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INTERVIEWS

Interview: Transformers 2 Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

by Alex Billington
June 23, 2009

If you've been reading the site since January, you know that I love to talk with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. I had a long interview with them in January and then talked with them on video in May about all things Star Trek. Now I'm back again with another interview, this time focusing on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which hits theaters tonight. Once you've seen it, let's just say that, there are a lot of questions to ask these guys. And I tried to address some of those and get an idea for how this screenplay came together in the midst of the writer's strike. This full interview is, for the most part, spoiler free!

Watch our interview with Transformers 2 writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman:

This is the spoiler free version of the interview above. To watch the version with spoilers click right here!

This interview was shot using my Flip Mino camera. There is an extra 3 minutes talking about Soundwave and Isabel Lucas' character Alice that I cut out of this interview above, however, I have made the complete interview (with those 3 minutes still intact) also available to watch online if you're interested. As always, it's great talking to these guys, even if it's about criticism and some of the rougher parts of their script for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. If you had any questions (or complaints) coming out of it, then I suggest you start here. Or just watch this to get a glimpse at how they tackled this highly anticipated sequel.

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Dan W

Hey Alex. The clip loads fine for me but at about 3:20 the video stops but the time keeps on going.
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

Ah crap you're right! I'm re-uploading it now... Try it again in about 30 minutes - thanks!
cat

these guys really needed to step up their game but im hearing many bad things about the script. i guess it's not totally their fault because the story has pretty much already been laid out and because of the comedy Bay wants in his movies.
I have anxiety (and depression)

yeah same thing here.
d1rEct

I wonder if Revenge of the fallen is any better script wise than the first Transformers?? because it was trash.
Dan W

All I gotta say is 46 robots fighting each other. If there was only a couple scenes of dialogue in the movie i'd still be happy. I'm not going into it wanting it to make me think on an intellectual level. I just want some action. Everyone needs to stop thinking this is a thought provoking movie.
SlashBeast

These two writers have been spewing out nothing but crap for the past few years. The first Transformers made no sense whatsoever, Star Trek had so many plot holes that they told viewers to read the comic books to get answers. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is no different. Heaven forbid they put any effort into the script at all. After all, those big, shiny robots will just cover up the flaws in the script...
dexter

I wish there's a text version for readers like who's with slow connections? Any possibility Alex? thanks
James

Have seen Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.. IT'S AWESOME!!! Don't Miss It. Will see it at three or more times just to piss off the lame PC critics.
xerxex

Yeah I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and check out Transformers 2...
wrongturn687

It puzzles me greatly how these 2 dudes created such great dynamic and dialogue with Star Trek, but completely failed with Transformers 2. I mean the dialogue in T2 is beyond terrible and comes off as something a 10 year old wrote. No joke at all and if you don't believe see the movie for your iteslf. Btw I still enjoyed T2 as an action film, but eveything else was bad. Peace Out !
R2theL-O

Lets all be serious here. Do you even give a crap about a dialogue? I just wanted to see the movie to see Prime bust some ASS. The battle sequences are much better. Now in terms of a story. I hate Michael Bay for creating a story that mixed in an all spark in part 1 and the matrix in part 2, in addition to mixing elements from the old cartoon which was great with elements for the newer cartoons ie: the all spark. There was too much time wasted dealing with Sam's parents. And as far as those people who complain about Megan Fox. Lets be serious, the girl is F***ing HOT! I wish I was that dude from 90210 that was hitting that. My point for the comment is - Better fights and bigger robots = go see this movie. The hell with the story. I highly doubt fans really care. They just want see Optimus.
wrongturn687

I never said I didn't enjoy T2 as a mindless action film because thats really all that you can expect for this movie to deliver. However, there is no excuse for Bay to put such crappy acting and dialogue into these movies. He could atleast try to direct some decent acting into his movies especially in Transformers, because they do still focus quite a bit on the whole human drama in this movie and the scenes where there wasn't anything exploding or huge robots beating the shit out each other those scenes were almost unbearable. Peace Out !
http://Movieguyreviews4u.blogspot.com Ryan

I fond these two guys so interesting. I just wish though someone would ask them how and why they brmecame producers for The Proposal because when I saw their names in the credits I was shocked since it does not fit in with the rest of their other works.
Jakenstein

I love Orci's comment about criticism at the end of the interview...there is truth in his statement. No matter what you do, when you put it out there for people to consider, you will find that critics come out of the woodwork. And often, this is their only talent - being a critic. I'm glad these guys have figured it out that you take the good with the bad.
Adam

I have seen the film, I nearly fell asleep. It was boring, the story was horrendous and the script woeful. The action scenes couldn't save it either. It was a big disappointment. There is a scene where they all combine yet you can still see the individual cars (Trax and Beat) in the back ground fighting. It was edited extremely poorly. Shame on Bay for providing such a sub par movie.
Jay

Adam, if you are talking about near the end with optimus, the autobots didn't combine. That just looked like that. It was really just parts from the old dude that attached to optimus. Not a perfect moving but still damn enjoyable imo.
dom

They should be BANNED from making films ever again after the disgrace that is Transformers 2. Look how smug they look - what for? They created one of the worst films of 2009 and it was a blatant rip off of Team America.
tterb

It was robots blowing up buildings and other robots, I got pretty much what I excepted. Though why can't every fantasy film be as good as the Dark Night!?
snickers

Those guys are terrible writers. Obviously they write the kind of crap Hollywood eats up, but the screenplays, artistically, are worthless junk.
Pete

I would second #8's thoughts, Alex. I'd love to have text versions of these interviews to be able to read in places or on devices where video is not the media of choice.
Tom Black

Next time try amping up the volume level. On my laptop I couldn't hear a word unless I put my ear by the speakers.
Kalladin

obviously the script is meant to facilitate the action in the movie and it does that. my questions to them however would have been: do you feel like you've positively affected the world with this screenplay? and do you feel artistically satisfied by writing it? as much as i envy anyone who has made the connections in hollywood to do what they do, my feeling is that if they were honest the answer to both of these questions would have been a resounding no. that is truly scary.
George

Transformers 2 was so bad, the worst movie of the year. A great grinding garbage disposal of a movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn't so much a narrative film as a cacophonous series of explosions intermittently interrupted by needless dialogue. Call me old fashioned, but I like a little side story and character to go along with my order of big, loud special effects.
snickers

@23 Agreed. But the morons of the world paid to witness that garbage, and the execs take notice of the truckloads of dollars coming in. Apparently, "story" and "characters you care about" are, like, so yesterday. Hollywood sucks.
snickers

#24, I meant.