Grimlock Tries to Show Up Godzilla in the New 'Transformers' Trailer
How coincidental: Right as the hype for this weekend’s Godzilla hits a fever pitch, Paramount has come out with a new trailer for Transformers: Age of Extinction (out June 27) that seems to serve as a preemptive one-upping of Warner Bros.’ giant beast: “Oh, your dinosaur creature stomps around and smashes things? How cute: we have one of those too. Except ours is made of metal and is the steed of an enormous, sword-swinging robot.” [mic drop]
In the trailer, the entrance of Grimlock — arguably the most highly anticipated character of the fourth Transformers movie — is foreshadowed by Autobot commander Optimus Prime musing, “We need a new army,” as a new enemy has risen to wipe out both Autobots and humans alike. As seen in earlier clips, the mechanical T-Rex serves as Optimus’ trusty (-ish) mount, and is far more than just transport.
While the new Godzilla, as Richard Rushfield pointed out in his essay, pulls back on the massive destruction, Grimlock (and all his metallic friends) are all about the smashy smashy: buildings shoved over, a cruise ship falling from the sky, and, in a comparatively pared-down moment, one man’s head getting hit by the tire of a flying car. But hey, it’s Michael Bay: You were expecting a climactic bot-on-bot chess match?
[Related: 2014 Summer Movie Preview: Our 25 Most Anticipated Films]
The new trailer also reveals a bit more of the plot, with Stanley Tucci playing a scientist who discovers the unique metal with which the Transformers are made. We’re given a hint that, besides the formidable force of Decepticon bounty hunter Lockdown, the Autobots must also deal with human-made Decepticons — particularly Galvatron (voiced by longtime TF alum Frank Welker), who’s still only getting a few frames per trailer.
We also get a look at what appears to be Drift, a former Decepticon who transforms into a black and blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse (and is voiced by Godzilla star Ken Watanabe). And the bearded Autobot (don’t complain — Transformers have had beards as far back as Wreck-Gar and Scourge in 1986’s animated The Transformers: The Movie) seems to be screaming in a way that sounds like John Goodman in Raising Arizona, which means that guy’s probably Hound, a G1 character reimagined as an Oshkosh Defense Medium Tactical Vehicle.
And it wouldn’t be a Transformers movie without Bumblebee, who appears to once again be the favorite Autobot of the cute humans, as evidenced by Nicola Peltz crying out “Bumblebee!” at least once. I like to imagine her audition consisting only of her having to shout this over and over for two hours.
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
