I’m reviewing a cartoon, but for the coolest generation Transformers was more than that. Certainly we’ve all been exposed to properties existing in multiple mediums before on several occasions including the (still) beasts Disney and Star Wars, but what separated Transformers and its Hasbro stablemate G.I. Joe was that they were also with little ground to dispute ‘hip’ –at least in how the term relates to a child. This doesn’t mean ‘more mainstream’ as the aforementioned franchises are legitimately part of the fabric of what is Americana, it just means that even then Disney was for kids and Star Wars was just getting old between films, toys plagued with less articulation. One of the special features on the Shout! Factory Transformers: The Complete First Season 25th Anniversary Edition speak speaks on the loosening of laws that allowed for the ability to market to children (and I’m assuming synergy between mediums) which I can only assume and thank for the marketing onslaught that had me crying at the death of a robot in an animated movie in 1986. Not a doe-eyed deer, not the Coate’s Dog—a semi that turned into an ass kicking giant alien robot. The cools kids now had toys to claim–we weren’t to old for them.
“Another Planet. That’s awesome!”
The first words Spike says upon being introduced to the Autobots takes me back to why I fell in love with this series. It wasn’t a cynical, albeit realistic (and intelligent) ‘what’? It was why Spike would lead this incredible adventure alongside the Autobots. Some of us had cool fathers. They bought us comics, understood Christmas toy trends just for us, they hated Science Fiction but took us to Star Wars. That was Spike’s dad, Sparkplug (and my own father as well). We identified with them in a way we wouldn’t now, and that is the beauty of the moment. Now we would ask why isn’t there a mother and be lead on to some social roundtable. Hasbro had it right. It’s never about what something isn’t. It’s about what it is. Transformers were giant alien robots that transformed into cool cars and jets. How can you top that? Simple. Make some that turn into dinosaurs. The first season of Transformers – a package celebrating its 25th Anniversary – introduces us to the Autobots and Decepticons and their epic struggle to defeat each other. Even as a child, however, we recognized this shared sense of yearning for and the love of home. Sure, Megatron wanted to conquer the universe, but there is a fierce sense of loyalty that the is as just as prevalent in the Decepticons as in their counterparts.
You can also sense a personal conflict between the two factions leaders, Megatron and Optimus Prime, that’s not really ever spoken directly to, but even then the more different they were, they both came from the same place, and you’d see in later seasons what is more and more a respect (which should never be confused as admiration) that exists between the two. Indeed, Megatron is probably more like Prime than he is his Decepticon Lieutenant Starscream.
I want to step away from the basic premise because if you’re reading this, you know about the Transformers, and instead I want to break things up a bit.
Special Features – Most people end with them, but I’m going to begin with them. There isn’t a whole lot in this edition, but one of them is definitely worth watching. Triple Changer: From Toy to Comic to Screen — the Origins of the Transformers could very well have been three hours long and it wouldn’t have fully satisfied fans, but it does pack quite a bit for the twenty or so minutes. When you watch it, you will undoubtedly wish it were longer for such an anniversary edition, but you still definitely want to watch it. Some very nice commentary on the initial moves (not to mention the original notes) that brought Transformers to us. My thought is that if each season comes with something similar, it will be worth it. The other extras are the original commercials and a (printable) script for the episode Transport to Oblivion.
I’m one of those fans that love a lot of quality special features (and could do without any frivolous throw-ins), but the truth is with something like Transformers, all that information is now online at several of the major sites dedicated to the institution. I came away pleased with having the one piece, and the rest of it is what I’d call standard material.
The (STILL) cool – You can’t overstate how dope Soundwave is. There is no hyperbole that achieves a level that steps its bound in describing him. The guy turns into a boombox and never forgets to bring his crew with him. Who doesn’t love Rumble and Frenzy? Rumble might be the coolest cat in all of Transformers. Did I mention he turns into a boombox?
I’ve mentioned this many times in other articles, posts, or reviews but the Dinobots are just the deal. They also oddly offer a foil that shows you how (relatively) complex the other Transformers are, as they are the literal bayifications (which don’t get me wrong, I enjoy) to compare the rest to. They are about just about smashing. Do people remember the animated movie, and you saw that Prime brought Dinobots to reinforce Autobot city? Remember that ”Now it’s on feeling” you got? That thought was developed here in this first season. Megatron fears the Dinobots—and we love ME Grimlock!
Shockwave is just a trooper. I grew up in a military household, so the loyal Decepticon who holds down Cybertron for thousands of year in Megatron’s absence has always been a favorite of mine.
Seekers, Seekers, and more Seekers. We get a glimpse of them in their Cybertronian form before we even knew what they were and fell in love. Hell, we don’t even know where we got the term ‘seeker’ from, which just speaks on how we all shared a moment of subconscious synergy. It never gets old watching the Decepticon jets do their thing.
The presentation – I didn’t watch this next to my previous sets, but I will say that if you haven’t seen this season since it was broadcast and if you pick up this 25th set, you will get taken back, as it’s not all glamored up into something it wasn’t. Don’t take that to mean that it’s not watchable in the terms of being the subject of the limitations of the day’s animation. The story holds this show together. Our memories better than any CGI. It’s definitely been cleaned up, but not in anyway that makes this presentation feel unauthentic. The sound quality is rather amazing.
There is this crazy memorable and chilling moment where Prime just screams Megatron’s name, whose shuttle just took off to go back to Cybertron, and you feel and understand the emotion we identified 25 years ago. It was the touch.
…and they still kick ass at the box office.
