Post 5: Stereotypes on the most recent Transformers Movie

1.

Stereotyping is and will always be an continuous issue that spread around every corner of the modern media. There is one movie that has obviously flawed depiction on both gender and racial diversity called Transformers: Age of Extinction -directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger- possibly either the most loved or hated movie of 2014. This movie basically promotes all forms of stereotypes with all races and gender, be they positive or negative. In other words, the movie encourages the popular beliefs and misconceptions on both genders and race around the world.

2. 

-In the beginning of the film, Cade Yeager, the main human protagonist, was being harassed briefly by a bossy, overweight landlady who is an African American. Ever though this character and scene were ment to be comic relief of the film.

-And then, we got a 'Drift', one of the 'good' transformers that took appearance and personality of Japanese samurai, who is formally a villain according to his back story, speaking with slight Asian accent and idioms, and being exceptional in close range combat with his foes. 

-The females in the movie did not escape the traditional stereotypes and misconceptions too. For example, Su Yueming, the asian female character of  the film, basically fit to the typical "Dragon Lady" vibe due to the movie mainly focus on her sassy attitude and her superior martial arts. In "Asian-American Retroperspective at Locarno Film Festival" by Dan Georgakas, Such Asian image were already found since in 1920s such as "Anna May Wong" as she was being sexual and sassy in the movie. 

-Last but not least, this film is promoting traditional masculinity since most competent roles such as main hero and villain are played by European Males. And there no female transformers appear on screen despite their recent increasing popularity in other continuities of Transformers franchise.

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Journal URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41689445