Transformers: The Movie (1986)

[SuccubusYuri]

As a general aside, it's good to see Chuck tackle a passion project again. You can really feel the enthusiasm in every gag.

[Independent George]

Oh, come now, it's Galaxy Rangers, they're as sanitary as Bravestarr... well, as clean as that one drug episode we all remember from Bravestarr.

I actually have no recollection of Bravestarr. I recognize the name, but I don't think I've ever seen it.

[G-Man]

I think the best way to describe the 3rd season of Transformers is that it is sort of like making the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation the fourth season of Star Trek (which I think they were planning on doing if they did not get a 2nd season). It's more of a spin-off series than a 3rd season.

[Darth Wedgius]

Ok, slightly off-topic, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers the Galaxy Rangers. I mean, if you want to talk about some seriously messed up stuff that squeaked past the censors and into a kids' cartoon, look no further. And this was on TV!

Galaxy Rangers was probably my favorite cartoon of its time. I even have some of it on DVD.

[Madner Kami]

For my own opinion I actually do like that Unicron's motives are never elaborated on and that he seems to be doing all this seemingly for the sake of it. Unicron is pretty much the transformers version of a Cthulhu, a creature of seemingly cosmic power who sees mortals as tools at best and nothing at worse. Also I utterly love Orson Welles' performance as Unicron almost sounds bored when describing itself, how he almost never angry and when It's pants to be darken time.

The entire movie-introduction and reveal of Unicron is easily one of the best sequences ever done, especially if you think of Unicron as an elder thing:
There's space, deep space, the music adds a flair of the vast mysterious unknown as we zoom in on a peculiar and clearly not-natural object floating out there and as we get close, the music adds a mechanical-sounding theme just as it becomes clear, that this unnatural object is mechanical in nature and moves past the camera.
The mysterious music ceases to make room for a driving theme that intertwines with the mechanical tune as the object keeps moving and it's target, a planet, is revealed.
We zoom into the planet and observe the happy innocent lives on the planet, who do their daily routine and who are completely oblivious to the danger coming towards them, represented not just by the visuals, but the music perfectly as well, as the mechanical driving theme couples with a happy theme while we watch the last seconds of their innocence pass by.
As the gravitational influence of Unicron's approach starts to shake the planet, the theme changes again, loosing the happy tune and making room for a reinterpretation of the initial mystery-tune that the sequence started with, now again coupled with the pure mechanial driving sound as Unicron devours the planet and puts an end to the lives of the people we just observed.
The music interweaves the mechanical and mystery theme as we watch Unicron being invigorated and pass on, to leave a nothing in his wake, with the music being silenced for a few seconds.

Two minutes of perfect story-telling, the way that only movies can do. And of course then starts one of the greatest theme-reinterpretations of all time, "Transformers" by a band called Lion. (Kudos to Stan Bush, of course.)

[CharlesPhipps]

Agreed.

Unicron may be a re-imagining of Galactus but he's an awesome re-imagining of Galactus. He's probably a major reason why the story works so far because he's an out of context problem. The Transformers have never faced anything like Unicron before and he's a threat which dwarfs Megatron.

It also plays into Hot Rod's arc.

One reason passing the torch never works is because there's always a sense the older generation is better qualified than the new. Unless they're long dead, you wonder why they're not the leaders.

Here, Optimus Prime dies but Hot Rod opens his tenure by defeating Cthulhu. That's a good opening act.

[Independent George]

One reason passing the torch never works is because there's always a sense the older generation is better qualified than the new. Unless they're long dead, you wonder why they're not the leaders.

Here, Optimus Prime dies but Hot Rod opens his tenure by defeating Cthulhu. That's a good opening act.

Except... he really didn't do much of anything except open the magic box that the villain conveniently left easily within his grasp.

He didn't show any leadership qualities before that. He didn't strive to improve himself or take any hard lessons to heart. He just... opened a magic box that made him the leader.

[Steve]

He got one moment, really. When he was the one to use the universal greeting with the Junkions, preventing the renewal of violence and turning enemies into allies.

Unfortunately, that one moment wasn't really enough. Arguably the story needed another couple of sequences with Hot Rod taking charge and showing wisdom. For instance, expand the part inside Unicron to have him rally the Autobots (including the moonbase survivors) into attacking Unicron's internals and giving an opening for his confrontation with Galvatron. Or alter the events on Quintessa so he's the one who persuades the Sharktacons (or others) to rise up against the Quintessons. Instead all we got besides the Junkion bit was another example of his courage (freeing Kup from the Quintessian Kraken), repairing Kup, and his defiant "I have nothing but contempt for this court!"

[TheLibrarian]

Honestly, all of the band of five could be summed up in one word.

Hot Rod=Douche
Springer=Prick
Ultra Magnus=Tool
Kup=Geezer
Arcee=Chick

Ha! I remember when I watched it with friends in university for the first time since probably my early teens, and Springer just set us off. Every time something traumatic happens, e.g. Daniel cries out because the moon where his father and Bumblebee were just got destroyed and they have no reason to believe anyone's escaped, Springer says, "I'm sure they're fine." But not in the consolatory tone you'd use to try and comfort a distraught child. No, he sounds like a smug asshole! Every single time!

[Rodan56]

You know as much as I had liked the concept of an alternate version of these events with a comic that explored Optimus surviving... it came off so mean spirited. Killing off Arcee and Springer and everyone for no really good reason. I mean seriously, come on, that was not neccessary. Arcee did not deserve an off screen death like that. It just felt like senseless fanboy petty rage and it soured the whole book for me. Shame.

I guess that's why I still prefer the movie. That and Arcee, being such an iconic female transformer, deserves better than to have her progenitor version be tossed aside. Especially in that movie where she played an important role in being surrogate mother to Daniel. Which gave him the confidence to save his dad and others. I mean, come on, give a girl her due.