Classic 80s Movie Review - Transformers the Movie

The Defining Generation of Classic Animation of the 1980s

It should be a crime not to know the full impact of the Transformers franchise in Western animation throughout the 1980s. The television series garnered the attention of millions of fans - both kids and adults - worldwide. With legendary characters like Optimus Prime and an epic battle between good and evil between the Autobots and the Decepticons in an original action-packed sci-fi universe, what's not to love?

Transformers the Movie - The Eighties Movie Review

Transformers the Movie (1986) is one of the greatest classic movies of the eighties, when animation was on still on the rise to mainstream audiences (and arguably had better quality and darker themes). Not only is it a defining cinematic presentation of the franchise, the movie has one of the greatest metal soundtracks. Just watching the movie and listening to the music (timed perfectly with the action scenes) triggers some major nostalgia, especially if you were a kid growing up during the time.

When the movie was released in the 80s, it failed to achieve mainstream success. However, it is one of the most critically acclaimed animated cult movies, having a loyal fan base to this day.

The Storyline

The plot of Transformers the Movie bridges the gap between season two and season three of the television cartoon series. Unicron, a gigantic artificial planet that literally eats other planets, becomes a major threat to Earth and everything on it. The war between the Autobots and the Decepticons escalates higher than it has ever been (such as the famous descisive battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron) and the Autobot Matrix of Leadership becomes the only way to stop Unicron from destroying everything. The movie makes great leaps in its style, having a much darker tone than the television series. It's also not easy to stomach the deaths of the major characters of the story (who have been there since the very beginning) - especially if you were a fan as a kid.