The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Filipe Manuel Neto March 1, 2023

★ 1/10

**A film that only interests those who know the animated series, but which marks the end of Orson Welles' work.** I saw this film by mere chance. Later, I was surprised to see how well regarded and highly rated it is. It is based on “Transformers”, an animated series for children and teenagers that was quite successful in the 80s and 90s, but which I have to confess I never saw. Recently, Marvel invested millions in live-action films and revived this universe. I haven't seen them in full yet, but this is where I get to know the characters better. What did I expect from this movie? A bit of easy entertainment, assuming the movie would at least do the work of better introducing the characters and story. That's not what I found. In fact, this is an “inward-facing” film, that is, it is aimed almost exclusively at an audience that already knows the animated series and the charac…

CinemaSerf September 20, 2026

★ 6/10

"Unicron" is determined to get hold of the matrix of leadership so it can fulfill a desire for galactic domination. What's stopping it are the "Autobots" and their boss "Optimus Prime" who are in constant conflict with the evil "Decepticons" and their leader "Megatron". After a battle sees the latter come off worst - but only just - "Megatron" finds itself in need of some urgent maintenance and that's where "Unicron" comes in: find and destroy the matrix and the rewards will be unlimited. Now newly empowered, it looks like the Autobots have their work cut out for them, and with "Optimus" now less prime machine and more prime cut, it falls to "Ultra Magnus" to fight a courageous rearguard action against the odds and hopefully thwart "Unicron" before it's too late... Ok, so time hasn't been very kind to this. The two-dimensional animations; the episodic development of the plot - complete w…

Nick September 21, 2026

★ 7/10

The Transformers: The Movie is simultaneously an unabashed feature-length toy commercial and a surprisingly ambitious, occasionally brutal piece of 1980s animation. Nelson Shin wastes little time raising the stakes, delivering major character deaths, planetary destruction, and a genuine sense that nobody is particularly safe. The breakneck pacing can make the story feel more like a succession of spectacular set pieces than a fully developed narrative, but there is rarely a dull moment. The animation remains vibrant and wonderfully expressive, while the voice cast is absurdly impressive: Peter Cullen gives Optimus Prime tremendous dignity, Leonard Nimoy makes Galvatron appropriately menacing, and Orson Welles lends Unicron an enormous, almost mythological presence. Then there is the gloriously excessive rock-and-synth soundtrack, which could scarcely be more 1986 if it tried. Messy,…