PopHorror Let's Get Scared
When I was twelve, I was a huge Transformers mark, so I was beyond excited when I heard that they were making a movie. The day before school started my mom took me to a matinee to see it and I was just full of nervous energy and completely stoked about watching it that afternoon.
I loved every single minute of it (even though I am sure my poor mom was bored to tears the entire time) and couldn’t wait to see it again as soon as possible. I rented it constantly when it was released on VHS and watched it so many times, I could recite every line of dialogue and enjoyed it more and more each time I watched it.
I hadn’t seen it in a while and decided to watch it again over the weekend since it is the 40th anniversary of its release and just hoped it was as awesome as I remembered it being when I was obsessed with it back in the day.
So, was it as great as I remember or was it one of those movies you loved when you were a kid but don’t really care for as an adult?
Keep reading to find out…
Synopsis
The Decepticons have taken over their home world of Cybertron and the Autobots are struggling to reclaim their beloved planet. However, the Decepticons aren’t the only things that they have to worry about as Unicron-a terrifying monster planet that eats other planets-shows up and is intent on destroying everyone and everything in his path.
I’m not going to lie; I love this movie and think that it is absolutely amazing. I wasn’t the least bit disappointed or let down after I watched it again recently, and as a matter of fact I think I love it even more now than I did when I was a kid. It has a little something for everyone such as a great plot, cool new characters never seen before, and a rocking soundtrack that just plain rules. If you are into The Transformers this film is a must-see as it is without a doubt the best Transformers movie of all time.
One of the things that I have always dug about this movie is that the plot is excellent and it just has an epic feel to it. I always loved the cartoon, but they cranked it up to eleven for the movie and it is nothing short of perfect. While it is awesome to see the Autobots battle their archenemies on the big screen it is also extremely cool that they also must face off against a new threat in the form of Unicron. Unicron is totally and utterly terrifying, and he freaked out a lot of the kids in the theater the day that I saw the movie for the first time when he first appears. He is definitely a threatening guy and is one of the greatest-and underrated-animated film villains of all time. The movie has a different feel than the cartoon series as the stakes feel extremely high this time around, and I was surprised by how violent and brutal the movie was when I first saw it. This isn’t just another episode of the cartoon where someone gets shot and lives to tell about it as beloved characters are killed off left and right, and I appreciate the fact that the overall tone is bleak and dark as night.
The fact that this movie is so brutally violent is one of the reasons I dig it so much. I remember feeling very weird at first when I was a kid when I witnessed Brawn, Prowl, Ironhide, and Ratchet being brutally killed off ten minutes into the film because I wasn’t expecting it and knew then that this movie wasn’t playing around. I realized that anyone could die at any given moment (and boy, do they), and was worried about some of my favorite characters making it through to the end without being blown to pieces (or worse). The opening scene that features Unicron eating another planet (and its inhabitants) is as awesome as it is scary, and I remember several kids in the theater crying and having to be taken out of the theater by parents when they saw this opening scene, and I am sure most of them had nightmares about it for years (To be honest I used to worry about Unicron showing up and eating Earth for months after I saw this movie when I was a kid).
This film also features one of the most shocking deaths in the history of animated films as well. Poor Optimus Prime is killed at one point (but managed to eventually come back on the cartoon series), and it traumatized a generation of kids for years. There were children in the theater crying their eyes out the day that I saw this movie, and I have heard stories about some kid being so traumatized that he locked himself into his room and refused to come out for days afterward. I like Optimus and all, but I wasn’t as bothered by his death as I was by Starscream’s (since he is my favorite character in the series). Optimus Prime’s death scene is quite depressing and emotional, and the music that is playing as he passes away is guaranteed to make anyone shed a tear.
I love Transformers: The Movie and think that it is just utterly awesome. There is so much to love about it, and I think that the voice cast all did an excellent job bringing their respective characters to life. I like the fact that it is sort of a passing of the torch from Optimus to Hot Rod and while most people don’t like Hot Rod (or Rodimus Prime) I always dug him and could relate to him as he is sort of an aimless slacker at the beginning of the film, which reminds me of myself when I was younger.
This movie rules, and if you are a fan of The Transformers, you will love it as it honestly is the best Transformers movie of all time. Check it out even if you aren’t into the series as I think you will enjoy it regardless. Trust me when I say that it is that awesome.
