Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Transformers: The Movie
The first part of the film echoes the storylines of the Transformers TV episodes and comics. The evil Decepticons hijack a transport belonging to the heroic Autobots and launch a sneak attack on Autobot City Earth, sparking a major battle in which the robots show off their special powers and their ability to transform into vehicles. At the end of the battle, the Autobot leader Optimus Prime dies and hands the Matrix of Leadership to soldier Ultra Magnus.
The Decepticon leader Megatron is thrown out of a spaceship by his cynical lieutenant, but he encounters a monstrous planet-sized Transformer, Unicron, who rebuilds him as Galvatron and makes him his slave. Unicron then attacks the moons of Cybertron where the Autobots are based, forcing the Earth-based Autobots to launch into space. After a series of adventures in which Galvatron ambushes the Autobots, some end up on a planet of junk, and others are imprisoned by bizarre aliens and have to escape, the Autobots reach Cybertron for a showdown with Unicron.
The Autobot hero Hot Rod faces Galvatron alone, recovering from him the Matrix which Galvatron had earlier taken from Ultra Magnus, with unexpected results. This is a space-battle cartoon film about giant robots in a struggle between good and evil on an epic scale, and it is notable for its special effects which are very elaborate for a cartoon and are reminiscent of Japanese animations. An important subtext is the coming-of-age of the young Autobot hero Hot Rod, and the film is also used to kill off a number of established Transformers characters and introduce a number of others.
--Andy (Orc2005), Resident Scholar
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Analysis of Transformers: The Movie
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie Actual chase scenes or violence - 100%
**Fantasy or Science Fiction?**
- science fiction story
Coming of age
Yes
he'll/she'll become:
- great warrior
Robots & Computers & VR
Yes
Plotlet:
- fight between good and bad robots
War and Invasion
Yes
Major kinds of combat:
- laser battles
If a cartoon...
- animated cartoon
Main Character
Identity:
- robot, male
Profession/status:
- infantry soldier
Age:
- a teen
Has special powers?
Yes
Hair color?
- bald
Hair type
- (man) bald
Body type
- muscular (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- tougher
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Dumb
Physique
- Very athletic
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- robot, male
Hair color
- bald
Hair style
- bald (man)
Body type
- muscular (man)
How much in movie?
- 20%
Main Adversary
Identity:
- robot, male
Profession/status:
- dictator
Has special powers?
Yes
Eccentric:
Yes
- wild
- emotionally unstable
- obsessed
- deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
Hair color
- bald
Hair style
- (man) bald
Body type
- muscular (man)
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physical condition
- very athletic
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Setting
Earth setting:
- near future (later in 21st century)
Spaceship setting:
- futuristic human freighter/transport
A substantial portion of this movie takes place on a non-Earth planetary body:
- primative aliens
- big overbuilt futuristic city
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Planet outside our solar system?
Yes
Takes place in spaceship?
Yes
In Space?
- in spacesuit
Misc settings
- prison
- fort/castle
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Tone of movie
- upbeat
Any profanity?
- None
Kinds of F/X
- Things that change shape/morph
- exploding vehicles
- exploding bombs
- exploding spaceships
- exotic spaceships
- exotic aliens
- exotic big cities
- exotic alien landscape
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Modern rock/pop
Is this movie based on a
- comics
