Synopsis
The Autobots must stop a colossal planet-consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons.
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Cast
- Judd NelsonHot Rod / Rodimus Prime (voice)
- Peter CullenOptimus Prime (voice)
- Frank WelkerMegatron / Soundwave / Rumble (voice)
- Leonard NimoyGalvatron (voice)
- Orson WellesUnicron (voice)
- Casey KasemCliffjumper (voice)
- Dan GilvezanBumblebee (voice)
- Scatman CrothersJazz (voice)
- Susan BluArcee (voice)
- Eric IdleWreck-Gar (voice)
Recommendations
- 70
IGN
As a piece of film history, Transformers: The Movie is pretty weak. But as an entry into the lexicon of popular Eighties culture, the Transformers phenomenon is on par with Matchbox cars, G.I. Joe and (at the time) queen Barbie herself. Long live Optimus! Long live Transformers! - 67
The A.V. Club
As an '80s curio and perhaps the only film to feature the voices of both Welles and That Guy From The Micro Machines Ad Who Talks Real Fast, it possesses a kitschy, low-budget charm. - 60
Time Out
The film actually unfolds in a reasonably engaging manner; one dramatically sophisticated sequence contrasting the goodies’ and baddies’ responses to their leaders’ respective demises stands out. The anime-inflected look is generally impressive too, although the power-rock soundtrack is unsalvageable. - 60
Empire
Has cult status now but the plot is fiendishly complicated. - 50
The New York Times
These robots transform in a flash; the colors are shocking pinks and electric greens; the film is packed with one-to-one combat, large-scale battles and exploding planets. Despite these improvements, though, the movie is not for anyone too grown-up. - 30
Film Threat
This is yet another example of the Big Studio pushing out a film for the sole reason that they own the intellectual property and believe that we, like sheep, will see it because… well, we’ll see anything because we’re desperate for content. - 30
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
There is so much action in the animated feature, The Transformers: The Movie, that you can't wait to get back into one of those Chrysler products whose vocabulary is limited to "A door is ajar," and "Thank you." [12 Aug 1986, p.C10] - 30
Los Angeles Times
In an effort to generate some excitement (and disguise the limits of the animation) director Nelson Shin keeps the camera constantly in motion. The Transformers has so many cuts that it looks like the film was developed in a Veg-O-Matic. Because it features ineptly blended drawn animation and computer graphics, The Transformers is billed as state-of-the-art. It seems more like state-of-the-marketing. [08 Aug 1986, p.8]
