%20Uploads/transformers-revenge-movie-screencaps.com-15544_zpsvgvel3i7.jpg
All of which taken together, I hasten to add, demonstrates a FANTASTICALLY subtle and clever employment of The Screenwriter's Rule of Three, simultaneously establishing the underpinnings of the humor and, more importantly, the very meaning of the scene in question, wherein we see Devastator straddling an ancient monument from Earth's history and revealing it to be in actuality, the Sun Harvester, an instrument of Decepticon dominance over mankind.
Pretty clever stuff for a film so many people constantly accuse of being so poorly written!
Hell, this theme of domination which the film constructs over the course of three, evenly spaced acts even offers something in the way of a more intrinsically naturalistic explanation for the movie's similarly widely-criticized transformation of Devastator from his traditional, bipedal design to that of a lumbering, four-legged beast-like design, insofar as it makes more plainly recognizable the visual parallel between Mojo's dominance over Frankie and Devastator's dominance over us.
And for anyone who thinks that the filmmakers underutilized and failed to take FULL advantage of their unprecedented access to the Great Pyramids of Giza, or that this scene was nothing more than a tasteless, throwaway gag with no place or purpose within the movie, I sincerely suggest turning your brain back on and PAYING ATTENTION to what's actually going on within the scene and the film as a whole.
I mean, this stuff is PURE GOLD, man!
Even the so-called "lowbrow" humor of Simmons' dialogue perfectly encapsulates the visual metaphor of Decepticon domination over not only Earth's history but, indeed, MANKIND ITSELF.
To wit...
I AM DIRECTLY BELOW ENEMY SCROTUM!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Hazekiah/Mobile%20Uploads/transformers-revenge-movie-screencaps.com-15506_zpsewdp3gjr.jpg
And there we have it!
Naturally, I have A LOT more to say on this subject, but I'll save that for a later date since I can already feel the nerdrage, hatred, and blind rejection coming my way after explaining all this, lol.
In the meantime, I hope you've found this to be as enjoyable as it is enlightening!
:)