Review of The Transformers: The Movie (1986) by Travis M — 09 Feb 2010

Is it a great movie? Nah. But do I love it? Yep, and it's not even a guilty pleasure...I have no shame about it. I didn't realize it in 1986, but this movie essentially immunized me to re-boots before the term came to describe every other comic book movie. Out with the old, in with the new.

I also think it's too simplistic to dismiss this as a glorified toy commercial. Yes, I'm aware that the impetus was to introduce a new line of toys to market, but the story itself actually manages to touch on some of the timeless themes of storytelling. There are explorations of father/son dynamics, guilt and grievance of the departed and the value of communication to overcome prejudice. This film is really about Hot Rod and his rise to destined greatness. It's not unlike that of Luke Skywalker, or Aragorn before him.