The Transformers: The Movie

The release of Bay and Spielberg's megablockbuster is the ideal time to look back on "Transformers: the movie", the original (and animated) big-screen adventure of the famous toy. This feature was commissioned to revamp the product, and kill off many of the original characters in order to introduce new ones. It sees the Autobot/Decepticon war take a backseat to a global war of survival against planet eater Unicorn (voiced by Orson Welles).

Surprisingly enough, there is a lot worth mentioning in this film, both good and bad.

On the minus side, of course, the predominantly 80s soundtrack has aged quite horrendously and some new characters are less appealing than they should be, chiefly the dinobots whose "comic relief" is neither comical nor relieving. The ending also feels rushed, which is a shame since such a fast-paced and action-packed film as this could have used a calmer denouement.

On the plus side, though you can fault the film's purely commercial objective, you can only admire its inventiveness. Unicorn is a beauty, both in design and in how the creature is used. The opening planet destroying scene is abrupt, savage and hugely impressive, even 20 years later. Optimus Prime is used to maximum effect, as is the whole Megatron/Galvatron storyline. The fast pacing and varied locals are the real strength though, since our heroes run from planet to planet and bump into intriguing (and often disturbing) creations, such as the genocidal Quintessons. The film's laudable level of violence is probably a key component of its enduring appeal.

All in all, one can only hope that at least a few of the many neat ideas explored here will find their way into the sequel to 2007's live action version.

This may not be Shakespeare, but to an extent, it is worthy of its minor cult following. A more than adequate 85 minutes with touches of bizarre genius.