Monday, March 20, 2023

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

It is the year 2005. The Decepticons have invaded and taken over the Autobots' home planet, Cybertron. The Autobots are determined to fight back and go to Autobot City on Earth for supplies. Decepticons hijack and take over the ship, resulting in a fierce battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, the result of which is devastating. A new threat to the Autobots appears in the form of Unicron, a massive planet-devouring entity. The Transformers: The Movie is quite a unique product, which did something so unheard of at the time, that it shocked and even traumatised audiences. Nowadays, it has achieved cult status and it is easy to see why. Set 20 years after the events of season 2 of The Transformers (TV Series 1984-1987), this movie tells a story, which would be continued in the later seasons of the same show. Transformers was a show based on marketing toys to kids. When those toys stop being made, there is a new line brought about with new characters. So this film had the task of basically getting rid of the 85 toy line in favour of bringing about the 86 and the way they went about it was certainly ... effective. Throughout the series, characters were being bashed about and broken and fixed in a jiffy with no consequences but this film, however, had to get rid of these characters for good. To say the least, it was a bloodbath. Characters were being killed off left right and centre both in the foreground, to simply a body on the floor in a split second paying no thought towards how emotionally attached kids were. Not only that but they have some of the most graphic and horrific deaths imaginable, which completely traumatised children and was later dubbed, the great toy massacre of 86. The worst part is that all of this took place in the first 30 minutes. Fan favourites are gunned down in an instant, with no way of ever returning. Without naming names for spoiler reasons, some of these deaths were very over the top with the most graphic being an Autobot being shot through the chest, his eyes turning orange then fading as smoke emits from his mouth as he collapses and dies. I mean yikes. Some of the characters don't even end up completely dying in a sense, as some end up being given a new body and identity, making new characters, again, to usher in new toys. Both sides suffer losses, mainly being some of the most recognisable and beloved characters of them all, making it hit all the harder. If you don't want any spoilers then skip past the red. *Spoilers* The biggest death of all was the one this film is so famous for, the killing of Optimus Prime. The most beloved character in the whole show was killed in a grand final battle against his nemesis Megatron in a battle to the death and his final moments are truly upsetting and caused the most tears among fans. Moving on from the carnage, this film absolutely rocks. The animation is a massive step up from the quality of the show and felt like a big screen experience. The amount of detail is insane and the character models have never looked so visually stunning. I, personally, welcomed the darker tone of the story, especially with the climactic war that rages in the opening of the film. Seeing so many characters from all aspects of the show turn up like the Dinobots and Insecticons was so fun. My favourite sequence in the whole film was the entire first segment but if I had to pick one, it would be Optimus Prime's entrance into the battle where he leaps into the air, gunning Decepticons below to some incredible 80's tunes. The greatest aspect of this movie without a doubt is the music. Any time I think about this film, the music comes to mind instantly. It is phenomenal. With so many artists giving the most awesome pieces ever conceived. From Lion's rendition of the Theme song to Stan Bush's two hit songs, The Touch and Dare, the score of this film will blow you away. It doesn't stop there, however, with so many more so definitely go listen to the playlist if anything. The best movie soundtrack to ever exist. Overall, despite its faults, this is the definitive Transformers Movie. The animation is out of this world, the action invigorating and the music energetic. A true cult classic, worthy of multiple rewatches.


Runtime: 1h 25m
Director: Nelson Shin

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Movie Trailer:


Theme Song:


My DVD Copy:

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