Product: The Transformers - The Movie (1986)
Rating: 5.0
The Special Edition Fans Have Been Waiting For
For those of us who grew up watching the Transformers cartoon every day after school in the early 1980s, the movie came as quite a shock. Most of us, at that early, impressionable age, were unprepared for the much darker tone and the increased level of violence, including some of the show's most popular and beloved characters getting quickly killed off in the first few opening scenes. Transformers: The Movie was a commercial and critical failure but went on to develop a strong cult following among fans. Various incarnations of the movie have been released on DVD in various regions but this latest one, timed to celebrate the movie's 20th anniversary (has it been that long?), promises to be the definitive edition.On the first disc the film is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio.The "Autobot Matrix of Knowledge" allows you to watch the entire movie with the occasional factoid or bit of trivia appearing on the screen. These scraps of info, the DVD proudly proclaims, were "supplied by the fans for the fans."There is an audio commentary by director Nelson Shin, story consultant Flint Dille and the voice of Arcee Susan Blu. Shin tends to state what we are seeing but thankfully Dille and, to a lesser degree, Blu tend to dominate. They talk about the effect the death of Optimus Prime had on its fans back then and still 20 years later. This is an engaging trip down memory lane for all involved.The second commentary is by fans (and webmasters of Transformers fan sites) Rik Alvarez, Paul Hitchens, Joe Moore and Alex Weiner. One of them constantly refers to the screenplay and points out the differences from what we are seeing. These guys certainly know a lot about this movie (maybe too much) but their passion for it comes through loud and clear and this makes it a must-listen for any dedicated fan.There is a theatrical trailer and eight T.V. spots. It is a lot of fun to watch these vintage ads, including the toys that were made at the time."Cinex and Credit Test" features colour and exposure tests for the movie's opening credits.The "Photo Gallery" includes sketches and profiles of various characters. Also included are various designs for the Matrix.Finally, there is "Scramble City with commentary" as a couple of the guys from the fan commentary return to talk about this episode that only aired in Japan before the movie and that actually introduced several characters who went on to appear in it. It would have been nice to have been able to watch this without the accompanying commentary but this is a minor quibble.The second disc presents the film in its full screen aspect ratio which it was actually filmed in so you actually see more information. It is nice that we get a choice between both aspect ratios."The Death of Optimus Prime" takes a look at the demise of one of the most important characters in the series. They didn't realize the impact it would have on the fans and, in particular, children some of whom were traumatized by his death. In retrospect, they probably wouldn't have killed off Prime."The Cast and Characters" examines the voice actors who worked on the movie and how certain voices defined that particular character. Key crew members recount anecdotes about the famous voice talent."Transformers Q&A;" features key crew members revealing what their favourite scene is in the movie, how they named the characters, their favourite character and so on."Deleted/Alternate Footage" is presented with commentary by a couple of the participants from the fan commentary. One fan points out what this footage is, what was used and what wasn't. Also included is test footage with some of it in an unfinished form.Also included are "Scramble City" commercials, U.S. and Japanese toy commercials.Finally, there are "Animated Storyboards" for four scenes, including one cut scene.