CJ Morales

To others, they may just be some silly toys and shows meant for children, but to me, they’re some of the most interesting stuff I have ever known about. You may not have heard of them, but I’ll try to give a rough guide of where to get started in their franchise, that is if you’re interested. It is on the rise again with two movies out in the last year, so you may have heard of it. The franchise of the Transformers!

   If you have ever seen any media, you probably have seen a version of the big red, white, and blue semi truck known as Optimus Prime. He has been the main face of the franchise for forty years, ever since the first episode of The Transformers aired back in 1984. You probably have seen his face somewhere if you don’t know him by name. His blue eyes, silver faceplate, and blue head have made him one of the most easily recognizable transformers. If not his face, then you have probably heard his voice that radiates wisdom and compassion.

    If you haven’t heard of him, you may know his iconic black and yellow sidekick Bumblebee, whose face, funny actions, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicle mode made him many people’s favorite Autobot of the live-action movies.

   If either of them sounds like interesting characters, then you should get interested in the Transformers franchise.

   The easiest way to get started in the franchise is simple: just watch the shows! If you are worried about accessing the shows, fear not. They upload most of their older shows or shows that have finished their run on their YouTube channel: Transformers Official.

   If you want to get started with a sillier show or one that isn’t as serious as some other media in the franchise, then you’re in luck. 

   The first-ever show is often referred to as G1, but its name is The Transformers. This show started airing way back in 1984 and is an amazing introduction to some of the most iconic characters in the entire franchise. Like most other shows from the 1980s, it is a week-by-week show that isn’t as serious as it is made out to be. Every episode is typically the Autobots versus the Decepticons, fighting in the war that forced them to leave their homeworld. It brought them to Earth where, after 4 million years of rest, they are revived and go back to trying to win the war of good versus evil. It sets the foundation that every piece of media that came after it has built on. 

   Personal rating: 8/10. An enjoyable watch, but not much story/substance. The characters are enjoyable, and the humans actually have roles in helping either the Autobots or Decepticons with their plans. A very fun watch and an amazing place to get started. Silly and not story-based though.

   Transformers: Beast Wars is another show that doesn’t start as serious, however, it does begin to set more stakes up and gets more serious towards its end. It is set in the same universe as The Transformers. It follows the predecessors of the original cast from 1984, and their adventures. It has been many, many years since the original transformers have passed, and their descendants continue to fight for good or evil, with most of them following the same path of good or evil that their ancestors did. It is set on prehistoric earth, around the time of the first humans. 

   Personal rating: 7/10. Interesting concepts and more of a storyline, but didn’t do as much as it could have. Needs focus. Characters are enjoyable, but some are boring and repetitive. The story is inconsistent at times and can contradict itself, but it is still a good watch. A solid place to get started, but doesn’t get into too many of the classic and iconic characters. It is also silly but gets more serious than G1.

   If you’re looking for something with a story, you’re still in luck! There are quite a few shows in the franchise that are story-driven or story-dominated.

   An amazing story-driven show that is beloved by the community is Transformers: Prime. It sets up dire stakes in episode one that continue throughout the entire show. Every decision made in the show will have consequences later, both negative and positive. The show follows the Autobots Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Arcee, Wheeljack, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Ultra Magnus as they are forced to flee to Earth and stay hidden. They lost the war on Cybertron, which depleted their resources and troops. They are monitoring Earth for any signs of Decepticon activity, which they would stop to save the Earth and its inhabitants. The rest of the show focuses on the resources and artifacts that both sides fight for, to restore Cybertron and rule over all sentient life. The show’s ending is beautiful and makes the entire story wrap up nicely. 

   Personal rating: 10/10. One of the best storylines I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing in a show. The story has nearly no holes, but the ones that are there are fixed later. The characters feel real and fluid when interacting with anyone else in the show. The characters are written beautifully, in a way that lets them all interact with each other naturally and connect their backstories to events in the show. It is an amazing place to get started and embodies some of the best qualities of the characters and franchise.

   Another amazing story-based show is Transformers: Armada. The show follows the typical big bad and big good guys, Megatron and Optimus Prime, but with a vastly different side and supporting cast. It follows them as they hunt for artifacts from Cybertron, their homeworld, to try and save it, and accept help from humans and mini-cons along the way. They eventually unite against a larger threat. It has a story that is written one episode at a time and is filled with loss, character growth, and tragedy throughout it. It concludes with an ending that leaves nothing more to do with the story. 

   Personal rating: 9/10. An amazingly written story, with deep and well-thought-out characters. The designs threw me off a bit, as they completely redesigned the well-known characters of the franchise. However, the stark change in the characters gave way to some of the best writing in any Transformers show. A phenomenal place to get started. It has an interesting story that will draw in first-time viewers and get them interested in the franchise.

   Transformers: Animated is another story-driven show, but it isn’t as serious as Transformers: Prime, or Transformers: Armada. Transformers: Animated is a show that rewrites what was commonly known knowledge of the Transformers universe. It completely changes some characters’ stories and writing, while also creating new and enjoyable characters who are involved with its’ story. It follows the Autobots and Decepticons after the original war. It has been many years, and now they have made their way to Earth. Alongside their human companions Sari and Dr. Sumdac, they try to end the war once and for all.

   Personal rating: 8.5/10. Enjoyable characters and foreshadowing for the story. It is silly and serious, a very enjoyable watch. However, it lacks focus and falls apart in some episodes. A decent starting point, but don’t get too hung up when the characters in other shows don’t act like the characters in this one.

   If you don’t want to start with a show, I get it. Shows take a lot of time to finish, and not everyone has that kind of time. If you fall in that category, then… you’re still in luck! Transformers have quite a few movies that you could watch instead.

   The first movie in the Transformers franchise came out in 1986. It was called The Transformers: The Movie. It was a stark change from the silly show that had been airing since 1984. The movie opens with the Autobots and Decepticons in an epic and brutal battle, which causes great losses to both sides. After the fight, Optimus Prime and Megatron are replaced as the leaders of their respective sides, leaving those roles open for other Autobots and Decepticons to fill. The war becomes irrelevant when both sides need to team up against a bigger threat. Overall, it is a shocking new direction for the franchise, which caused ratings to be lower than the company expected.

   Personal rating: 8/10. It is decently good, but the stark changes in both the story and characters from the show make it a bit harder to enjoy. It is still quite good though. I recommend starting after G1.

   The next Transformers movie wouldn’t be seen for the next 21 years! The movie side of the franchise restarted with a new and bold live-action movie: Transformers (2007). This movie, like many other movies of the 2000s, was a darker and much more serious and action-packed reimagining of an older series/franchise. It follows the Autobots and Decepticons as they hunt for the Allspark, which has the power to restore their war-ravaged home world of Cybertron. It has led them to Earth, where they discover that one human has the artifact that would allow them to find the Allspark and save their home. The movie is set in the early 2000s.

   Personal rating: 7.5/10. It’s an amazing movie that could have been its own standalone film. The CGI that makes the Transformers movie is phenomenal. The story is decently thought out and overall not too bad. The writing for the characters could have been done better, as some just seem like generic stereotypes for race and age groups. Not a bad starting point, but not an amazing one either.

   The rest of the live-action movies directed by Michael Bay followed the same formula as the first: find an important person/artifact, fight a big villain, and lose a member of the good and/or bad guy cast.

   However, he is not the only person who directed live-action Transformers movies. If you aren’t looking for an action-based movie, here are currently two more, Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts. These live-action movies were directed by Travis Knight  (Bumblebee) and Steven Caple Jr. (Rise of the Beasts.) These movies focus on a more story-based plot rather than a more action-based plot.

   Bumblebee was a movie that had an amazing reception. It explored what humans and transformers could do when they worked together. It also explored how humans and transformers would interact with each other in a more realistic setting. The first ten minutes of Bumblebee show how during the war for Cybertron the Autobots, outnumbered and overpowered by the Decepticons would have realistically been forced to flee their home. It then follows the Autobot Bumblebee as he goes into hiding on Earth. It then follows Bumblebee as he tries to protect his new home from the Decepticon threat. The movie is set in the 1980s.

   Personal rating: 9.5/10. Enjoyable to watch, and the designs are phenomenal. The human characters are written so well that they feel like real people and they have actual depth to them that helps make them easier to like. The plot splits into two and reconnects later, but it isn’t random. They both weave in and out of each other and create an overall interesting story. However, the movie could have focused more on different characters and explored more of what happened early in the film. The best place to start is the movies.

   Rise of the Beasts was an interesting sequel to Bumblebee. It continued the story of the Autobots and their transition to living on Earth after being forced to flee Cybertron. On Earth, the Autobots are forced to go into hiding to avoid being found. Unfortunately, they find themselves being forced into working with humans to find a way home. They lose their way home and are made to work with the Maximals to try and save Earth from a greater threat. The designs are updated, and the movie is set in the 1990s.

   Personal rating: 8/10. The voice casting was amazing and the roles perfectly fit each actor. The plot is more action-focused than Bumblebee but still has more focus on the story than Transformers(2007). Some designs were amazing reworks and some were phenomenal reimaginings of the G1 designs. However, some designs did suffer because of these changes. The plot also does derail at times but is mostly consistent. I do wish some characters had more lines and screen time though. But overall, enjoyable and cool. It’s an amazing place to start with the movies.

   If you don’t want to start with shows or movies, there are still the toys! The toys are what helped make the original show so popular in the first place. The toys are a key part of the franchise, and they typically fall into three different categories.

   Starting, there’s the mainline toys. These are typically easier to transform and are mass-released for movies and shows. They are simple and typically not very articulated. They are also not the most accurate, but they do typically have play features or gimmicks built into them. Great for younger fans or first-time fans.

   Next, there’s the legacy toys. These are typically decently articulated and a bit harder to transform. The line consists of redesigns or slight changes to characters from different series across the franchise. They are either redone in a more blocky aesthetic similar to G1, or they are done faithfully to the original design and keep all their weird angles. Nicer to handle as well. Great for some older fans and enjoyable to mess with.

   Finally, there’s the studio series toys. These toys capture characters in screen-accurate designs from movies and shows across the franchise. They are often quite complex and targeted towards some older audiences. They typically are not as poseable as the legacy toys but are good if you are looking more for display toys.

   Overall, The franchise is very interesting to me and my ultimate goal is to get others interested in it. If any of these interest you in the slightest, then I encourage you to find a good starting point. These are just some of my thoughts and recommendations though. With that, I hope I’ve managed to make you interested enough to check them out.