Decepticon Profile: Scorponok

Citroen C4 Transformer

Unicron Explodes

Optimus Prime Toy

Transformers The Movie Revewied

Transformers is a true-to-form summer blockbuster. Based on an already successful toy and TV cartoon franchise, Transformers recreates in the big screen the same awe inspiring imagination that many of us who grew up watching them on TV experienced. Maybe because Peter Cullen voiced Optimus Prime, the same guy who voiced Optimus Prime in the cartoons. I’m not gonna dwell on the plot, it’s basically Autobots vs. Decepticons on Earth, duh.

But many familiar guys are here. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Jazz, and Ironhide for the Autobots. Megatron, Starscream, Barricade, Devastator, Bonecrusher, and Blackout for the Decepticons. Bumblebee is updated. He used to be a VW bug. He’s a Camaro now. Megatron is a jet with a big gun. He used to be just a big gun, often fired by Starscream. I remember Ratchet as an ambulance. He’s someting else in this movie. Devastator was the Constructicons combined into one. He’s his own Decepticon in this movie as a tank. Barricade was a racing car, but not one of the original Decepticons. He’s a Ford Mustang police squad car in this movie. Soundwave, my favorite Decepticon is missing. I liked him primarily because of his Cylon Raider-like voice. Yes, that’s the Cylons from old school Battlestar Galactica.

The action is fast and furious and, often, very hard to appreciate in one sitting. Too many things flying off and exploding. In the city street fight scene, Ironhide performs all sorts of acrobatic moves that I didn’t catch in the big screen. You have a 60 ft robot cartwheeling and tumbling on the streets to avoid incoming missiles. But it took me several loops to fully appreciate the scenes. All I remember from the theater was that it was a cool fight.

Another scene worth several views is Starscream jacking up the F-22’s. This scene really shows you how much more powerful the Transformers are from the human-made machines.

Aside the Autobots and Decepticons, one actor stood out for his comedic scenes, John Turturro as Agent Simmons of Sector 7. As the main representative for the secretive government department, John Turturro has the duty of retrieving Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) because of Sam’s dealings with the NBE’s (the Transformers). A summer blockbuster is not complete without funny parts. And Agent Simmons has the goofy scenes reminding you that this movie is not to be taken seriously and is all for fun.
 

Megatron – Decepticon Leader

Megatron is the the Decepticon’s leader, a Decepticon robot who transforms originally into a Walther P38. Very much like his main rival Optimus Prime, Megatron is given wide exposure in the Transformers Universe due to his role as the evil leader he is. “Megatron” is a name made by the combination of two words: Megaton and Electronic. In the beginning, Hasbro, the Transformers toy manufacturers had issues with the name since it implied danger, sounding like some kind of lethal weapon. However it was agreed for the name to remain Megatron since the leader of the villains just had to reasonably have this destructive denomination.

Megatron is practically flawless and notably uncompassionate. His transformation is that of a really powerful cannon gun that can blast off an entire block with just one shot. Furthermore, he can also merge his weapon to some type of black hole, leveraging its power even more. Such force is so strong that he can use it to destroy a small planet. This skill is almost never employed by Megatron because it absorbs too much energy and stamina leaving him an easy target to his opponents.

Additionally Megatron has a barrel weapon on his back and he can also transform his right hand with an energy cannon. If that isn’t enough, he can also blast electrical charges from his fingers and laser rays from his eyes. Strategically, Megatron can also reprogram computers with a special device from his head. When transforming into a Walther P38 he can assume many sizes making it possible for another Decepticon or maybe even human-being to use him as a hand weapon. In one exciting episode he maintains full size and connects to Starscream, making him a major threat for the Autobots.

Curiously there have been some special events in which Megatron shows his appreciation for fairness in combat and sometimes even shows himself honorable. His utterly complex relationship with Optimus Prime is just one example of such traits. Both leaders show the utmost respect for one another, maybe because they know each other so well. Megatron certainly seems to enjoy his complex relationship with Optimus, sometimes taking it to such extents as to help Optimus with life threatening situations. In his mind, it’s him and only him who can put an end to Prime, leader of the Autobots. It’s been said that the two could be considered best friends if it where not for such diametrically opposing points of view.

Megatron’s technical specifications state that he has no weakness at all. However, he is not invincible and can be beaten by his enemies. Due to his massive powers and abused confidence Megatron always seems to miss an important detail in combat, often causing him to retreat his troops from combat. A key factor contributing to the majority of his losses is his poor and harsh relationships with his own comrades. Megatron’s
top achievement is to conquer Cybertron and to accomplish this he must conquer it at all costs, even if that means the massive destruction of other Transformers.
 

Shopping for Transformers Toys

Transformers – The Movie

Transformers toys!

Where did it all begin, my earliest toy-related recollection that is. I vaguely remember a toy robot that ran across my bedroom floor, shooting sparks from its mouth as I ran away crying like a baby (I may have very well still been a baby). My first real obsessions were the He-man, GI Joe and Transformer toys. Between me, my brother and my cousins, we had every toy and add-on these collections could offer. Hours were wasted creating elaborate setups and episode re-enactments. One should note that these cartoons that our toys were based on where not merely cheap knockoffs, designed to sell more toys to unsuspecting children. No sir, elaborate storylines and quality animation played a huge part in creating an authentic universe which breathed life into our toys. I do not even want to start with my Thundercats obsession, a craze which due to my constant nagging almost drove my parents into a permanent state of dementia.

It was also considerably easier to collect toys back then. The price of an average action figure hovered around R20, 00 but it was chiefly because of our parents who would purchase toys for us. If I was to attempt to build my own collection of toys, it would be considerably smaller due to the insane prices of even the smallest action figure or Lego collection. Ah, Lego. Lego was a wonderful construction set. Whole cities could be built from nothing with a little bit of imagination and patience. I was entered into many Lego competitions as a kid, yet won no prizes despite having the most incredible time. The Dutch giants will never be as big as they were in the 80’s, yet they are still capitalising on our childhood dreams by releasing special Lego Star Wars or Indiana Jones playsets. I believe their star began to fall shortly after kids began choking on blocks of Lego, yet funnily enough this type of ordeal never happened back in the 80’s.

It’s strange how time distorts your memory of childhood fascinations. These fantasy toys of yesteryear become little more than dusty dolls without curious little hands to breathe life into them. I know that as the children of 2008 grow into adults, they too will share the same idle fascination I do with toys and games. Or more likely they will play video games for hours on end. Yet they may share my same view as well, that of melancholy and distain for whatever modern generation of toys dare crowd the toy shelves of modern toy stores. I worry what next-generation batch of toys will attract my child’s attention and empty my wallet.
 

Transformers 2 Trailer (2009)