Bloody hell, Transformers are just cool, aren’t they? At its core it’s a property with a simple good versus evil story.  Good guy robots (Autobots) vs bad guy robots (Decepticons) that can both transform into other things, locked in an intense rivalry constantly trying to beat the ever-loving petrol out of one another. And clearly I am not the only one who thinks this as it is a property that has survived in one shape or form since the 80’s. Not too shabby given it’s main goal was to shift a butt load of toys.

The main format has predominantly been TV but when something gets so popular it’s inevitable that it’ll dip it’s toes into other mediums. The property itself actually started life in comic book form with Marvel where a lot of the characters and lore were first created with comics still occasionally popping up to this day. There have also been numerous videogames over the years that has run the gamut of being great to absolute garbage. The War for Cybertron is actually a great hidden gem of a series if you are looking for something to play. And of course, there has been plenty of movies as well.

Just like the videogames though, when it comes to the big screen these robots in disguise have had some mixed outings. The most notable of which are of course the Michael Bay produced series that dominated cinema throughout the 2000’s and into the 2010’s. I’ll admit the first Bay Transformers movie is actually decent. It’s a fun enough action flick that delivers what you want out of giant robots smashing the hell out of each other. It’s just a shame the series quickly fell off a cliff with the follow up films falling into the usual Bay tropes. Racial stereotypes, poorly written females, pointless explosions, and an over reliance on CGI that they might as well of just went completely animated.

Money talks though, especially in China, which is how they kept getting churned out. Things seemed to be getting back on a better track with Bumblebee, the last to be released but nothing has been heard of this iteration since. However, the truth is all these films and any to come in the future will always have an up-hill battle when compared to the first big screen outing. Released in 1986, Transformer the Movie, was released right at the height of the first wave of Transformers-mania serving as a sort of bridge between Generation 1 and Generation 2 in the TV series. Despite being fondly remembered by those of a certain age it has largely slipped into a cult status but deserves to be viewed as it is a cracking animated movie.

To get the obvious out of the way; the whole film is basically an overpriced and elaborate commercial to shift toys. There is really no denying that. As mentioned, this acted as a bridge between G1 and G2 in the TV series, so the whole thing was essentially done to introduce new characters in one big move to immediately have kids begging mom’s in the Toys R Us isles. Despite this though there does feel like there is some great effort that went into this. Across its 85 minutes run time you get a gorgeously animated film that is packed with action, humour, emotion, and some incredibly ballsy decisions.

Plot wise the film carries on as the show does with the war for Cybertron between the Autobots and Decepticons reaching a devastating crescendo for both factions. However, a new threat looms in the form of Unicron, a planet sized transformer that eats other planets (think Death Star but with teeth), that is heading straight for Cybertron. In truth, if you haven’t watched the show you may feel a little lost at first as it does delve straight into the action. But speaking as someone who isn’t actually a follower of the show (I know right?!) it is incredibly easy to get sucked into everything. The movie borrows a lot from films that has come before it, but it may surprise you which elements they use in a movie aimed at kids.

Going back to that bridging of the generations, the way they achieve this is actually downright brutal. In the first 20 minutes of the movie a huge chunk of the recognisable names are killed off in some pretty traumatic scenes. The biggest of which is Optimus Prime who you see get one hell of beating in battle to then have him die on a medical table surrounded by loved ones in a downright upsetting scene. I mean, just imagine being a kid going to see this and having your favourite good guy axed off right at the start. Not just simply killed in battle but heavily wounded and then forced to watch as he slowly dies on an operating table. You’d cry and beg to leave. For me it is up there with death scenes like William Defoe getting gunned down in Platoon. Okay maybe not that intense but it is still handled remarkably well. Although he would return in the show it was still a bold way of getting rid of an established character to introduce new ones in a kids property.

Despite death being prominent throughout at least it served with tremendous action. Right from the start it is almost none stop throughout with only a handful of moments offering a little reprieve from it. The opening scene is just brilliantly devastating as you see Unicron devour a whole planet, watching as its residents flee while the ground below them is eaten away. Unicron maybe a rip off, but in my opinion, he is a better planet sized weapon than the Death Star. If the
Empire used him instead they probably would have won.  The film is also bookended by two epic battles at the start and end, with plenty of action in between featuring epic space fights to Transformers just laying the smackdown on one another. If anything, it’s impossible to call this film boring.

Regarding the cast, the film actually assembles some pretty big names for the time to provide new voices along with the established talent of the TV series like Peter Cullen and Frank Welker. Judd Nelson, fresh off his rise to fame in The Breakfast Club, stars as the new main hero Hot Rod, later becoming Rodimus Prime. Star Trek icon, Leonard Nemoy, voices Galvatron the new incarnation of villain Megatron.  Monty Python alumni Eric Idles even pops up as Wreck – Gar, a species of a transformer that live on a junk planet in which all of its residents speak in television. Oh, and Orson Wells voices Unicron in what was one of his last film roles before his death. Despite my love of this film that is one hell of a leap from the academic scholar poster film of Citizen Kane to ending your career voicing a giant toy that east other toys. In fact, to quote a discussion Wells had with his biographer:

“You know what I did this morning? I played the voice of a toy. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I’m destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen.”

Despite Wells critiques of the film he did at least end his career on a gorgeous looking note. The animation in this film in absolutely top notch and still holds up great today. Produced by Toei Animation, the same group who had handled the TV show at that point, you can tell they make the most of the bigger budget they were issued. Most Saturday morning cartoons from that era would be made pretty quickly and cheaply meaning things like motion and colour had to be kept limited. But here everything pops amazingly with the action, characters and settings feeling like they have a richer coat of paint. In fact, if you watch it on the 4K remaster it can almost be too much for the eyes and even seizure inducing for some of the effects.

Accompanying this feast for the eyes is one of the most 80’s soundtracks you’ll ears will ever come across. Nothing but pure glam and power rock are featured throughout, including a kickass updated version of the shows original theme. And of course there is Stan Bush’s The Touch. When this track comes on during one of the big opening battles of the film it still gives me giddy goosebumps watching Optimus Prime gun down Deceptions. Among the 80’s rock fest is also a catchy Weird Al Yankovic number, Dare to Be Stupid, which may be one of his most notable songs that isn’t a parody.

At its heart, there is no escaping what this film is supposed to be, that of a giant commercial. But it’s still staggering the effort that went into something designed to mainly shift merchandise. Many of its other Saturday morning cartoons from the era followed the same path with G.I. Joe and My Little Pony both having stabs at the big screen with not as memorable results. Even He-Man tried to take things further by having a live action film in the form of Masters of the Universe which in of itself has its own cult following. But for me Transformers the Movie stands out as a real gem in the rough that needs to be discovered by new audiences.

It stands as a true hidden animated classic, screaming 80’s nostalgia in its style but in truth with HD re-releases it can easily still stand out today. It bristles with action throughout offering everything from robot fisticuffs to epic space battles. The action may borrow heavily from others that came before but there is actually enough originality in here to balance it out not to mention the action and story tackle some pretty heavy issues. It boasts one hell of an impressive voice cast featuring the iconic talents from TV sitting nicely among the then bigger names introduced. I already know this is a hard sell if you are not a fan of something that is heavily viewed as a “kids show” but if you shut that thought out I can guarantee you’ll enjoy the ride you are taken on. Despite not being a fan of the show, I have watched this film since I was a kid and even to this day it still ranks as one of my all-time favourites to this day.