By Chris Snellgrove | Published
There in 1986 Transformers: The Movie came out, this animated masterpiece did the last thing its young fans expected by killing off Optimus Prime. This tough but tender trucker was more than the leader of the Autobots: he was a godfather to them and, by extension, to the audience. The filmmakers killed Prime off as a subtle way to show that the movie was playing conservative, especially when compared to the cartoon. Of course, there was an ulterior motive here. By killing off Optimus Prime and many other characters, the film could introduce new characters whose toys young audiences can beg their parents to buy after the credits roll.
As those Transformers fans grew up, many of them joked about how the animated movie killed their childhood by ditching a cool and memorable character like Prime. However, the film’s goal of selling more toys had a subtle effect that none of us ’80s kids could have predicted. You see, this movie was illegal because of the explosion of desire that has dominated the Millennial life for the last two decades. Transformers: The Movie it effectively taught us a terrible lesson: that we should never throw away our toys, and that we are just one more thing bought back in recapturing the joy of our childhood.
Welcome to Prime Time
Transformers: The Movie it has a good steady pace. After a bit of world building (including the introduction of the Galactus-like Big Bad, Unicron), we see the Decepticons take over an Autobot ship, killing everyone on board in a gruesome manner. They use this to launch a bold attack on Autobot City, and soon it looks like the bad guys will win the day. That changes when Optimus Prime launches a one-man attack that culminates in a duel against Megatron, the ruthless Decepticon leader. Prime wins the battle with one final blow, but takes heavy damage and later succumbs to his injuries.
In a way, that makes things worse. Optimus Prime doesn’t get a quick death like the other ‘bots, including Starcream. Instead, we watch him slowly and awkwardly die in the Autobot equivalent of a hospital room. He puts down, and all hope is lost. We literally see the light leave his eyes. As if that wasn’t bad enough, his entire body turns gray, emphasizing the terrifying transformation we just watched. This is no longer a strong, powerful warrior of a powerful army. Now he is just a collection of leftover parts. Looking back, older Transformers fans look at this moment where their children died, which is ironic. After all, this franchise is why our childhood never ended.
The Real Neverending Story
While Transformers has successfully reinvented itself for generations to come (just look at the arcade if you don’t believe me), the original cartoon and movie were aimed squarely at a young, Millennial audience. As this audience grew, nostalgia became a central part of our identity. There are several theories as to why this is so. Some think that Millennials, as the last pre-internet generation, long for the days before everything was digital. Revisiting the shows, movies, and toys of that era is an attempt to recapture the magic and innocence of our childhood.
Unfortunately, Millennials haven’t really learned how to put toys away. Hollywood knows this collective nostalgia fix well and constantly fills the big screen with endless prequels, sequels, and reboots. After all, why try something new when most of your core audience is craving something the old one? This is how we mysteriously got the third trilogy of Star Wars films centered around the Skywalker family. Even when we get an IP with a new name like Stranger Thingsit should be steeped in enough ’80s nostalgia that it tickles the same part of our brain that loves to play with old toys.
The Nostalgia Pill: Convert, and Release!
Now, why I am so suspicious of this stressful situation Transformers: The Movie? In an effort to sell toys based on new characters, the filmmakers taught a child audience the worst lesson of all: when an old toy dies, just replace it with a new one. Is Optimus Prime dead? No problem, Ultra Magnus has the Matrix of Leadership now. Wait, they just separated Magnus? No worries, Hot Rod is about to be upgraded (make sure you buy both figures!). When my generation was growing up, you didn’t even think about dropping the friendship stuff because the constant consumption of nostalgia slop became our corporate raison d’etre.
Speaking of which, companies are constantly filling store shelves with the toys we collect, hoping that eventually we’ll have enough plastic sludge to fill that void in our depths. These tchotchkes are a way of microdosing nostalgia; an attempt to bring back the joy we felt upon discovering a new Transformer growing up. We never reach that level of happiness, which is part of some tragedy. That is, those Millennials, often called the “bridge generation”, are caught between two very different eras. You’re not fully online, but you can’t put the digital cat back in the bag, the best we can do is swim toward the receding shores of the past, one run at a time.
One will deceive you, the other will fall
Sadly, endlessly watching Autobots and Decepticons fight will not teach us to evolve into our childhood. Since you can’t go home again, you can never really go back to the past. All you can do is watch bits and pieces of it, hoping you’ll watch it one last time and be really happy. But bits of happiness are better than no happiness at all, so we continue to pursue our inner peace, one multiplication at a time. Sadly, Transformers: The Movie it’s not available to stream, but you can rent it at a place Optimus can approve: Prime Video.
While you’re at Amazon, be sure to order a new toy. Don’t worry; I’m sure this it will be the one that finally makes it all better!
