Sun 24 Jun 2007
The Transformers movie is going to be coming out this week in Australia and if memory serves me right, I think we’re first in the world to see it. They’ll certainly be a big rush to see it and I expect big things from it. Every kid back in the 80’s to now will have some sort of memories related to the transformers. From getting up in the morning and watching the cartoon to playing the toys and saying the stupidest junk for example: NAH UH I HAD FORCEFIELD ON!!
But why I brought on the subject of the Transformers, apart from the hooplah and fanfare that will be occuring this week, was that one certain event from it impacted my life. Looking back there’s things like my very first time, my first girlfriend, moving out of home, travelling around the world, and then there’s losing things close to you.
When I mean losing, it’s death of course, and in my lifetime there’s only been three deaths that have rocked my world. There was my best friend Eddie, my grandfather and last but not least Optimus Prime. Now I know Optimus Prime was fictional and all, and hell he came back from death to lead the Autobots once again. But imagine as a kid not knowing about the concepts of death and then watching a movie then BAM, Optimus is dead.
I remembered watching the movie and I went with one of my friends (who I still keep in touch with), my cousin and her friends. The movie started off well and and there was intense action. Oh let’s not forget that you’re watching the Transformers movie here, in a theatre, and when was the last time they ever release a cartoon into a major motion picture.
Then it happened, Megatron shoots Optimus a few times but not before Optimus knocks him off and the Decepticons retreat. The next scene sees Optimus dying and of course me being a softie, balled my eyes out. I think everyone in that theatre was silent, in tears or just shocked. I mean how is it possible that a hero like Optimus just dies. And imagine the impact it had on kids back then too.
Looking back I think it was a great move by the movie makers and it teaches you that not all things are fair and for every up there’s always a down. Nowadays I’ve yet to see a Cartoon movie that deals with the issues that the Transformers movie dealt out. Then again I am just being rather biased seeing as this is the Transformers I am talking about.
