On September 13, 2016, just slightly over 30 years since it came out in theaters, this masterpiece will be coming to Blu-Ray.
So why is it so great? So important? So much a part of my childhood? Listen my children and you shall see...
Original Transformers
These are the Transformers that we, the generation who they were introduced to, got to know and love (and hate) from the beginning. Optimus Prime. Ultra Magnus. Megatron. Starscream. And so many more. Yes, there were new characters, of course there were going to be, but they were, mostly, brought in to support those who we already knew the background on.
New Villain
This movie introduced us to Unicron. One of the most bad-ass villains ever created in a movie, animated or otherwise. A moon-sized Transformer who can eat planets?!
Limited Humans
This was about the fight between Autobots and Decepticons and ultimately Unicron. The small bits of humans put in there were just to throw a nod towards the fact that humanity hasn't killed itself yet.
The Voices
Now we are getting into some big stuff here. Yes, Michael Bay's atrocity did a huge thing by returning Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime, and for that fans should be a (very) little grateful, But look at some of the other voices included in this movie:
- Orson Welles (yes, THAT Orson Welles, in his last roll ever)
- Robert Stack (of Unsolved Mysteries fame)
- Leonard Nimoy
- Judd Nelson
- Casey Kasem
- John Moschitta, Jr. (the Micro Machines guy!)
- Eric Idle
- Frank Welker (who, with Peter Cullen, probably did 70% of the voices of my childhood)
- and of course Peter Cullen
The Loss
Not even 20 minutes into the movie one of the most gut-wrenching scenes of all time happened, and it still effects most men aged 35-40. Optimus Prime, the beloved leader of the Autobots, is killed. His Spark fades, and he turns gray. This wasn't some secondary character they killed here. This was Optimus effing Prime! They can't do that! But...they did.
The Music
Now this is a part that definitely has a special place in my heart. Two songs in particular on the soundtrack are still on my cell phone to this day. Both written by Stan Bush. The first, "The Touch" is so mid-80's that it hurts. But it has so many great lines in it that, if you know it, you just can't help but sing along. The scene in the movie plays out like this:
Optimus Prime, having just landed on Earth to an embattled Autobot City says "Megatron must be stopped no matter the cost." to which he transforms to his semi-truck form and starts to head across a bridge towards the city...all while Stan Bush starts singing..."You got the touch. You got the power...". He proceeds to take out Decepticon after Decepticon, all while the music plays out for us. He corners Megatron and says one of the greatest, and sadly most foreshadowing, lines in the movie "One shall stand. One shall fall".I'll leave out the rest as I'm starting to get teary-eyed knowing whats coming (stupid Hot Rod, why couldn't you have listened to Kup?!).
The other song by Stand Bush is called "Dare". It happens just before the attack on Autobot City and introduces us to the previously accursed Hot Rod and wizened Kup (also Daniel Witwicky, who we can all live without). It's just a fun, upbeat song that you just can't help but tap along to. "You can fly if you try..."
End of an Era
While the Transformers continued on for a few more years after this movie, for a lot of us it had lost it's innocence. It had killed Optimus Prime. Brought on the rise of Galvatron. Proved that, if really needed, an Autobot leader can pretty much defeat anything so long as he has the Matrix of Leadership. Oh, and it also taught a lot of us our first curse word (see below video). I will always love this movie, even with it's many faults, because it reminds me of what it was like to be a hopeful child, and have those hopes dashed. And I will never forget the songs that make this movie remembered by me and so many to this day.
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