Pop Culture Movies and More: The Transformers (TV Series 1984-1987)

During the great Cybertronian War, the Autobots and the Decepticons crash-landed on Earth. Millions of years later, geological activity revives the warring factions, the Decepticons want to strip Earth of its vast energy resources, and the Autobots seek to protect the inhabitants of Earth from that fate. And so an endless battle begins in a crucial race to find an energy source for their homeworld Cybertron. Transformers is one of the most popular and recognisable shows of the 1980s and it is easy to see why. Fundamentally, this show was first and foremost made as a means to sell toys, which were created before this series was made. After their overwhelming success, a television show was spawned to give the figures a background and a rich story to match making the toys even more enjoyable for kids. To give these toys a great deal of character and history was a superb idea, especially seeing how beloved these characters became to people. It certainly will have added to their value. As a concept in general, robots that can change into vehicles, guns and other objects is simply an amazing idea that has proven timeless, entertaining people to this day. Transformers' representation of this idea was done superbly and worked extremely well, creating a franchise of many shows, films and video games over the years. The show ran 4 seasons with a theatrical release, The Transformers: The Movie (1986), which is set after season 2, leading into season 3. The first two seasons saw the heroic Autobots fending against the evil Decepticons who aim to drain the planet Earth, of the 1980s, of all its energy resources. I think that these early seasons were the peak of the series and easily my favourite, whilst I did want to see more of the planet Cybertron, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these alien life forms inhabiting our planet, disguising themselves as Earth vehicles. We are introduced to so many interesting characters that have been cemented in pop culture history becoming so iconic. From their appearances to their mannerisms and voices, these characters are equally memorable in their own varied ways. Of the Autobots, there are too many to name but the most recognisable has to be the heroic leader Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. On the opposing side, it had to be the fierce leader Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave. I love everything about them from their look, especially Prime's, but also the voiceovers for each one are outstanding, truly bringing them to life. There were so many cool designs and transformations from the obvious cars, and planes but also tanks, a boombox, a microscope, guns, insects and even dinosaurs! There are groups of Transformers that can combine into one large character like the Constructicons who form into Devastator who was the coolest looking of them all. There can be quite a few annoying people in the show, mainly humans, who can get on my nerves for sure but I do enjoy seeing characters like Spike and his father, Sparkplug, who constantly aid the Autobots in their missions on Earth. Moving onto the later seasons following the movie, the show takes place after the events of that story, set in the year 2005 and shows little Earth, only appearing a bit and mainly focusing on stories on Cybertron or in space with a whole new cast of characters. I do enjoy the later seasons but they weren't as enjoyable to me as the first. As it went on, the show got a bit ridiculous with everyone's guns being Transformers and even robot heads becoming their own also. The thing I adore the most from the series has to be the theme song, which had many variations over the years with my personal favourite being season 2. It is extremely catchy and so visually stunning. Overall, the Transformers is another fine piece of classic 80s television that brought so many loveable and iconic robots to life and presents many ideas that continue to be timeless. With beautiful animation, marvellous voiceovers and intriguing stories, this is a show sure to capture your imagination. For more Transformers, check out the first live-action movie: Transformers (2007) or if you are looking for a live-action 80s adaptation, check out: Bumblebee (2018).