FIRST TIME WATCHING *Transformers - The Movie (1986)*

[@Bronson_07]

My mom saw this when she was younger, she said every kid in the theatre started crying the moment Optimus died

[@hungrystingray7]

My dad was most likely one of the kids from the 80's that cried in theaters when optimus died

[@christianfrost8660]

Was I the only one who was like, oh Optimus Prime is dead, how sad. Ten minutes later... Noo! They killed off Starscream 😭😭😭💔

[@TheRedPeril]

I did. I didnt watch it in the cinema though, I just cried at home with my mum.

[@the_original_just_mike]

When I saw this in '86, I was the only kid in the whole theater that cheered when Prime died. haha I got a lot of dirty looks for that. ALL HAIL MEGATRON! Even as a kid I was a Decepticon through and through :D

[@MiddleAgedBob]

I was 11 years old. I still had all my grandparents. This was the first time someone I cared about died. Sure, he was fictional. Still hurt.

[@Professor-of-Gaming]

The movie was even more traumatizing early on than you realize It wasn’t just prime and megatron who got erased… every autobot and decepticon brutally murdered during the battle of autobot city were the main characters from the show. Both sides basically wiped the slate clean in the first 30 minutes Main characters taken out like trash or just shown as broken corpses laying around the battle Transformers was the first film I saw my little brother cry in

[@3Rayfire]

Wheeljack was my favorite Transformer (like Donatello and Egon) and easily had one of the most easily recognizable designs. So seeing him get dragged in alongside Windcharger before the Devastator scene was a knife in the chest.

[@Professor-of-Gaming]

@@3Rayfire Wheeljack's death happens so casually and realistically (there's not time to mourn in active war, sadly) that you don't even notice it on your first viewing sometimes. my favorites were always Megatron and Starscream (i know, a weird dynamic) so you can understand how jarring the first 30 min were for me. I went from thinking Starscream finally got his W... to getting literally erased

[@Y2KNW]

11yr old me watching half the characters I loved die on screen...

[@terryhiggins5077]

I will never forget Prowl's death, smoke billowing from his eyes and mouth was horrifying for my young self.

[@1stgenkpopfan646]

It’s such a weird experience seeing reactors watch the attack on the autobot shuttle compared what it was like watching it for those who grew up with the series. Xennials in the 80s: *sees Prowl, Ratchet, ironhide, and Brawn get violently wiped out* 😳😳😳😰😖😖😭😭😭😭😭 Reactors in 2024: What? Megatron’s a GUN? 😆😆

[@gardion160]

“Arise Rodimus Prime and light our darkest hour” Will always give me chills no matter what!!!

[@asiahenry7798]

Every. Single. Time.

[@TheBabyCaleb]

So great!

[@reggiebrown9508]

It does but I still don't like Rodimus.

[@glenmcl]

​@@reggiebrown9508Rodimus was fine in the movie but not in the series.

[@Paulnesvold8482]

I didn't care for Rodimus. He was way too whiney to be a Prime. I would have preferred that they would have made Ultra Magnus a Prime instead.

[@anthonyeldridge4358]

*Seb wonders why the Bayverse can't touch the 1986 movie* Me With Gritted Teeth: Yes, indeed WHY PARAMOUNT?

[@The_Real_Mr_Al]

They don't have the touch.

[@anthonyeldridge4358]

@@The_Real_Mr_Al One could say Paramount has the Bad Touch.

[@NanoOHHO779]

​@@The_Real_Mr_Al They don't have the power

[@baghira2761]

@The_Real_Mr_Al @Nano0HH0779 I love both of your comments XD

[@atraxisdarkstar]

@@NanoOHHO779 When all hell's breaking loose, they're not in the eye of the storm.

[@BigOSnackary]

Kup is the reason anytime my dog sticks his nose in my face I say “get your noodle outta my face.”

[@Professor-of-Gaming]

I knew you had pot-ential!

[@RayPruitt-ji9jx]

Ironhide is the reason I've said "Go chew on a microchip!" to many people.

[@tonyc416]

That.... is awesome bro! Love it! Its funny how the lines of this movie stick with us for a life time.

[@josh_miester_x511]

Kup is the reason why I say _"of all the second glitch, diod blowing, dim wittery"_ when someone does something wrong.

[@AB-gw6li]

Kup: The first old man of the one liner and well dictioned insults.

[@mrlyles2002able]

When Prime dies, it traumatized millions of kids across the country. Watching this show for three years, Optimus was respected almost like a father figure. Kids were not expecting to see him die. Many kids busted out crying right in the theaters.

[@anthonyeasson1739]

Millions of kids across the world.

[@mrlyles2002able]

@@anthonyeasson1739 All just to sell more toys.

[@coreyh716]

It was so Brutal, I was 15 and was a mess. No one dies in cartoons....

[@radwolf76]

Prime died for our sin of not buying enough toys. Hasbro wanted to clear the toyshelves for this new wave of toys. They didn't realize they were killing off the surrogate father to a whole generation of latchkey kits.

[@DeathbySkullfxxx]

But its also how we got such a, truthfully dark and brutal movie. And exactly why this movie has stood the test of time.

[@toyfanjudah7608]

We failed him...

[@The_Zilli]

that was well said.

[@rokkudai]

And that's why we remember him every year on Prime Day. 😂

[@PIAEmergence]

@@rokkudai Amazon would like a word.

[@BatmanFan76]

We will never forget this 80’s time capsule. 🎵You got the touch! You got the poweeeeer!🎵

[@theprime6489]

Electronic Saviors Presents: Respect the Prime 1986 Revisited​-​Convention Edition Your all welcome!

[@theprime6489]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ommYhKyrmaimbs0si=sZEBOh9gmVjBrmKY

[@TheKyrix82]

"Two big deaths in a half an hour" You apparently didn't see the shuttle fight, when a third of the cast got killed off

[@DeathbySkullfxxx]

He literally watched it in the video. He didnt know the characters nor understand the pppularity of the characters.

[@RemyJackson]

Brawn, Prowl, Ratchet, Ironhide, Windcharger, and Wheeljack. All die before Optimus and Megatron

[@The_Zilli]

@@RemyJackson Never Forget.

[@EmperorsTeeth]

@@The_Zilli ✊

[@CosmicG777]

​As a kid, I didn't care all that much for Brawn or Windcharger dying. The ones that hit me way more was Ironhide, Wheeljack, and of course Optimus. * Though, the smoke coming out the eyes/mouth of Prowl? as he dies DID haunt me a bit. ​@@RemyJackson

[@wikiuser92]

I'm not a die-hard Transformers fan, nor did I grow up with this movie or have even fully seen it, but I've come to learn some interesting details about it thanks to KZbin videos and comments. Like how Orson Welles, the voice of Unicron, couldn't have cared less about this role (to the point of not even remembering the character's name in an interview), which ended up being his last performance (he was already one foot in the grave when he recorded his lines, and he passed away before the movie was released), but many Transformers fans still often consider this to be the best voice Unicron has ever gotten. Another fact I've learned is that Optimus Prime's death was so impactful on the kids who saw the movie that parents sent complaints to the people who made the Transformers cartoon about their children being crying messes after seeing the movie, so Optimus was later brought back to life before the show ended.

[@j0hn00]

Welles pure apathy for the role honestly worked so well for Unicron. This is a godlike being of unimaginable power and age filled purely with evil. Of course he would have no excitement or anything in his voice, just monotone and bored, with only the occasional anger to keep his minions in line. It works so well. Other voice actors for the character somewhat miss the mark by trying too hard to sound "evil". He should be like an eternally bored office boss who has no qualms about firing somebody and ruining their career and life because they wore a mismatched suit or something. Evil to the bone, but not maniacally so, just evil and bored

[@personforpeople4109]

If you ever feel more interested in the entire series feel free to look at the rest either through clips OR on tubi. Which in case you didn't know is a free tv/movie channel packed with Transformers armada and G1 Transformers content!

[@personforpeople4109]

(There is also an animated series as well as many comics...one of which has recently been made is part of the "Energon Universe")

[@3Rayfire]

Another impact of Prime's death: The Transformers and G.I. Joe were cartoons that existed primarily to sell toys. But the writers on those shows actually cared about telling good stories between good and evil and educating kids on morals and values. So Optimus Prime believes in empathy and compassion as much as he does kicking butt. Duke, the leader of the Joes was in the same vein. To the executives, killing off these characters was just clearing out the line for new toys. But for the kids who watched the cartoons, these were role models and members of our family. Killing Optimus was such an intensely tragic shock that it made Hasbro realize they had a franchise with iconic characters on their hands. So, the next year when GI Joe the movie was scheduled to come out they were also going to kill Duke. Prime's death caused so much backlash that it actually saved Duke's life and allowed him to live through the movie. And Duke's planned death scene is still in the movie, surprisingly violent by today's standards.

[@orlandoawilliams799]

It wasn't just the kids: we adult fans weren't happy either!

[@HeatRaver]

"Where did Unicron come from?" He's kind of like a Transformers version of Galactus, where he's a primal god of destruction and hunger from before time began. "Imagine Transformers cross over with Godzilla" G1 Transformers did have what was basically Mechagodzilla, in the form of Trypticon, an enormous dinosaur Decepticon that transformed into a city/base.

[@the_oc_maniac8972]

Doesn't Trypticon also transform into the Nemesis warship now?

[@Dragokaiju2000]

​@@the_oc_maniac8972 Not in G1, but in other continuities like WFC/FOC

[@j0hn00]

Seb does mention Galactus in the video, so he's pretty spot on

[@trailersic]

Depending on which continuity you are following.

[@DeathbySkullfxxx]

They had an episode in season 3 that showed the creator of Unicron

[@paulflood9826]

What was this like as a kid…..traumatising. I’m 45 and have watched this movie a few times since I was a child and I still feckin’ cry during this scene!

[@matthewcollins4157]

I am 45 also and I was a die hard Transformers fan in the 80s. My young soul couldn't believe they killed Optimus Prime and the others in this movie and I missed seeing them in the cartoon series after the movie. I was one of the kids in tears during that death scene and was like OMG! Is this the end of the Transformers!? Where are they going to go from here without Optimus!?

[@Y2KNW]

This, Secret of NIMH, and Watership Down are why every GenXer you've ever meet seems to have zero feelings.

[@The_Zilli]

@@Y2KNW thanks for the laugh. so true.

[@SebaShutKunac]

This is a certified classic movie i grew up with. Hearing all kids cry in cinema, including me, when ironhide and optimus prime died was an expirience i'll never forget. And rewatching it i was suprised to hear a swear word that was suprising lol.

[@senator_Optimus_Prime]

"Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost" This was one of the best moment before prime dies. But like the opening for the movie is cool tbh also honorable mention, "BUT PHRAME"

[@josh_miester_x511]

Hahahaha! It DOES have a hard H in there when he says it. XD

[@Aurich88]

The legendary Orson Welles turned in this performance as Unicron near the end of his life. People have talked about how he sounds like he's phoning it in, but I think it really works for an ancient malevolent god. Also, the soundtrack is just incredible.

[@trailersic]

Recorded his lines five days prior to his death to be precise

[@Rainbow.Pegacorn.Cosplay]

Same man who recorded a radio broadcast of The War Of The Worlds and convinced a whole lot of people that Earth was actually being invaded

[@mixofreak]

Which is scarier? A god of chaos who hates you from the start? Or one that is indifferent because you're so beneath their notice... Until you are no longer. Unicron is terrifying in concept.

[@Rainbow.Pegacorn.Cosplay]

@@mixofreak Even if he doesn't transform, a giant, mechanical planet-consuming planet will make you purge your bladder and bowels until nothing's left.

[@CosmicG777]

​​@@mixofreakTruly a Lovecraftian Eldritch horror. A being of an unlimited power and older than comprehention is straight up Cosmic horror 101.

[@Jay-Reignz]

"Arise, Rodimus Prime" Easily my favorite scene from the movie

[@TONES44]

"I'll rip out your optics!" So badass!

[@Cobalt_Dragon0716]

​@@TONES44 "The Insecticons are in our way!" "WRONG! They're our way IN!"

[@ieyke]

This is essentially the Season Finale of G1 Transformers Season 2. Season 3 picks up where the movie left off, and yes, Optimus Prime is legitimately dead. It traumatized an entire generation of kids. Don't forget that scene where the Decepticons break into the ship and slaughter Ironhide, Ratchet, and Prowl, or that Megatron, the Insecticons, Skywarp, and Thundercracker all got transformed into Galvatron, Sweeps, Cyclonus, and Scourge. And that Galvatron slaughtered Starscream. This movie was an absolute massacre designed to clear out the toyline and set it up to sell new characters. Instead, it absolute devastated kids.

[@TheNativeEngine]

INCESTicons?

[@Eyrothath]

They were based off insects... Bugs.. So they were called insecticons..

[@thewolfofwallstreet627]

However, his death was undone eventually in the series, which undermines the sacrifice in this movie imo.

[@ieyke]

@@thewolfofwallstreet627 EVENTUALLY. He was dead for like 30 episodes.

[@ob1slam]

The opening sequence in the Bumblebee movie, is the closest we've ever got to the animated movie.

[@tmac731]

I don’t understand why we can’t get a 2 out movie of that. James Cameron was able to make Avatar, it’s possible

[@PixelaGames2000]

I think it’s just too expensive to make, but yeah…I wish they could make it happen.

[@oliviawilliams6204]

We are kind of getting it with the new CGI movie… not like any such movies could be live action…

[@celticson]

And still no Transformer's theme

[@nalydamuttah1]

The voice of Soundwave!

[@Y2KNW]

"If you grew up with this, I'm jealous." Bud, if you ever wonder why Gen Xers have no feelings, THIS is what we grew up with.

[@ZONAMA74]

I was 12 years old in '86 when this film was released. I cried when Prime died, he was my favorite Autobot since the first episode in 1984.

[@Y2KNW]

I was a Starscream fan from More Than Meets The Eye and watching him go from getting what he wanted to getting what he deserved so quickly hurt a bit more than Prime.

[@glenmcl]

I'm 49. I still cry.

[@GamiCross]

The acid pit scene "That's actually traumatizing" 🥺 ...Yes. Yes it was. That was straight up nightmare fuel with the wailing and slow melting...

[@joefulghamofficial]

The Transformers animated show was on TV after school for me when I was in high school. As a toy commercial (the reason for the show!) it was aimed a bit younger than I was, but I was a nerd hungry for heroic sci-fi and watched every episode. This movie came out in the summer between graduating and going to college, and I watched a matinee in a theatre full of younger kids who all cried when Optimus died, while I couldn't believe I was getting "dark" storytelling from Transformers and fell in love. Later I learned the huge number of character deaths happened because they wanted to clear away the current toys they'd already sold as much as they could have and introduce a whole new batch. The TV show continued after the movie, with "Rodimus Prime" trying to lead, but quality suffered (IIRC), and eventually Optimus returned. Bay's choice to move away from character-defining colors and clean styles to his "whirlwind in a junkyard" CGI was a real reason his movies didn't work for me, plus the blatant US military promotion. Maybe in the future we'll get a live reboot that uses these iconic looks. Highly recommend checking out Transformers episode of "The Toys That Made Us" on Netflix for a lot of great info on just how Transformers happened.

[@senatorarmstrong8960]

Keep in mind that when this film came out most parents took their kids too see it. My uncle went when it was released and he said the entire theater was in tears over Prime. The promotional material for the movie didn’t foreshadow any deaths at all, so it hit everyone like a train At this time Prime was not only a HUGE name on TV, But he was also alot of children’s favorite toy. I watched then when I was about 6 years old. The deaths at the beginning of the movie scarred me in a way I couldn’t even explain.

[@italictoshi]

"Pack a Punch starting Pistol" I'm Dying 😂😂😂

[@TarossBlackburn]

If you thought that was wild, you should've seen the actual toy... It turned into a 1:1 scale pistol. I believe some versions were even able to fire plastic pellets.

[@transformandgobricks7820]

Drop everything! Seb is watching the original G1 movie!

[@3Rayfire]

Can confirm after four decades the G1 Transformation audio effect is completely timeless. Top Ten Historic sci fi sound design right up there with the TNG warp speed effect, the lightsaber, and TIE Fighter engines.

[@ilikethenight9732]

This film is my childhood. Peak transformers

[@RodimusPrime]

I was there in the theatre in 1986, 5 years old. This was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre. My dad took me, I cried, some other families and kids left right after Optimus died. My dad didnt know how to consule me. I liked Rodimus right from the start unlike most. I will tell you that day in Feb of 1987 when the return of Optimus Prime aired was the best day of my life.

[@joromo]

As a Gen-Xer I saw this on opening day in 1986. Packed theater with screaming fans. It introduced the Matrix before the Matrix and the tesseract before the Avengers. Yes, I grew up with this. You can be jealous now.

[@tonyc416]

Brother, watching this in the theater at about 11 years old after growing up watching the original series on TV was.... UN-REAL! Animation, acting, writing, directing, soundtrack... absolutely incredible.... You literally couldnt ask for more as a kid seeing this after playing with the toys and watching the show for years... No one was prepared for it. Glad you're able to enjoy this master piece! Great review! Subscribed!

[@RodimusPrimal]

Great reaction. One of my favorite films of all time. A little history about the 1986 film. It takes place 20 years after the second season, with a grand total of 65 episodes, of the original cartoon. The third Season take place after. It ushered in a slew of new characters while keeping some of the older ones around. There is LOTS of lore before, during, and after and you've only scratched the surface.

[@TheBabyCaleb]

Holy Moly! You are the last person I expected to see on this video XD.

[@transformandgobricks7820]

23:20 Those are the Quintessons. In the original series, it was explained that they were the ones that created the Transformers to serve them as their slaves but they eventually rebelled and banished the Quintessons off Cybertron. Transformers: One is based on that.

[@shauntempley9757]

The Quntessons only made the Decepticons, after they were beaten back from Cybertron by taking the dead. It was Alpha Trion that made the Autobots in a slow process, like how Orion Pax made Optimus Prime.

[@me_a_person]

​@@shauntempley9757 Nope, the Quintessons made both the Autobots and the Decepticons. Autobots were workers and Decepticons were soldiers. It's explained like that in the show

[@shauntempley9757]

@@me_a_person The Quintessons in a later episode after this film say that was a lie. You can tell that is true, because the energon found on the Quintesson homeworld could be used without refining by Decepticons, while the Autobots were poisoned by it in the same episode. The Decepticons on Cybertron were poisoned in turn by the energon found there, while the Autobots could use it. The poisoning I am talking about, is like how we are poisoned by sea water, to the point if we drink too much, we die from its effects.

[@trailersic]

@@shauntempley9757 What episode are you even talking about?

[@shauntempley9757]

@@trailersic It is one where Rodimus Prime AND Galvatron crash land on Quintessa, where the information is revealed. Which is not the planet Hot Rod, Kup, and the Dinobots crashed on in this film.

[@cameronmcindoe6119]

The openning city battle goes so hard, the choice to have optimus prime die by bleeding out from a gut-shot on an operating table is definitely a bold one. Not to mention Ironside getting executed via a shot to the back of the head, 5 mins in by Megatron. It really is just ruthless in the openning brawl.

[@orlandoawilliams799]

A coworker and I saw this at a Friday evening showing when it was released. The theater was almost full. There was one mid teen with his dad, and the rest of us were all at least 20. My buddy and I were 27, and there were several people much older. There was also a healthy number of women there. The communal gasp of disbelief when Optimus Prime died was wild!

[@tmacsauce]

25:20 I’ve actually never realized this but Transformers Fall of Cybertrom game actually made that exact scene as a cutscene. That’s sick

[@Bennyb99]

The game also included the coronation scene as well! It was such a love letter to G1 fans, that game

[@DeathbySkullfxxx]

Thats because its loosely tied to G1. They took some liberties but its supposed to be G1.

[@armypea6032]

I watched it as a 6 year old child. When Optimus died the entire theatre of young boys cried. No exaggeration. Second only from the parents threatening to take us home unless we stopped. 80s were a lot different than today

[@The_Bi-polar_Express]

This movie was traumatic for children back in the day, and it still brings tears today.

[@leorojas6390]

I'm so glad that you're watching the OG Transformers movie, Seb! This one is a classic right here and the Transformers franchise has lasted for over 40 years now.

[@GoGojiraGo]

The first of Optimus Prime's many deaths. In the G1 cartoon, Unicron was a creation of an alien monkey scientist named Primacron. In the G1 Marvel comic series, his origin was changed to being a dark god, the Chaos Bringer, opposite and enemy of Primus, the god of light and the creator of the Transformers. He seeks to consume all of existence until there is only void left, an emptiness where he may then slumber in peace for eternity. And that has been Unicron's primary backstory for the rest of the franchise's history, with one of two exceptions.

[@thantrus]

The first few scenes in this movie was horrifying as a kid. Just watching your ol' favorites get dropped like sacks of taters. The two you see on the ground before they load the ballista to fight devastator are Wheeljack (the white one) and Windcharger (the red one). Wheeljack, in the cartoon series, was the one who built the dinobots. He was one of my favorites. I used to love his alt mode the most when I was a kid. It was a Lancia Alitalia.

[@WeareCreative360]

there are a lot of great gems from this movie, with the Universal Greeting being one of them. there were probably a few of us kids at the time "speaking Junkion" language as a joke while still grieving Prime's death, until we got word of Prime's return.

[@glenmcl]

Bah weep grana weep nini bom

[@cbw7853]

I’ve literally watched this movie 1000 times in the last 30 years it’s so good to see someone’s reaction watching this movie for the first time great video

[@Solbadgreg]

I have a friend who saw this in theaters. When he was asked if he cried when Prime died, he said no. He was already crying when 20 other well known Transformers were killed 15 minutes before Prime died. T_T

[@The_Zilli]

i was already numb by the point. Didnt cry, just was numb in shock.

[@hoethlordofwisdom6919]

I saw this when It came out. When Optimus died it devastated me. Still a film I love watching to this day.

[@alexroberts2421]

My dad showed me and my brother this movie when we were kids. My favorite thing about the movie was the DVD case. It featured Optimus Prime holding the matrix along with his fellow autobots, but it was one of those scratchy-changing-picture-when-tilted. When the case was tilted, it showed Hot Rod holding the matrix with his autobot friends and Daniel. To be honest, now that I think about it, this movie is so much better than most of the Michael Bay movies. They're good, but they just fell short after Mark Walberg was in the next few movies. Still, I'm so glad you watched this hidden gem. This really takes me back!

[@matthewcollins4157]

One thing that I hate about the Michael Bay movies is that the transformations are so disorienting in his movies. Growing up with the 80s cartoon and this movie and of course the literally million Transformer's toys (I swear every singe Transformer you saw you could buy a toy for!) I could at least follow the transformations and they made sense. Michael Bay seemed to use the transformation with all the moving parts and stuff to totally disorientate the audience and that turned me off of his films. It was visually uncomfortable.

[@3Rayfire]

@@matthewcollins4157 I'm on the fence on Bay's Transformers. What he did had a lot of its own logic. An alien species of robots has no real reason to be as traditionally humanoid as they are. They shouldn't really have a face like we do and the Bayformers do seem appropriately alien. He also wanted to avoid mass shifting which he saw as a cheat code, though conversely could be seen as a truly exotic piece of technology. BUT, MOST of those designs turned out to be butt ugly in a lot of ways. And because he used the color pallets of modern cars a LOT of the Transformers he made ended up being incredibly difficult to distinguish. G1, Beast Wars, Robots in Disguise, and Energon Trilogy Transformers were all instantly recognizable and distinctive. Even the Seekers who are redresses of the same base model can be instantly recognized at a glance. There's a bit of a Rumble/Frenzy issues with the colors, but you'd never confuse Starscream for Ramjet, or Skywarp with Thrust. On the other hand, because Bay was opposed to Mass Shifting, the film and the requisite toy line had some of the most intricate transformation engineering in the franchise, and GREATLY advanced fidelity in Transformations, jumping the Masterpiece lines ahead generations in technology. Nowadays we have Transformers that we would've backflipped over in the 80s, an age of dream Transformers from Hasbro and third parties. We're at the point that Jobby the Hong complaining about Transformers having too much kibble or giant backpacks doesn't seem like nitpicking but a valid critique. Now "We Have The Technology". And I feel like Bay's ugly ass Transformers had a hand in that.

[@youwayo]

The first three Bay movies were great in their own right

[@Marvelous02]

Transformers Prime TV show is worth watching too..its amazing

[@TheBabyCaleb]

THIS! My absolute favorite tv series of all time!

[@octaviusfooks7194]

So is Transformers Armada

[@pigs18]

And answers the question, "What if the Bay films were good?"

[@octaviusfooks7194]

@@pigs18 I think looking back, the Bay folks spend too much time on the hardware and the action sequences and no time on the characters

[@oliviawilliams6204]

Animated is great too

[@psychokitty71]

The multifaced creatures in the movie are Quintessons. They are actually the creators of both the Autobots and the Decepticons. Autobots were created for "domestic duties and labor" while Decepticons were created for military purposes. The Quintessons are very powerful, but also pretty defenseless, so they can access multiple universes and shut off access to entire regions of space, but they are helpless when their servants rise up as the Sharkticons did in the movie. I don't remember if that was retconned starting with this movie, or if that was always the lore. After all, it's been 38 years. I'm in my early 50s, so I actually watched the show and this movie when they originally came out. Optimus Prime's death was heartbreaking for everybody who watched the show.

[@WilliamKovacsJr]

it started with this movie if you are going by cannon, the later comics may have changed things

[@visionaryventures12]

Part of the impact you aren’t getting at the beginning is two seasons prior to this and many reruns of getting to know the individual characters you see in the first 10 minutes of this film horribly dead in battle. If you explore the series on KZbin, watch seasons one and two first. You’ll also see Grimlock was a more interesting, dimensional character in those two seasons. He was something of a troll in the sense that he would lead his Dinobots against Prime’s command. He would talk back to Prime and those in charge. He had a charming way of being a bulldog. The third season really dumbed him down.

[@3Rayfire]

Except for the Technobots episode.

[@shannanray6576]

Always remember... Gen X grew up with our cartoon kids' movies having heavy metal soundtracks where beloved characters were shot to death with a big handgun (Walther P38), our most beloved hero and role model dies (and stays dead), and the main villain shoots a hero in the head then says, "Such heroic nonsense,"

[@transformandgobricks7820]

The cast this movie got is stacked, the biggest ones I think are Judd Nelson as Hot Rod, Orson Welles as Unicron, and Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron!

[@ScooterBond1970]

Also Robert Stack as Ultra Magnus, Eric Idle as Wreck-Gar, and John Moschitta as Blurr (yes, he really can talk that fast)

[@transformandgobricks7820]

@@ScooterBond1970 I know that he can.

[@pigs18]

It's worth noting that Judd Nelson has even come back to voice him again in a couple of shows.

[@transformandgobricks7820]

@@pigs18 In Animated, yes I know.

[@pigs18]

@@transformandgobricks7820 And the web serials.

[@transformandgobricks7820]

16:41 Actually, in later lore, it was explained that Unicron is the evil twin brother of the God of Transformers himself, PRIMUS! He was the embodiment of creation while Unicron, of destruction!

[@DeathbySkullfxxx]

Not in G1 continuity

[@Drawkcabi]

Saw this in the theater opening weekend. As soon as it was over, I ran out to a pay phone and called my friend and told him the entire movie. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen! The very next weekend, I was back to watch it again. Before this movie came out, all the TV advertisements for it, always ended with "Does Optimus Prime die?" And let's just say with 80's kids cartoons, death wasn't an unknown thing... So I was halfway expecting it. I think between that and being eleven years old, it was why I didn’t cry about Optimus Prime. I respected the movie for treating kids like adults who could handle it. (Not knowing that it was just a marketing ploy) But then most kids...they couldn't handle it and parents were _pissed._ And not just for that reason... I remember when I saw it in the theater there was an older man with a young girl. They looked like a grandfather and granddaughter. All the Transformers fighting and dying, that was ok, but when Spike said, "Shit," the old man got up, grabbed his granddaughter, and marched her out of the theater. 😂

[@Tsujanryo]

0_0 omg...like...seriously?

[@RetroRobotRadio]

It's not explained well at the beginning but this planet that first gets eaten is a small, peaceful colony planet called Lithone. Unicron is slowly moving closer to Cybertron.

[@sandwiched]

The context for this movie is important. It took place within the timeframe of the G1 TV series, after seasons 1 (16 episodes) and 2 (49!! episodes). Suffice it to say, the fans had had plenty of time to fall in love with Optimus, so when he was killed off, it was quite heartbreaking. The guest voice cast in this was especially interesting. This was the last role of Orson Welles (of War of the Worlds radio drama fame, among many other credits), who voiced Unicron. And the voice for Galvatron is none other than Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy!

[@bug5317]

I remember going to see this movie in theaters a few times when I was 10. We were C R Y I N G!! Back then parents would drop their kids off with money and be like "GO AWAY" and we would go see a movie or 2 and go to the arcade. Oh good days.

[@wobedraggled]

My grandma brought me, was invested enough to ask questions...and held my hand when Optimus died. Core memory.

[@Warrionus_Prime]

The movie might have been a failure when it came out but nowadays, it is well remembered The reason why many characters were killed off was because their toys were discontinued, having characters dying was something that never happened in the cartoon (at least in season 1 and 2) Optimus’s death traumatized the kids, a lot of them left the theaters in that scene. At that time Hasbro saw Optimus as a product, they didn’t realized Prime was seen as an icon until this happened, to fix this they got to work on a two parter for the season 3 finale called “The return of Optimus Prime” and this is why now every time he dies he always come back

[@pigs18]

(cough) Dark Awakening (cough)

[@Warrionus_Prime]

@@pigs18 That one was already made before Hasbro realized their mistake

[@3Rayfire]

Cult Classics happened a lot back then. The Princess Bride and later The Shawshank Redemption were also box office failures.

[@usamazahid3882]

And it occurred at the same time they were making GI JOE the movie, when originally Duke was supposed to die.

[@usamazahid3882]

@@Warrionus_Prime Yeah, it was the best audible for a cartoon.

[@JankenIII]

Movie recommendations for Seb: Shindlers list The boy in the striped pajamas All quiet on the western front 1917 Come And See The hunt (jagten) Taken 2 & 3 Prisoners The pianist Cast away Captain Philips The imitation game Her Keep up the good content Seb ❤

[@JankenIII]

Congrats on 300k subscribers Seb

[@JOJ0606]

We are definitely going to give Seb some ptsd with these ones, especially Come and see. Lets just add Downfall, Stalingrad and one flew over the cuckoo's nest to the list and we are good to go 👍

[@JankenIII]

@@JOJ0606 🤣😅

[@Watcherobot]

Owls of Ga'hoole

[@JOJ0606]

@@Watcherobot that is exactly what I've been wanting him to watch too

[@TeeJayDesastron]

The events of this movie happen after the second season of the original TV-show. It was literally produced in order to exchange most of the established characters and sell new toys. And I think it worked out rather well. There was another season after this movie and I think some episodes making up a short fourth season or something the like. After that the show was more or less continued in Japan with various spin-off shows while in the US the next entry in this continuity was a 3D animated show named Beast Wars, which also ran over a few seasons before it was followed up with Beast Machines. Of course Japan did something extra again creating another spin-off show named Beast Wars 2, which was followed by a theatrically released movie and a second spin-off show named Beast Wars Neo. So technically this continuity of the Transformers franchise, assuming you really want to count each and everything, only ended many years later with the end of Beast Wars Neo. As for how it ends..... well, just in the unlikely case you ever decide to watch all of this I won't spoil it. It does involve a mammoth and a lion though.

[@airmaildolphin7013]

I remember seeing this in the theater. When Prime's body turned grey there were kids crying. Man, it effects me to this day!

[@transformandgobricks7820]

Can't wait for Transformers: One! Finally, the movie that will tell the origins of Optimus and Megatron!

[@Zentron]

We already know about Optimus Prime's origins, Megatron is the only origin we know the least about.

[@GodKai24blat]

@@Zentronnot really we’ve seen it in the idw comics explains it just fine

[@Zentron]

​@@GodKai24blat lol, IDW 😂

[@GodKai24blat]

@@Zentron wut about it

[@nessus47]

​@@Zentronbefore they went woke.Megatron's origin is actually a really good comic.

[@madebycarter]

Children ran out of the theaters when Optimus died. Parents wrote letters to hasbro complaining about killing Optimus and causing their children trauma. When GI Joe was making their movie they asked the transformers guys for tips. The transformers guys asked “you’re planning to kill duke, right?” And they said yes. And the transformers guys said “don’t do it. Trust us. Just don’t do it.” So they rewrote the movie to have duke just be injured really bad and be in a coma the entire movie until he got an antidote from the snake venom. GI Joe, and Duke, was just as big as transformers at that time.

[@3Rayfire]

Seb, I feel like you missed, something that the Bay films ridiculously skipped over. Part of the conflict in G1 Transformers is that Transformers gotta eat. They ingest a refined energy called Energon, what Hot Rod and Kup handed out to the Allicons. It is food and it is currency. It can be processed out of just about anything, though the Decepticons often attacked Oil sources and Power Plants. It is processed into and stored in Energon Cubes, which Transformers can then drink out of. In other forms it can be a weapon, for instance the glowing axes and swords Prime used in the Bay Movies were Energon Blades. What Bay did keep but rarely mentioned was that after 4 billion years of constant warfare the planet Cybertron was effectively depleted of all energon and other energy sources. Thus the Autobots and Decepticons abandoned the planet to find a new power source, hopefully one powerful enough to repower their planet. The Decepticons are happy to enslave or annihilate Earth to acquire this power, the Autobots are willing to patiently build up the power with renewable resources over time.

[@MZ-bl6wg]

Dude I watched this as a kid , MAN this took me right back to kindergarten!!!!

[@WeareCreative360]

if you can find it, you'll have to watch "The Return of Optimus Prime". we all waited for this to be broadcast when the news came out, and though there was an episode before it, when it finally came out, i think Hasbro was finally relieved about the reaction(no more protests from parents about them killing off our fave character, lol.)

[@AgentMaryland]

Since you were interested in the G1 era after watching this movie, to catch you up: This movie is the bridge between seasons 2 and 3 of the original G1 series from the 1980s. So you would have to watch the first 2 seasons of the show, then this movie, then seasons 3 and 4, 4 being a 3-parter finale of sorts. To answer your questions: yes, this is the first time the Matrix of Leadership is mentioned in the franchise, and Optimus "comes back" as a Quintesson-controlled zombie in "Dark Awakening" (which was made before anyone knew Optimus dying in the movie traumatized a lot of kids), but comes back for real with the Season 3 finale "The Return of Optimus Prime" (after Hasbro realized they fucked up). Hasbro's been posting the whole series on KZbin recently, so it shouldn't be hard to find. Have fun!

[@professor_pig7077]

I watched this as a child and to this day it’s a must watch movie and I refer to the 1986 movie as the best transformers (the reason for it having so much combat and transformations is because the movie was made to sell toys of all the characters)

[@thecatinthehatifyoudidntkn5096]

What makes transformers cool is the characters, the live action movies treat them like background decorations until it’s time to fight, every character that speaks in this movie has a well formed personality and name, even the new movies mishandle the transformers (though much less than Bay) because for a big studio it’s scary not to have a physical actor with name recognition front and centre which isn’t a problem for animation

[@gorrammudder1600]

Saw this in the theater with my Grandma, it was let!! I couldn't believe it when Optimus baught it, my Gran got mad when dude the dropped an S bomb.

[@radwolf76]

So matrix is just a term that is used in science, math, logic, electronics, all sorts of places. It originally meant "something within or from which something else originates, develops, or takes form". In Transformers "Matrix of Leadership" is just something that powers up a chosen Autobot to be a leader for the rest. Now some of those other uses of matrix, like in math or electronics where it means an organized array of digital information or arrangement of circuits, that's where the idea came to certain Sci Fi writers that a matrix like that could be used to make a simulated world. The first time that word was used for that concept was a Tom Baker era Doctor Who serial from 1976.

[@DeathbySkullfxxx]

"Is just something that powers up a chosen Autobot" ... just lol. Also it has the accumulated wisdom of all the former Autobot leaders... hence the Leadership part. And also why Optimus couldnt be revived as his spark merged w the Matrix upon his death.

[@SirPaladin]

Orson Wells DIED making this movie; he'd been in very poor health for a long time. His last interview had him talking about how "I play a toy who spends hours doing terrible things to other toys."

[@vladvulcan]

why is this so funny LMAO

[@JonCombo]

During the making.

[@MegaJessness]

Legend has it that it was actually Wally Burr who caused his death :D

[@MezTZO]

The thing with this movie is that there were 2 whole seasons of the TV show that came before it... so for the movie to come out and just make such big, drastic sweeping changes by wiping out most of the old fan favorite characters and introducing a big, planet-ending threat like nothing kids have ever seen before... the movie was a game-changer. As for where Unicron where from, that was answered in Season 3 of the TV show, which came out AFTER the movie.

[@geordontbrown]

Yes Megatron turning into a gun is the coolest thing in all of transformers

[@Doubledeepfried]

Watched this in '86, and still watch it once a year, and got all the music on my playlist.

[@joestacey6185]

"How is this film so ruthless?" Toy sales.

[@trailersic]

I think it's more the writers took the opportunity that they are robots to be ruthless. In the original draft they killed Magnus, Blurr, Kup and Springer I think. So they had to give them a memo on WHICH toys they were allowed to kill.

[@DeathbySkullfxxx]

How is this film so ruthless? Lol And u just not e toy sales. It is and was unheard of to kill characters in an American cartoon... so not just toy sales. It killed the movies Box office but its also why its legendary now. Thats WHY they killed em off. But doesnt explain the ruthlessness. Smh

[@WilliamKovacsJr]

@@trailersic no joestacey6185 is right all the transformers killed off had their product lines taken off the shelves to make way for the newer toy lines ( magnus, hot rod/rodimus prime , springer , galvatron and all the other new transformers released in the movie) basically the movie was a giant commercial for the new toy lines

[@trailersic]

@@WilliamKovacsJr that didn't mean they had to die, Reflector, Skyfire and others just disappeared. Hasbro didn't order them to kill them, the writers took the opportunity.

[@bluestreakbthr]

Unicron is the god of Chaos. This was the first time the Matrix of Leadership was used in lore. The theater was a mix of quiet and crying by both kids and parents when Prime died. Yes, the toys are still available, and there were a few versions of Unicron, too. I watched this so much as a kid that I wore out the VHS tape.

[@spiderbob007]

The moment when kids who grew up with the Bayverse movies realize that Transformers movies should be about transformers... and not their silly human sidekicks.

[@brettphty]

Thank you sir. For giving such a response. Most people just don’t understand.

[@genkigirl4859]

The new films were just made for looks and nothing else.not a single one of them is really good and an entire generation was sadly raised in them and didn’t get to experience what you did when you watched this.except me…my dad exposed me to generation 1 on vhs tapes when I was little before I ever got a chance to see any of the bay movies and I’m glad he did

[@doublez3ta]

The original Transformers cartoon from the 80s had a lot of subgroups that could combine to form a larger robot. For example, the Decepticons had the Constructicons that could form Devastator, Stunticons could form Menasor, the Combaticons could form Bruticus. The Autobots had the Aerialbots which could become Superion, the Protectobots that could become Defensor and the Technobots that became Computron. Like a lot of the shows back then, they were always intended to be 30 minute toy commercials from the start. Maybe that's why they were so fun

[@KINGGODZILLA5460]

SebScreen back when this movie released kids and adults left the theater crying i beleave the creators actually had death threats sent to them for killing off optimus and the reason they killed most of original cast was because of low toy sales

[@ripleyjlawman.3162]

They were introducing the next wave of toys and thought nothing of annihilating the characters represented by the familiar toys, because they’d underestimated the attachment that the kids had to the characters.

[@streakermaximus]

11:22 "Is that like a medic Transformer?" No. That's Perceptor, a PHD. Ratchet, the MD, died on during the shuttle attack. This is why Prime died.

[@jondbm]

The best Transformers movie by a billion miles. Now you can see why original Transformers fans think the Michael Bay movies suck.

[@cheeseburger12]

Yes and no. After all, it was a massive box office flop. As much as I dislike the Bay movies, they have thier audience

[@narlord8613]

@@cheeseburger12 Everyone else who watched this, would disagree, the Bay movies failed with TLK being an incomprehensible movie, with a storyline, that barely made sense.

[@cheeseburger12]

@@narlord8613 Look, I gave up with the Bay movies after the 3rd one. But lots of people keep going and spending thier money. Somebody likes them. Lots of somebodies.

[@narlord8613]

@@cheeseburger12 And probably no one would realize the hard work, it'd take to make CGI as expensive in the movies. Along with detailed car and truck designs, those are peak.

[@cheeseburger12]

@@narlord8613 I'll take the 80s animated style over cgi

[@garthdavis4320]

Some of the popular Autobots get killed off and only Optimus Prime comes back to life. That's bittersweet.

[@Lucas-cr7iz]

didn't expect this one

[@transformandgobricks7820]

26:09 The song that plays in the background was made by the legendary musician Weird Al Yankovic! He even later returned to the Transformers franchise to voice a character in Transformers Animated Wreck-Gar! And now he recently voiced Cosmos in Transformers Earthspark.

[@NALVIS_PLAYS]

Finally Transformers!

[@atraxisdarkstar]

When the first Bayformers came out, I went into it with low expectations and was mostly satisfied at an OK film. Every one after that was a stake getting driven deeper and deeper into my heart. I tell people to this day that not only is this one of the greatest animated films of all time, but a very good film just in general. Mr. Spock killing Unsolved Mysteries Guy then getting yelled at by The Shadow was just an absolutely surreal experience, even for a 5 year old who didn't fully comprehend it all yet.

[@gamblemaster2874]

Yes finally I’ve waited for this moment 🤤

[@brians2901]

Fun fact: G1 Transformers is technically an anime. Toei animation was responsible for this artistic masterpiece. Gen X was down with anime before we even knew it was a thing.

[@Kaiju-bm4ts]

Yes and no. G1 was handled by Japanese animators before it was switched over to Korean animators

[@Davestar2112]

Do realize that you're missing two seasons of context for this movie. I wish people would watch at least a few episodes of G1 before going straight for the movie.

[@TheRealSamalam]

12:08 prime's line was so heartwarming, I genuinely shed a tear watching. "Until the day.."

[@TFMTMTE]

We need a transformers prime reaction it is literally the peak of the franchise seb

[@NVSirius]

My Dad introduced me to this Film ever since I was like 5 or 3 and It's still one of the best Films I've ever seen! Also Optimus's fight scene is the Greatest scene in Movie History!!

[@warriorpredator128]

*YOU NEED TO WATCH TRANSFORMERS PRIME*

[@draskang]

I grew up with this & it was fucking AMAZING. Saw it in the theater & it basically defined all of Transformers for me. Optimus dying was like the end of the world for us lol. I love this damn movie. The music, the cinematography, the action, the visual style, voice work.. it's so awesome. & as you said "this is THE Transformers film" Even after every other Transformers film that's come out, to me, this is the ACTUAL Transformers film.

[@Simply.ivy_2004]

My childhood lol

[@isleepp_2335]

I’ve seen this multiple times and I’m a 2003 baby I’ve always remembered the death scenes and songs in this hahah

[@dengronebaronen5260]

Can you watch Transformers Prime?

[@TheL34fster]

He really should. It’s a great show.

[@jlestes1985]

Every kid cried, one kid actually locked himself in his room for a week after watching this movie. The reaction was so intense they had to change the ending to the GI Joe movie cause Duke was supposed to die, but they were afraid of getting the same backlash as this movie. My cousin made me a copy of this movie on a VHS when I was about 4 and I watched it daily for years lol. Prime does come back in the show during season 3 (twice, kinda). This movie is why so many of us OG TF fans never really got on board with the Bayverse movies. The first one was good, just because we got to see Prime in live action. After that, all we have ever wanted is a live version of this movie.