Transformers (1986)

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 6, 2006

I was a child of the 1980’s, and like anyone else from my decade The Transformers were the toy, show, and conversation of choice. This movie brought back some hardcore nostalgia, got me completely psyched up for the 2007 release of Transformers: The Movie, and also made me think about something all too familiar.

It is the year 2005 and the evil Deceptacons, led by Megatron, have set out to destroy their rivals. The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, must defend their planet from their evil foes. When the defense of Optimus Prime succeeds, the Deceptacons and their leader are forced to retreat. The horribly injured Megatron was betrayed by his comrades and thrown into space to die. A huge planet-eating force named Unicron forges an alliance with Megatron, offering him a new body and armada, in exchange for the destruction of the Autobots.

While trying to restore their forces and land, the Autobots find themselves under new leadership when Optimus prime names Ultra Magnus “the one”. The celebration is halted however, when the Autobots discover that Megatron is back with the Deceptacons. Only Megatron, now named Galvatron, is stronger and more powerful. The Autobots are quickly forced to flee, not knowing what is truly in store for them. The Autobots must face their greatest challenge yet, by defeating the evil Deceptacons and Unicron!

This film is a theatrical adaptation of the popular 80’s television series, which has gained an enormous following. The reason I chose to review this film is because of the scheduled July 4th 2007 release of Transformers: The Movie, which will be directed by Michael Bay (Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor). A clip of possibly “transformation” footage has leaked onto the internet; the clip shows that this could actually look pretty cool and not cheesy. The entire industry and geeks of the world (such as me) are absolutely buzzing about this movies release. There is actually a video on the Transformers official movie website of Steven Spielberg practically having an orgasm over the mystique and potential of this franchise. It should also be mentioned that Steve owns the movie rights to the franchise and is the film’s executive producer. I am absolutely psyched about this project, but back to my review of the film that started it all.

This film is extremely rare to find on DVD because of its limited print and the size of the publisher (Rhino Home Video). The DVD is truly a gem because of its animation, amazing voice cast, and sheer nostalgic value. The animation is better than the television series but still caries its same look and feel. The caliber of voice actors for this film are simply shocking, such as Orson Welles, Leonard Nimoy, Judd Nelson, Casey Kasem, Scatman Crothers, Eric Idle (Monty Python), Robert Stack (Unsolved Mysteries Host), and John Moschitta Jr. (the Micro Machines guy!). Orson Welles died in 1985 sparking rumors that Leonard Nimoy took over and provided the voice for Unicron. However, actress Susan Blu (Arcee) has since confirmed that Welles completed the voiceover work before he died. Officially this was Orson Welles’s final film, and what a way to go out. The one aspect of the plot that was truly puzzling, there is a strange resemblance between this 1986 film and the 1999 film The Matrix. Both films have a particular theme of “the one” and the matrix all throughout the story, which spawns some strange coincidences. The one aspect of the DVD that has had people buzzing since 1986 is the infamous swear word. One of the chapter titles on the DVD is actually “swear word.”

This DVD is a collectors dream, in the sense that not only is it rare, it is cool, it is a great movie, and it sparks a controversial question. The animation is great, the voice acting is superb, the synthesized Rocky IV type music can get a bit cheesy, but overall this is one of my favorite DVDs.

The Upside:
Amazing cast of voice actors, great animation, awesome 5.1 transfer, and nostalgic glee.
The Downside:
1980’s cheese factor.
On The Side:
The movie was being produced by the same company, and at the same time, as G.I. Joe: The Movie. It had been agreed that both movies would suffer the loss of the lead heroes, Optimus Prime and Duke. During the production of the two films, G.I. Joe got held up while Transformers finished production. Optimus Prime’s death sparked some controversy and caused the writers to change Duke’s death to a coma. Had G.I. Joe been released first, Optimus Prime might have survived.

Breaking Down the DVD:
The Story: A
The Delivery: A
The Extras: B
Final Grade: A

DVD Stats:
Release Date:
Starring: Norman Alden, Jack Angel, Michael Bell
Directed by: Nelson Shin
Writing Credits: Ron J. Friedman
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
MPAA: Rated PG
Country: USA / Japan
Run Time: 84 min.
Studio: Marvel Productions
Trailer

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