Is The Last Knight the Transformers movie to finally get excited about?
I can’t say for certain of course, but I would safely wager that if you were a child of the 80s, then you were a Transformers fan. What started as a 30-minute toy commercial has grown into one of the largest toy lines still selling today after over 30 years. As a fan myself at that time, I had the toys, the bed sheets, everything; whatever it was, I needed it.
There isn’t much else at that time in my life that dominated my world like Transformers. Not even Star Wars; that wouldn’t come till a little later. Staying more or less in the background of my mind as I got older, I hadn’t really thought much about them really until I saw the teaser for Michael Bay’s 2007 Transformers in theaters. What is this!? A live action Transformers!? How can this not be the best thing ever? So, here we are, almost 10 years later and on the verge of a fifth Bay movie — Transformers: The Last Knight — and I have an opinion that appears to be not too commonly shared.
I’m excited.
As you read this, listen to 1985’s soundtrack to Transformers: The Movie. Trust me.
Seriously though, I don’t know many people who have anything positive to say about these movies. They have been accused of being everything from sexist to racist to just plain stupid. And while there is validity in some of these points, it’s clear that these films are far from perfect.
There is a lot to enjoy also, and I think the good does outweigh the bad. When you boil them down, they are goofy movies about robots beating the crap out of each other. That’s it. They are not going to win Oscars anytime soon, but they were not meant to. They’re a little silly, a little corny, but not any more than the original cartoon was back in the day.
Recently, a teaser poster was revealed, followed by character artwork released through the official Instagram account, so let’s take a look at what is known is so far.
The Poster
The poster that first debuted in Times Square, has made its way online, and there are a few interesting things I have noticed that might hint at what’s coming.
Optimus Prime is holding his sword and facing off against some kind of three headed dragon. It fits with the medieval theme that The Last Knight suggests. There have been rumors about an “artifact’ from our planet past that may have ties with Autobots and Decepticons that arrived here in the past, around the time of Merlin and King Arthur. Sounds a little far-fetched, but again giant robots, yadda yadda yadda. The dragon is interesting because in previous Transformers cartoons, Megatron had an alt-mode that was a two headed dragon, and in another series, Scourge transformed into a three headed dragon. It’s definitely Cybertronian looking, that’s for sure.
In the background aside from the city skyline, are structures that look like they could be parts of the Transformers home world, Cybertron. At the end of Age of Extinction, Optimus Prime left Earth in search of their creators, which could lead Optimus back to his old home. Or, what these structures could mean that (and I’m hoping) Unicron will make his live-action debut. Unicron, the giant planet-sized bad dude from 1985’s Transformers: The Movie (the BEST Transformers movie) has also been rumored to appear on screen.
Lastly, there is a lone starship seen in the background as well. It looks similar in some ways to the Quintesson ships from the 1985 animated movie. The Quintessons according to some versions of the mythology, were the creators of the robotic race that became Transformers. And since Optimus went out searching for creators at the end of the previous film, this could fit.
The Artwork
Through their official Instagram, Bay and associates have been releasing character art for the Autobots and Decepticons that we’ll see on screen next year. For the most part, these are robots we’ve seen in the last few movies; the usual suspects, but so far three need to be mentioned.
Bumblebee
Yes, he has been in every movie so far, but the interesting part is in the one line bio. “Second in-command”. No word yet on how much time has passed between films, but it appears that Bumblebee has taken to leading the Autobots in Optimus Prime’s absence. Hopefully, he is up for the challenge, and hopefully he will finally speak, because c’mon…it’s getting a little ridiculous!
Hot Rod
This one is intriguing. Also debuting in the 1985 masterpiece of movie magic Transformers: The Movie, Hot Rod was a young rookie who would make a name for himself by leading the Autobots after the — 31 year old SPOILER ALERT — death of Optimus Prime. In their darkest hour, he would use the Matrix of Leadership to become Rodimus Prime and defeat Unicron. Awesome! This really leads me to believe that we will see other aspects of that movie (Quintessons, Unicron, etc.) appear in Transformers: The Last Knight. Bay released this image on his Twitter page.
Megatron
The ultimate nemesis for the Autobots, Megatron died (kind of) at the end of Dark of the Moon, but reappeared again in Age of Extinction in the body of Galvatron–a man made Transformer. Is this the same Megatron/Galvatron?
The Cast
Along with the confirmations of actors from the Age of Extinction returning, a few new faces have been added to The Last Knight, as well as some others you might remember.
The last movie was missing a few integral cast members from the first three films. But in next year’s release, Lieutenant Colonel Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson) rejoin the franchise.
I was really (and still am) holding out for news that Shia Lebeouf will be returning. I know, I know, this sounds insane. As the movies progressed, I felt like his portrayal of Sam turned into a kind of caricature, and was he was definitely guilty of a fair share of “over” acting , but it wasn’t until sitting through an installment without him that made me rethink my position. A little “over the top” helps add a goofy human element.
Anthony Hopkins has also been added in an unknown role and I’m sure I’m not the only one hoping like hell it’s Unicron!
Future Films
There’s not a lot of details yet on these. However, there are possibly a few more films in the works in the Transformers franchise.
After The Last Knight there is slated a Bumblebee spin-off for June of 2018 followed in 2019 by Transformers 6. The one I’m super jazzed about though, is a rumored origin story prequel film said to be in development. This one would take place on Cybertron during the civil war that saw the Autobots and Decepticons decimate their home planet, and seek refuge out in the galaxy. I would love to see a movie where the robots truly take center stage; no human interference necessary.
There have also been really vague comments made about a Transformers crossover film with other Hasbro licenses, like G.I Joe. This, to me, is cringe worthy and nauseating.
As the months pass till The Last Knight releases on June 23, 2017 I will remain optimistic and carry the Transformers torch. Giant robots, explosions, bad jokes, and inspiring Optimus Prime speeches…these are still a few of my favorite things!
Live action version of this please!
Mike Harris hails from the suburbs of Chicago and has been a fan for most of his life. Working as an industrial radiographer and raising a family with his wife take up most of his time, but there’s always room for Star Wars books and podcasts! Just looking to give back to Star Wars and the fan community, it’s been a source of fun and learning for him for so long.