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(via Ben Johnson​)

Originally shared by Old School 4 Life™

On this day:

At 8th August of 1986, “Transformers: The Movie” debuted in US theaters. “Transformers: The Movie” is an American animated science fiction action adventure film based on the animated TV series by the same name. The film’s final box office gross was $5,849,647 which made it the 99th highest-grossing movie of 1986. However, the film has become a cult classic. Shout! Factory is to release the film on DVD and Blu-ray on September 13, 2016 in time for the film’s 30th anniversary.

Many cartoons inspired in toy-lines where made in the 80’s, but not many of them resisted the test of time. The original Transformers cartoon is one of those shows, that despite all the flaws that could have (It was, after all, a product of its time) was highly entertaining and had an interesting cast of characters, which were the most appealing element of this franchise, and made it survive among the decades.

Hasbro’s Transformers became such a huge hit thanks to a combination of both the toys and the original G1 TV series of the same name. Robots changing into vehicles, guns, and even animals was such an incredible and original concept that it’s hard to ignore. After running for two seasons at the time, Hasbro decided to make a full-length movie starring the Autobots and Decepticons.

Plot: The year is 2005 (imagine that) as the Autobots, led by the heroic Optimus Prime, prepare to retake their home world Cybertron from the clutches of the evil Megatron and his Decepticons. However, a terrifying intergalactic force has arrived on the scene that’s proved to be literally bigger than their petty war, the planet-sized Unicron (Orsen Welles). With the power of this new foe greater than anything imagined, it will take a new generation of heroes to stop this menace. Time to transform and role out!

As usual of Transformers, the characters are the main stars. The new characters introduced are extremely likable from their very first uttered line, thanks to a great mix of an engaging script and professional acting. A good measure of character development, which usually takes at least a couple of episodes in the TV series, is present here and is very well handled with none of the characters coming across as bland or uninteresting.

The script is as emotionally charged as ever, and its characters portrayed as humanly as possible, that its tragic climax would bring a tear to any one’s eye. The fight scenes are superbly storyboarded utilizing all the right shot angles, close-ups or wide pans, and lighting effects to add to the impact and cinematic feel of each battle.

The film deals with themes such as loyalty, friendship, the transition from youth to adulthood, the acceptance of responsibility, respect for elders, working toward a common goal and much else all backed by a superb 80’s soft metal soundtrack composed by the much underrated Stan Bush.

The soundtrack is the driving force behind much of the emotion of the movie, watch the scene where Hot Rod becomes Rodimus Prime without ‘The Touch’ and its nowhere near as effective. Watch Optimus take out the decepticons without ‘The Touch’ and you won’t pull for him. Watch Hot Rod and Kup escape the Sharkticons without ‘Dare’ playing and it doesn’t work as well.

While the decision to kill of many of the better known characters lay with Hasbro – who wanted to make room for the next range of action figures – it remains a bold and daring move and something that would be inconceivable for studios today. Added to this are the excellent action sequences, perfect soundtrack, and a cast that includes the aforementioned Orson Welles in addition to Leonard Nimoy, Judd Nelson, Robert Stack, Eric Idle, Scatman Crothers (also in his final role), and voice-over legends Corey Burton, Peter Cullen, Casey Kasem, and Chris Latta.

On a whole, this movie is a real treat for all transformers fans, and an entertaining watch for the casual anime fan as long as one is able to keep up with the various characters. Both a major turning point in the ongoing Transformers storyline, and an important milestone in animation, ‘Transformers: The Movie’ deserves to be taken seriously, and although it’s far from perfect, it will always retain a place in the hearts of us children of the 80’s.

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