Snoova's Top 10 - THINGS I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT TRANSFORMERS THE MOVIE

 Snoova's Top 10

    In 1986, my friends and I were SO EXCITED for the release of Transformers: the Movie.  As soon as it hit the big screen, we were there to see it!  Obviously, this was before the internet, so we had next to no idea of what was going to happen.  Despite some shocking moments, we still loved it!!  When the VHS cassette came out, we would watch it constantly!

    There was so much to love!  The animation was amazing!  The story was great!  It had a ROCKIN' soundtrack!  We had new heroes, new villains, new worlds!  This Movie had it all!!!  However... there were a few things that bothered me a bit.  Don't get me wrong, Transformers: The Movie, is amazing and I love it, but here are 10 things I didn't like about the Movie!

Honorable Mention - WHY IS SPRINGER CALLED SPRINGER???

    Huh???  I mean, he never uses this ability - EVER!

#10 - THE TIME JUMP

    We left off the standard Transformer cartoon in 1985.  The Movie was released in 1986, but takes place in 2005.  This isn't a BIG deal, but it has always bothered me as to why such a large jump was needed?

#9 - CHARACTER DEATHS

    Of course this was going to make the list.  As great as the movie was... this was hard to take.  First of all, they removed 2 of my personal, favorite characters - Prowl and Skywarp, right out the gate!  Then they removed iconic, popular characters like Ironhide, Starscream, and Optimus Prime.  I think someone did not understand what made the franchise so popular, is the characters we love and the threads that weave them into a good story.

#8 - THAT WAS NOT AN ALL-OUT ATTACK...

    The Autobots have a pretty big team, and they have them split between Autobot City on Earth and the 2 moons of Cybertron.  When the Decepticons attack the City, its implied it is an "all-out assault" and that they have the advantage of numbers.  Umm, not really...  If you count the Decepticons and the Autobots stationed on Earth, the numbers are pretty equal.  

    Realistically, the Decepticons should have easily lost this battle, and lost it bad!  When I watch it, I can never figure out how they supposedly "won".  The sneak attack didn't work, several Decepticons got injured before they even reached the City, AND the City was successfully transformed.  Seriously, by the time Optimus showed up, they should found Ultra Magnus with a broom sweeping Megatron's remains into a pile.  "Oh, sorry, Prime, we got it taken care of."

#7 - DEVASTATOR DIDN'T GET DESTROYED

    Okay, not literally, I like the Constructicons, but I have always thought this was a misstep.  When Prime brings reinforcements to save Autobot City, the first thing he does upon arrival is order the Dinobots to "Destroy Devastator".  Let's consider a few things here...  

    #1 - This is NOT a command Optimus typically makes.  It shows the gravity of the situation and that Prime was done with this whole thing.  Megatron has gone too far this time.

    #2 - These are probably the very words that Grimlock has been waiting to hear for years!  For so long, the Autobots have pulled their punches, and now Grimlock finally gets to live out his dream!  In fact, after he's done with Devastator, he will probably get started on the other Decepticons.  Good times, good times!    

    Yet instead, Grimlock is taken out before he even gets on the ground?!?!  Then Sludge gets clobbered.  Slag gets a good hit in, but then Swoop accidentally gets clobbered with falling debris.  WHAT???  I know Optimus was supposed to save the day, but let's see a better fight here!  Devastator could still "win", but give us something more than this!  Come on now!

    Instead Optimus is standing at the shuttle door watching the Dinobots get walloped and he's thinking "Well... that didn't work."

#6 - WHERE WAS EVERYBODY???

    There were a lot of characters shown in the Movie, but there were so many more missing!  Where was Sideswipe?  Trailbreaker?  Snarl?  Jetfire?  Omega Supreme?  Or the Aerialbots?  Or the Protectobots?  The Series 2 or 3 mini-cars?

    The brand-new heavy-hitters from the 1986 toyline were also absent... no Metroplex, no Trypticon, no Predacons.  Very strange...

    It would be easy to say - "well, the missing Autobots were probably on the Moon Bases preparing for the attack on Cybertron."  That's a possibility, but we DID see those two moons destroyed...

#5 - THE GREAT CYCLONUS DEBATE

    As great as the Movie was, it was not without it's inconsistencies.  I remember as kids, we heard Unicron say "Cyclonus the warrior, and his armada."  We know what he says NOW, and what it means... it was intended that Cyclonus would have his own clones.  This sequence was abandoned though and the animation has led to a lot of confusion though as we see both Skywarp and Bombshell get converted into Cyclonus, then we only see one Cyclonus throughout the Movie.  So who turned into who?  The debate rages to this day...

    On a side note... my friends and I rewound that VCR cassette REPEATEDLY to try to figure out what Unicron said there...  "And his commadda???", "And he's a commander?", "And hisarmanda???"  

#4 - WHAT WAS THE POINT OF WHEELIE?

    Seriously... why was he in the Movie?  No, I'm not a Wheelie hater!  Yes, the toy is not good... at all, and the character speaks in goofy rhymes, but I don't hate him.  He just had no point in the Movie!  

    His Tech-Spec sounded interesting that he was the last survivor of a group of explorers, so he had a cool backstory ready to go.  Who were they?  What happened to them?  How did only Wheelie survive?  Instead, he just pops up, tells the Dinobots they are going the wrong way, and then points out a ship later.  I'm, okay with him appearing where he did, but let's give a little depth to the character!  Why is an Autobot stranded on this planet and why didn't Hot Rod or Grimlock say "HEY!  You're an Autobot!?!?!"

#3 - WHERE DID THOSE GUYS COME FROM?

    Once Galvatron and his entourage are introduced, that's your main Decepticons - Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps.  The others are kinda pushed aside.  They fly to Earth and attack the Autobots, they fly into space and chase the Autobots, they fly back to Unicron, and then they fly to the Junk planet and attack the Autobots again.

    On Junk, however, when the Decepticons attack, suddenly there is Shrapnel and Scavenger.  A Constructicon and an Insecticon.  This isn't an error, Scavenger even has a speaking line!  Plus, Shrapnel is supposed to be GONE!  He's a Sweep now.  Why were these two chosen to pop up in this scene?  Seems to me there are plenty of flying Decepticons that could have been picked to tag along with Galvatron.

#2 - ULTRA MAGNUS' DEATH

    This scene bothered ALL of us!  Throughout the whole Movie we keep seeing our beloved characters getting blown away and dying, one by one.  This was traumatic.  Worse yet, the guy who always saves the day in the end, Optimus Prime, has died too. 

    Then Ultra Magnus dies.  Either shot to death, or pulled apart by the Sweeps.  Another Autobot gone...  Oh Wait, Wreck Gar and the Junkions fix him up - no problem!!  They just put him back together and shine him up - all good.  Now hold the phone here!!!  Why can't they do that to Optimus Prime???  Or Wheeljack???  Yes, you can give me some "logical" answer... "well, you see, Prime straight up died, while Magnus was in shut-down mode".  Ok, be that as it may, but when you are sitting in the theater in 1986 and all your favorite characters are dying, yet ONE can be reassembled, it makes no sense.

#1 - THANKS A LOT GUYS

    I never really thought of this one till I saw a meme about it.  The Decepticons are attacking the Junk planet and the heroes are fleeing for their lives.  Daniel, the 12 year old boy caught in the conflict, is running in his exo-suit.  He's new at it, he hasn't totally gotten the hang of it, but he's running.  Acree, who is running too, up and transforms into car-mode and SPLITS!?!?!  Doesn't give him a ride, doesn't provide cover for him, doesn't give him any advice.  Nope she is OUTTA HERE!  In a panic, Daniel yells to Blurr, asking what he should do.  Blurr says to transform, then HE takes off too!?!?!  Then Daniel gets cornered by 2 Decepticons.

    Luckily, he manages to transform into his little vehicle/buggy mode and gets out of dodge.  Still, it's hard to ignore the fact that Arcee and Blurr straight up dumped him!!!  Left the poor guy for dead.

    Yeah, yeah, I get it.  They were creating a scene in where Daniel learns to use a new ability of his suit on his own.  Show a little growth.  Regardless, it still looks weird when his Autobot friends just ditch him!  Nice!

    There you have it... 10 things that I didn't like about Transformers:  The Movie.  Most of these are nit-picky, I know!  I really like the Movie and always have.  There is just those little things that are a little disjointed to me.

    So what do you think?  What did you like or not like about the Movie?  What could have improved it?  Which character were you expecting to see that ended up missing?