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The Transformers - The Movie

The Transformers - The Movie

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $15.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Marvelous animated film
Review: In the 1980s, it's no surprise that Transformers ruled television screens while simultaneously causing every kid to want to go out and buy the toys. I am one of the ones that grew up watching my favorite Transformers duking it out for the fate of mankind. I loved every minute of it, even if some of the episodes were really corny. However, this review isn't about the show; it's about the movie, originally released in 1986. The movie brought forth new circuits for us to admire while also killing off several of the old characters, including the beloved Optimus Prime.

The animation is ten times more advanced than that of the original show. Optimus Prime and Megatron have never looked sleaker and it's quite a shame they didn't last very long in the movie (well... Megatron turned to Galvatron... you get the idea.). Even by today's standards, they haven't aged badly at all. The voice cast is a list of well-known actors and most of them put in fine performances. While Robert Stack's portrayal of Ultra Magnus seemed somewhat bland, Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of Galvatron was nothing less than excellent. You also have to consider they were probably brought to the project based on the pay, not for the art. Other actors included Judd Nelson as Hot Rod (another good voice performance), Lionel Stander as Kup, Eric Idle as Wreck-Gar (Yes, THAT Eric Idle), and of course, Casey Kasem and Scatman Crothers as Cliffjumper and Jazz, respectively. But of course, let's not forget the legendary Orson Welles voicing the most bad(...) Transformer of them all: Unicron. The planet eating monster that transforms from planet killer to robot and vice versa. In fact, this was Orson Welles' final performance. That means Transformers is the last credit on his resume. How cool is that??

The music score was contributed by Vince DiCola, back in the day when synthesized scores were becoming huge. He previously did the score for "Rocky IV" and additional music for "Staying Alive." I really like the score and it's quite a shame that Mr. DiCola has not done many film scores since. Speaking of which, the DVD features an interview with him that's somewhat interesting for the diehard Transformers fan. The songs are from largely unknown musicians; the most notables ones are Stan Bush, who did the songs "Dare" and the hit single "The Touch," and Spectre General, who performed "Nothin's Gonna Stand in my Way" and "Hunger." Spectre General is actually a pseudonym for Canadian rock band Kick Axe. Sound familar now? They did two albums and toured with Judas Priest before their breakup (they were also produced by Spencer Proffer, the producer of Quiet Riot, which explains his credit on the two songs).

The storyline does seem a bit Star Wars-ish. But seriously, who really cares? And more importantly, what sci-fi HASN'T? It does have a few holes and/or mistakes that seem like lazy writing (for example, jettisoning injured Decepticons to "make room and less weight" doesn't apply to space; it's called MASS), but the overall good versus evil story was pretty good. It also sports some impressive dialogue like Springer's "I've got better things to do tonight than die!" or the infamous "Ba Weep Granna Weep Nini Bang" greeting the Junkions use.

The infamous (...)has been restored back in the film. The picture quality has been greatly enhanced and so has the sound quality. Including the interview, the DVD comes with the original theatrical trailer and original storyboards. My ONLY complaint with this DVD is that it doesn't come with a widescreen version. Didn't Sunbow claim they found the widescreen print? Why didn't Rhino include it? Oh well. Perhaps in the future.

A memorable piece of 80s nostalgia and a must for diehard fans. Looking back on it now, it's a pretty good animated film. I must admit I almost cried when my favorite hero, Optimus Prime, bit the dust, but it's pretty awesome they brought him back at the end of Season 3. Any Transformers fan will enjoy this. If you don't, you are an overanalyzing critic. Go back to your "Titanic," critic.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Transformers: The Movie
Review: Yes, it's everything you remember. Good audio, video. However, that is about it. The Extras are pretty bland. It makes you wonder if anyone was even interested in making this DVD. They call it the "Special Collectors Edition" but, there isn't anything too special about it. Very little to offer.

But its all about the movie right? Well that's good, intact, great transfer, and no sound altering by Rhino like they tried on their release of the entire series on DVD (really bad move).

If you grew up with it, get it. But if you expect something special, well, it's not there.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great Story and Animation...Terrible Music
Review: The soundtrack of this movie is so cheesy and corny that it keeps this movie from being a classic. The animation and story are great and the characters are well done, but please re-release this dvd with an option to just have the dialogue and sound effects and avoid those horrible songs. And having the bonus feature be an interview with the guy who recorded those songs is insulting.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Transformers: The Next Generation
Review: The popular 1980s toy franchise hits the big screen with "Transformers: The Movie". In the distant future, the battle between heroic Autobots and evil Decepticon continues for control of Cybertron but a powerful all-consuming menace known as Unicron, threatens the Autobots' survival. With Optimus Prime lost in battle, only the Chosen One can rise up to face such evil. "Transformers: The Movie" isn't an animated spectacle but does offer some worthy entertainment. The plot is amusing but filled with holes, and some of the dialogue is quite weak. Despite its flaws, it contains some enjoyable characters, eye-popping action and a strong emotional center. The voice cast includes Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy and Orson Welles. The film is presented in full frame format. The picture quality is surprisingly decent and slightly sharper than its previous laserdisc release. The 2.0 Dolby Digital sound is satisfactory with some minor flaws. The DVD contains a few supplements like storyboards for some deleted scenes. For fans of the cult 1980s cartoon, "Transformers" is a decent bargain purchase and earns a "C".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Movie Based on a Toy Line
Review: "Transformers: The Movie" is set in 2005, and so features the death of Optimus Prime, the rise of Hot Rod as the new Autobot leader, and the evolution of Megatron into Galvatron. As a side note, it also features the first appearance of Unicron, who has only now gotten a toy form seventeen years after the movie was released.

The movie itself is filled with action and . . . well, more action. There's not much in the way of character development, and the entire battle with Unicron came out of nowhere (Season Two of the original TV show in now way lead up to the movie.) But hey, it's a movie based on a toyline. And, compared to its counterparts (Go-Bots, G.I. Joe, even Ninja Turtles,) it's the best.

On a side note, the DVD version includes storyboard sketches, as well as the infamous line by Spike ("Oh ****, what are we going to do now?)

Great for any Transformers or '80s enthusiast.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE BEST ANIMATED MOVIE EVER!!!
Review: Transformers the movie is without the greatest animated movie ever created. The music score is topnotch, the animation is brilliant, the acting - superb, the story line - nothing short of greatness and the characters well - they speak for themselves as words can not describe their depth, humanity and realism, however one can state that they are classic and brought to life.

The movie runs for appoximately 86 minutes, in which you will experience, death, life, joy, pain, sorrow, heart ach and triumph, all on the edge of your seat. I have 5 copies of the movie on my bed side table - including a 1986 VHS copy. I just can't get enough...and nor will you, watch it once and you'll have to agree with me.

LONG LIVE THE TRANSFORMERS

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Prime at his best
Review: Optimus Prime is the greatest Transformer. He always has been. He always will be. This movie will show you why he is who I say he is.

Many Autobots (in the middle of the film) die fighting the Decepticons. They are not able to save Autobot city and they are really outnumbered. Optimus Prime comes in, runs them over and wastes them all in a matter of seconds before he has his last battle with Megatron. He did what the other Autobots could never really do in a matter of seconds because he is the best warrior there is. The scene where he comes to earth and beats the Decepticons down before he fights Megatron makes this movie worth buying. It is one of my favorite action scenes in ANY movie and it really gives you an idea of what a hero truly is. The rest of the film is also really fun to watch because the new characters (Galvatron, Kup, Rodimus Prime Ultra-Magnus and Unicron) are really cool and the score really fits well. This movie will make you fall in love with the Transformers if you are a new fan or rekindle your love for the robots that all we enjoy watching.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thank God For Nephews
Review: I was talked into spending some quality time with(i.e. babysitting)my five year old nephew a few days ago. It was raining that day and he didn't want to watch Shrek again, so I took him to the video store to find a DVD for us to watch. To my suprise, there on the shelf was a title I had not thought of in over 15 years, The Transformers: The Movie. We rented the movie, brought it home, and not only did my nephew love it, but it made me nostalgic for those days of my sophmore year in highschool when I'd doodle images of Optimus Prime, Megatron and Soundwave instead of taking notes during those boring economics classes. Yes, sad to say, a fifteen year old kid in highschool enjoyed the Transformers then, and this 32 y/o uncle, along with my nephew, enjoys the Transformers now. The storyline is great, the voice acting is topnotch, and the animation, though is looks dated by todays computer anitmation standards (remember, even Southpark is done with computers, The Transformers was all handdrawn), is still astounding in its attention to detail.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: roll out !
Review: I had to buy the DVD after i basically killed the other 2 VHS tapes of it that i watched so many times. I remember seeing the movie when i was about 5 and then after that i had to it have. It wasnt even out yet at stores, so my mom bought the one from the video store. . aww so sweet, anyways I can remember this is the only movie other than braveheart that i cryed. I cryed during the part when Prime dies and i was probably only 6. But i was a big fan of the show and to see Prime go was like killing off santa. After i saw this movie, i could never look at the show the same way again, because the movie so much more than the show was, i know everyline of the dialogue, im 20 and yet still watching this movie like it was the first time, truly a classic. No other cartoon show out of the 80s could top this.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Stuff
Review: This movie came out a year after I was born and I still have the original vhs today. I love the Transformers and I still collect the figures. This movie sways far away from the series because alot of characters die in this one. When I first saw this I was dissapointed to see Prime Die but it was all good, I love Hot Rod or Rodimus Prime whatever u wish to call him and I like the old timer Kup I think he was a great character. The Dinobots add alot of great Comedy to this movie which makes it all the better and the movie introduces us to alot of mysterious and pretty cool characters, I think Orson Welles was a great choice to play Unicron, his voice matches well with the giant planet and Lenord Nimoy was a good choice for Galvatron who I thought was a great character. This movie should be in every transformer fans collection. Is absolutely great.


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