COUNTDOWN: 1986 movie – the best transformations (part 2)

It may be over three-and-a-half decades old now but many fans (old and new alike) still turn to the 1986 Transformers movie as one of the benchmarks of the franchise, even today! Whilst a lot of it is down to the action, the visuals and *that* thumping soundtrack, there’s also one other element that never fails to delight – the transformations!

In fact, the film is so stuffed with amazing scenes of robots transforming that today we’ve scoured its near-ninety-minute runtime for the very best examples and then ranked them in order of excitement! Check out part 1 if you haven’t seen it and then let’s burn rubber…

 

#12:

The Dinobots will forever be some of the most memorable characters from the original series of Transformers, so it seems only appropriate they receive their big entrance in such a stylish sequence for the big-screen film. Ignore the fact only four of them appear and just assume Snarl is slightly off cam here as there really isn’t a lot else to grumble about. 

 

#11:

Another unexpectedly random Hot Rod transformation as the turbo-rammin’ young punk finds endless ways to convert between modes. Still, there’s something about this rather idiosyncratic way of folding himself up that just works in all the right ways, so much so it felt like a shoo-in for the top half of this list.

 

#10:

We knew he had potential and Rodimus Prime shows it here as he showcases his new souped-up leader class transformation including the back end of a space Winnebago materialising out of nowhere. That Matrix works wonders.

 

#9:

C’mon, you know the moment. Optimus Prime stands there, looks at the devastation across Autobot City and calmly announces that “Megatron must be stopped… no matter the cost“. Then begins one of the most iconic moments in this entire film as the familiar transformation noise sounds and Optimus glides gracefully into his truck mode, heading off to meet his destiny whilst The Touch begins blasting out and melting your face off. 

 

#8:

OK, it might be one of the more gratuitous moments of playing to the crowd in this flick but still, don’t tell me you never get a thrill from seeing a robot turn into a metallic dinosaur as he careens through space on his way to attack a monstrously large planet-eating entity by quite literally kicking its butt. Not many films can match it.

 

#7:

I mentioned Cyclonus’ inherent cool in part 1 but just in case you needed another scrap of evidence, I present this rather fabulous sequence. It’s maybe one of the easier-to-overlook moments on the list to some but it has always stood out for me, especially for how threatening the character appears.

 

#6:

It’s fair to say the 1986 movie took things up a notch when it came to the stakes and scale of what we’d seen from the robots in disguise during the first two seasons of the cartoon and nowhere is that better exemplified than the transforming of Autobot City. Incredibly detailed and impeccably stylish, you’re about to get two tickets to the gun show. 

 

#5:

Devastator had already been the meanest, greenest threat during the Transformers cartoon up until this point yet there was still a tangible thrill to seeing him emerge from the contorting form of the Constructicons in the Autobot City sequence. Kup and Daniel’s reaction says it all – prepare for extermination!

 

#4:

The final Cyclonus entry on the list but c’mon, man knows how to make an entrance, no? Seriously, if you’re going to gate crash the illegitimate coronation of a would-be usurper, this is how you do it – ploughing into the crowd for maximum impact. 

 

#3:

There really aren’t that many words to do justice to this awe-inspiring sequence, as the largest presence ever known in the history of Transformers fiction begins to unveil its true self. Unfathomable back in 1986 and somehow just as potent even decades later, Galvatron’s slack-jawed look of disbelief was all of us come the end of it. Never has a line of dialogue been so understated as “You underestimate me, Galvatron“.  

 

#2:

What could top the Optimus Prime moment from earlier? Well, it’s this next part, of course, as everyone’s favourite robodad charges into battle with an exceptional amount of bravado and style. The booster jets under the cab are the perfect start to a sequence that soon becomes one of the standout moments from the film’s entire runtime, all the way up to Optimus’ feet hitting the deck with a memorable thud and beyond. What. A. Guy.

 

#1:

So, what could top that little lot, eh? Yep, it’s this absolute belter from the earlier part of the film as we’re introduced to Hot Rod in the best way possible. It’s the run, the swerve, the smoke, the blades of grass, the car that looks like the epitome of wish fulfilment… everything about this moment is total and utter 1980s perfection and it just can’t be beat. After all, if you’re gonna ride, ride in style.

 
 

So, that’s our list! Do you agree with the choices?

TTFN