The Transformers - The Movie (1986)

During the 1980s, one cartoon series ruled the airwaves... The Transformers. This paragon of consumerism was created with a dual purpose--to entertain and to galvanize children to buy the toys. Somewhere along the line, the show became a cult favorite, so in 1986 they fashioned an epic tale of good versus evil specifically for the big screen. The result looked vaguely like an animated remake of Star Wars. Who are the Transformers? The good guys are the Autobots: Optimus Prime, SoundWave, Jazz, Ultra Magnus, and many more. Their mortal enemies are the evil Decepticons, led by Megatron and StarScream. The Autobots must save their home planet from an evil entity known as Unicron (voiced by Orson Welles). At the same time, they must defend themselves from an all-out attack from the Decepticons. Along the way, lives are lost, battles are fought, and a new Autobot leader is born as another dies. The story and action never stop in a thrilling ride that often makes you forget that you're watching an '80s cartoon with inferior graphics. The violence will also come as a mild shock to those who haven't seen this film for a while--definitely a movie for the 8 and over audience. For those who grew up on this series, this is a movie that must be watched. Unlike cartoon serials before and after, The Transformers relied on solid stories and interesting characters, a manifesto the film itself upholds with gusto and grace while also being morally responsible. Don't underestimate this movie; there is definitely more to it than meets the eye. --Jeremy Storey Amazon.com

THE Movie!!!

This is the title that was the trend setter above all else.Not perfect,but by no means lacking either,Hell!!!, it even had a curse word in it!The true standard bearer.A must for any and all fans!!! May 12, 2008

DID THAT AUTOBOT JUST USE THE 'S' WORD?

My son and I watched this movie together for our weekly boys' night ritual and both of us enjoyed the non-stop action and mildly amusing humor sprinkled here and there. The dialogue isn't great and the animation is not very fetching in some scenes, but for the most part it kept our attention and fed my son's appetite for every thing 'Transformers'. The one troubling moment happens in the first 1/3 of the movie when one of the autobots delivers a shocking expletive. In the 20 years since this movie debuted animated shows like South Park have elevated the swear word to an art form, but I wasn't quite prepared for that particular word to appear in this 1980's cartoon movie. It is a bit awkward. At least if it had been a bad guy I could have turned into a moral lesson about making bad choices; instead I was left to hope the boy had completely missed that line. This isn't to say my son hasn't watched a movie here and there with questional language, but if he repeats the robot potty words in front of my wife I'm the one who is going to be in for it. Just a word of warning, this is a great little flick but there are a couple of lines of surprise verbage mixed in with all the violence and it may not be right for the youngest among us. May 6, 2008

Transformers The Movie (1986) is a beloved classic of mine

I was a HUGE fan of the Transformers (G1) when I was a kid and I'm no less of a fan of the series (and the movie) now than when it was released into the theaters back in 1986. However, the movie ended up being a DRAMATIC departure from the more "kid-friendly" TV series, as was made painfully clear during the first 30 minutes of the film when several beloved Autobot characters die VIOLENT deaths at the hands of Megatron and the Decepticons, including, most sadly, Optimus Prime. The main plot of the movie revolves around the struggle between the Transformers and a giant planet-eating monster named Unicron, who initially forms a tentative alliance with a dying Megatron, later rebuilt by Unicron into Galvatron (essentially Megatron with a new body), in order to help him destroy the Autobot Matrix of Leadership from the Autobot's new leader, Ultra Magnus, one of many new characters introduced in this film. In a plot somewhat derivative of Star Wars, one of the main characters ends up unlocking the power of the Matrix and leading the Autobots to victory against Unicron and the Decepticons. Although there are a small number of cheesy scenes in the movie (i.e. the characters dancing with the Junkions), the movie, by far, was extraordinarily entertaining and the first 30 minutes were simply spellbinding to watch starting with Unicron mercilessly devouring an entire planet, the Decepticons launching an all-out assault on the Autobots' new base on Earth, and Optimus Prime and Megatron finally having THE ULTIMATE FIGHT TO THE DEATH that I had long been waiting to see. The action in the movie is complemented by the excellent guest voice talents of Robert Stack, Judd Nelson, Lionel Stander, LEONARD NIMOY, and Eric Idle, as well as the original voice talents of Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) and Frank Welker (Megatron) from the series. I thought that the dialogue in the movie was also written extremely well with many memorable lines that are too numerous to mention here. The animation in the movie is also quite superb, particularly when contrasted with the animation in the TV series.

The soundtrack for the movie is simply outstanding, particularly songs such as "The Touch" and "Dare", both performed by a little known rock artist named Stan Bush. The synthesizer-laden instrumental score was composed and performed by another little known rock artist named Vince DiCola, who also scored Rocky IV, and is perhaps one of the best instrumental scores for a movie that I've ever heard with the possible exception of John Williams' score for Star Wars. Although some of Vince DiCola's magnificent score is available on the movie soundtracks that have been released (check out the 2007 release for more of the score and an alternate version of the main Transformers theme), the availability of any full-length recordings of his score has been exclusively limited to people attending past Bot-Con conventions and even Mr. DiCola himself reports that he is unsure of any future releases of the score (although albums containing score demos and outtakes are available on his record studio website). Hopefully, a full recording of the soundtrack will be made available someday. I listen to the soundtrack quite frequently even nowadays and it is one of the few albums that never really get tired of listening to but, of course, I definitely wish that more of the score was available. A remix of "The Touch" by Stan Bush and a Transformers-inspired song called "Til All Are One" were recently included on Stan Bush's latest album (In This Life). Both of these songs are definitely worth downloading.

There is not really too much about the movie that I didn't like other than the fact that it seemed like the directors killed off way too many Autobots (and not enough Decepticons), mostly classic first season characters (Ironhide, Ratchet, Brawn, Prowl, Wheeljack, Windcharger) and the movie was fairly limited in terms of the numbers of the characters, both Autobot and Decepticon, it showed considering the number of characters introduced throughout the series up to that point. Also, there were some continuity problems with the series although I don't really hold them against the movie. For instance, the Autobot Matrix of Leadership was never mentioned anytime during the series prior to the movie. Also, there was no explanation given for how the Decepticons ultimately conquered Cybertron, the existence of Cybertron's moons, and the creation of Autobot City. Optimus Prime's death was also really hard for me to deal with. How the writers thought that they could kill him off in the movie and NOT expect an angry backlash from ardent fans of the series is beyond me. It does help knowing (now anyway) that Optimus Prime DOES properly return towards the end of the 3rd season of the G1 series and is back in the truncated fourth season . However, when I was a kid, not knowing this, I remember being REALLY sad over his death and, in fact,I think that it was the only time I ever cried over a fictional character.

Overall, I must say that Transformers The Movie is probably one of my all-time favorite movies, eclipsed perhaps only by the Star Wars movies and is one of the few movies that I've seen that I could easily watch several times without ever really getting tired of it. It is definitely recommended for anybody who enjoyed any of the Transformers series, particularly the G1 series that it is based on. Sci-fi and anime fans will almost certainly enjoy it as well. April 4, 2008

Transformer (Cartoon)

I gave this product as a Christmas present and got a fantastic response. I have watched it and it is great. The cartoon is a great review and just plain fun to watch before or after watching the new "Transformers" movie.
DO ENJOY!!!! January 12, 2008

Great stroll down memory lane, good cartoon artwork, a little cheesy dialogue

I assume if you're looking at this product, it's because you saw it back in the day, or you saw the new live-action movie (2007) and are catching up on old stuff.

So for what it is, which is an old cartoon, put into a fairly ambitious cartoon movie for its time, it's awesome. If you're hoping to find something on par with the live-action movie, you'll be disappointed.

I grew up with Transformers and saw the movie originally in the theater. I loved it. Sometimes when you go back to things like this, they aren't as good as you remember - this isn't the case. Yes, the dialogue is a little cheesy at times; yes, the plot is a little thin; but the artwork is great, and it's freakin' Transformers for crying out loud, and the story concept is pretty grand in scale.

I recommend it for true fans of Transformers old and new. January 1, 2008

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