Transformers: The Movie (DVD, 2000, Special Collector's Edition)

Ahh, the 80s. What a time to be a kid. Back then growing up, my life consisted of all the wonderful things life had to offer. From playing countless hours on my Atari 2600 to watching Transformers on TV every chance I could, things were great. Sure the original Transformers may seem like kids programming but it still brings back many good memories and alot of fun. One of my best Transformers memories comes in the form of the theatrical release of Transformers The Movie. In 2000, Transformers The Movie was re-released on DVD and given a new life, not only for the hard-core fans but for a brand new generation of fans. I just had to have it.

Transformers The Movie takes place in the year 2005. The evil Decepticons have retaken the world of Cybertron and are planning to mount an attack on Autobot City on Earth. There is a problem far more menacing to the Autobot's then Megatron and the rest of his Decepticons. This threat comes in the form of Unicron, a massive Transformer that devours entire planets. His only fear and weakness is none other then the Autobot Matrix which only Autobot leaders keep housed inside them.

Transformers The Movie marks an important turning point in the entire series. It gave the entire series both a new look and several fresh new faces. Some of these new faces include the Junkions and their leader Wreck-Gar, Ultra Magnus, Hot Rod, Cup, Blurr, Springer and a female Transformer named Arcee.

To make room for most of these new faces, the writers decided to kill off many of the older favorites including Iron Hide, Wheel Jack, Prowl and many others. Transformers The Movie also marked key events, like the mutation of Megatron into Galvitron and perhaps the most traumatic moment ever, especially to the kids at that time, the death of Optimus Prime.

The picture quality of the DVD, although superior to the VHS version, could be a little better. Colors are sharper and they seemed to have enhanced some of the detail and lighting effects, but I feel they could have cleaned things up just a little better. Despite this, all the great animation and art from the original is still here. Things look far better then they ever did on the old TV series.

The soundtrack in Transformers The Movie is simply amazing. From the redone Transformers theme to Weird Al's "Dare To Be Stupid" song, the sound track is scored perfectly. Most of it is 80's style rock but despite that fact, what's here is all good. I especially liked Stan Bush's song "The Touch" which is used at 2 dramatic points in the movie.

Voice acting is also every bit as good as the amazing soundtrack. All your old favorites from the series including Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, Casey Kasem as Cliff Jumper and Frank Welker as Megatron. There is also a slew of better known names that lend their talent such as Orson Wells as Unicron, Robert Stack as Ultra Magnus, Judd Nelson as Hot Rod and Leonard Nimoy as Galvitron. I seriously don't believe they could have casted this film any better.

Overall, I would highly recommend Transformers The Movie to anyone that was a fan of the old series. It's also a great way to introduce younger fans to the 1st generation of Transformers. Transformers: The Movie is one of the few American-made animated features that dares to challenge the established social norms of cartoons and be extremely entertaining. You can probably pick this DVD up for about $15-20 bucks at most places and it's worth every penny!