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''Note: This is about the '''[[Transformers Generation 1|Generation One]]''' original animated film. For the live-action films, see '''[[Transformers (Filmfilm)|Film/Transformers]]'''.''
 
== Beyond Good. Beyond Evil. Beyond Your Wildest Imagination. ==
 
{{quote|"80's hair metal and Transformers is the perfect marriage."|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Ss4voCwzI James Rolfe], ''[[The Angry Video Game Nerd (Web Video)|The Angry Video Game Nerd]]''}}
 
{{quote|"The [[Animesque|Japanese]] have funded a full-length animated cartoon about the doings of these toys... [[Cowboy Bebop Atat His Computer|I play a planet]]. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and [[Large Ham|I tear myself apart on the screen]]."|''[[Orson Welles]]: A Biography''}}
 
''The Transformers: The Movie'' (1986) was the first film to come out of the '''[[Transformers]]''' franchise. It is rooted in the '''[[Transformers Generation 1|Generation One]]''' plot centered on the original [[The Transformers (Animationanimation)|animated TV series]] and associated comics from the mid-1980s, and spawned major continuity changes in that timeline, including major series plot changes. It did not have as big of an impact on the comics, since the additional [[Recycled in Space|space-based]] elements were largely inspired by ideas from the comics that had not made their way into the series, which up until then had been a relatively simple children's TV show.
 
The plot of the film takes us [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]] to the far-off Year 2005, where the battle between Autobots and Decepticons has moved back to the mechanical world of Cybertron, presumably thanks to the humans apparently wising up and adopting Autobot technology in the interim, allowing regular space travel back and forth to the Transformers' home planet.
 
The animated film introduces, for the first time, the [[Bigger Bad|biggest bad]] in the Transformers multiverse, Unicron, who is en-route to [[Planet Eater|gobbling up Cybertron]] after stopping off [[Doomed Hometown|for a snack]] [[Apocalypse Wow|on the way]]. In the course of battling him and the Decepticons, '''''[[Anyone Can Die|a lot]]''''' of Generation One robots [[Dying to Be Replaced|die to make room]] for a [[Merchandise-Driven|new line-up]], traumatizing many youngsters who had gotten used to the [[Never Say "Die"|lack of permanent death]] in the TV series.
 
[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Transformers:_The_Movie#Reception Critics panned] the film upon release, with the most common complaint being that the movie was nothing but a [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|90-minute]] [[Merchandise-Driven|toy commercial]] (unlike [[Transformers (Filmfilm)|other installments]] of the franchise, presumably). The movie also didn't perform too well in the box office (being outperformed slightly by the ''[[My Little Pony]]'' movie, of all things[[hottip:*:this was in the days before [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|bronies, remember]]). However, over time, the film has developed a [[Cult Classic|Cult Following]], including core Transfans as well as [[Nostalgia Filter|children of the 80's]] outside the core ''[[Transformers]]'' fanbase who were traumatized by the peril facing [[Parental Substitute|Optimus]] [[The Messiah|Prime]].
 
Transfans hold the film in high regard, and [[Critical Dissonance|many consider it]] to be one of [[Autobots Rock Out|the highest points]] in the entire ''Transformers'' franchise.
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* [[Animation Bump]]: The film easily contains the highest quality of animation out of the entire G1 series. Though to be fair, ''The Return of Optimus Prime'' is also very well animated as well, very nearly at the level of the film. Considering that ''Return'' is stated on the back of the video release to have been a direct sequel to the film, this makes sense.
* [[Anyone Can Die]]: Done intentionally to clear the decks for a new round of characters/toys in the franchise. This proved a bit startling for a generation of latchkey kids used to worshiping Optimus Prime, and to their parents who were used to animated TV shows where nobody dies.
* [[Large Ham Announcer]]: The absurdly overenthusiastic announcer for the (barely-seen) trailer. <small>'''THE MOST INCREDIBLE [[Rock and Roll|ROCK AND ROLL]] ADVEN-TURE IS HERE!'''</small>
* [[Apocalypse Wow]]: The opening scene featuring the destruction of an entire planet by Unicron. There are [[Mechanical Lifeforms|baby robots]] down there!
* [[Arc Words]]: Bah Weep Granah Weep Ninny Bong.
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<!-- %% All Crowning Moments, Music, etc. go on the appropriate subpages. -->
* [[Cruel and Unusual Death]]: Averted in post-production; as originally animated, Ultra Magnus was supposed to have been pulled apart by the Sweeps. The final movie shows them shooting rope-like lasers, cutting to Ultra Magnus being gunned down and exploding into pieces when he falls. The (original) comic adaptation depicts the storyboarded drawn-and-quartered scene.
* [[Cult Soundtrack]]: The synthesized score by Vince DiCola, and notable songs such as "Dare To Be Stupid" (by [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]) and "The Touch" (by Stan Bush) have received a certain cult status among pop culture.
** The resurgence of ''Transformers'' popularity in the 1990s helped renew interest in both Vince DiCola and Stan Bush. Both have publicly expressed gratitude to the fans' support and make regular appearances at ''Transformers'' conventions.
** Lion is best known for the movie's theme; though they signed with Scotti Brothers soon after its release, they soon faded into obscurity.
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{{quote| '''Megatron:''' "Nobody summons Megatron!"<br />
'''Unicron:''' "Then it pleases me to be the first." }}
* [[Deal Withwith the Devil]]: How Megatron became Galvatron.
* [[Defiant to Thethe End]]: Done repeatedly.
{{quote| '''Hot Rod:''' (facing execution) "I have nothing ''but'' contempt for this court!"}}
** Also:
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** [[Scatman Crothers]] [[Actor Existence Failure|passed away]] shortly after the movie was finished, hence Jazz' role in Season 3 onward was reduced to voiceless cameos.
** [[Casey Kasem]] left the series after a few episodes were written featuring the Republic of Carbombya, a clear jab at Arabs. Kasem himself is of Lebanese Descent. Also, try watching these episodes [[Harsher in Hindsight|after 9/11...]]
* [[Dropped a Bridge Onon Him]]: Brawn, Prowl, Ratchet, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Windcharger, Gears (supposedly digested by Unicron), Shockwave (implied to have been stomped by Unicron), Reflector etc.
** In the third season episode "Dark Awakening", Daniel lists, among the deceased Autobots, Huffer. He only appears in the movie in a shot where he is helping Kup set up a barricade and another shot where Hot Rod is opening fire on the Autobot ship that the Decepticons invaded. This may suggest that he may have tried to make it back to Autobot City before the invasion began, but after Hot Rod and Kup made it on the skin of their skidplates, Huffer, trapped outside, likely was a casualty of Decepticon fire.
* [[Doomed Hometown]]: er, planet.
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* [[Hulk Speak]]: Grimlock and the Dinobots.
* [[I Want My Jetpack]]: [[Technology Marches On]], but fans everywhere are still waiting for their jet-powered hoverboard.
* [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]: An unusual inversion. Even though the Autobots killed in the shuttle ambush are given enough time to turn around and start firing, none of them can hit anything. Even more unusual, the Decepticons, who in the [[The Transformers Generation 1|previous series]] were the ones with the really bad target perception... are now able to score direct kills upon Autobots with only a single shot in some instances.
* [[The Jimmy Hart Version]]: The Unicron melody is very similar to the Ivan Drago theme from ''[[Rocky IV]]'', which Vince DiCola also composed for.
* [[The Juggernaut]]: Unicron. DETONATING A MOON inside its maw didn't even dent it...
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** The rest of the movie also has plenty of Mood Whiplash, with Kup and Hot Rod's being attacked by the Sharkticons (and the resulting 'demolition derby'), followed by a rather silly sequence with the Junkions featuring Weird Al Yankovic's 'Dare to Be Stupid', and then the final confrontation with Unicron in which a few unnamed captured Autobots and Decepticons are dropped into a vat of acid (Bumblebee, Jazz, and Cliffjumper are saved, as is Spike), Unicron is destroyed, and the film abruptly ends with Rodimus making a speech on Cybertron (the Autobots apparently taking control of it off-screen).
* [[The Movie]]: Right there in the title.
* [[Never Say "Die"]]: uncharacteristically averted for what had until then been a 1980s children's cartoon.
** Also, many of the trailers for this movie tack on the question [[You Should Know This Already|"Does Prime die?"]]
* [[Never Trust a Trailer]]: The original trailer is 4 minutes of footage that was deleted or changed. Nothing in the trailer makes it into the movie without some change made to it.
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* [[Radio Mouth]]: Wreck-Gar and the Junkions.
* [[Recycled in Space]]: Film critics at the time tut-tutted the movie as "Star Wars with Giant Robots", since, although a number of sci-fi, anime and comics had re-introduced [[Space Opera]], planet-eaters and the like into relatively simple stories, Star Wars was basically the [[Trope Codifier]] in the 80s. Forgotten somewhat, since now, everybody does it.
* [[Remember the New Guy?]]: Ultra Magnus is Optimus Prime's old friend, who was never seen or mentioned before. Kup comes off this way too, considering he's supposed to be such an "old-timer."
* [[Replacement Scrappy]]: [[In -Universe]]. Hot Rod did ''NOT'' go over well as the Autobots' new leader, especially since his attempt to help Optimus Prime [[Epic Fail|failed spectacularly]] and allowed Megatron to fatally wound the Autobot leader.
* [[Robot Kid]]: Wheelie
* [[Ruined FOREVER]]: Easily the first recorded instance of this in Transformers history.
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* [[Sophisticated As Hell]]: Much of the dialogue. "Me Grimlock say you full of cesium salami!"
* [[Sorry I Left the BGM On]]: Played with during Starscream's coronation.
* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: [["Weird Al" Yankovic|"Dare To Be Stupid"]].
* [[Space X]]: '''"FEED HIM TO THE SHARKTICONS!"'''
* [[Space Opera]]: Although the premise was always there, this was the first time they extensively used it.
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* [[Swallowed Whole]]: Unicron WILL do this to your world and everyone you love unless he is stopped.
* [[Technology Porn]]: Unicron's transformation and Autobot City's transformation.
* [[That's No Moon]]: That's no ginormous, weird-looking planet -- [[Spaceballs (Film)|it's a Transformer]]!
* [[The Dog Bites Back]]: Given the utter glee with which the Sharkticons go after the Quintessons when Grimlock tells them to, one gets the idea that the Sharkticons didn't like the Quintessons very much.
* [[This Is Sparta]]: <small>"But Now. You shall witness. Its DISMEMBERMENT!"</small>
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* [[Wacky Wayside Tribe]]: The Junkions, played by Eric Idle.
* [[Wham! Episode]]: The first battle scene, where it became clear that Autobots could die.
* [[What Happened to Thethe Mouse?]]: Cyclonus' "Armada" (really just one guy) is only seen being created, and is replaced by another Sweep for the rest of the movie. Blaster vanishes after receiving Jazz's transmission, and Ratbat appears in only one scene.
** And what happened to Sunstreaker, Snarl, Hound, and Grapple? (The deaths of Bluestreak and Huffer were [[Retcon|retconned]] in the "Dark Awakening" episode)
* [[Your Size May Vary]]: Scale and Transformers have never mixed well, but when you bring in a guy the size of a planet...
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