Michael Bay’s Transformers Has a New TV Spot & Tying the Film’s Mythology Together

michael-bay-transformers-the-last-knight-201597By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Could there be a decent story in Michael Bay’s 5th Transformers movie outing? The Last Knight has a new television trailer, and it shows Optimus Prime behaving badly. The tagline of “Rethink your Heroes” suggests he’s been corrupted. He’s purple eyed and looking scary.

Including the previous trailer, there’s very little information to explain Prime’s transition. The last movie had him rocketing into outer space to search for the Creators, while carrying the Seed. While I doubt he’s going to ram that down their throat upon finding them, I suspect he did discover their whereabouts and because he was one to their many — they overpowered and reprogrammed him. He’s been left for scrap, floating helplessly in space. As the full length trailer suggests with the vortex (conical) shaped spaceship, could that be the Quintessons vessel? There’s not enough detail to say, although I am hoping these creators will be featured in this fifth outing.

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Transformers Prime: Losing More than Just a Hand in Minus One

The writing team of Transformers: Prime knew how many episodes they had to work with, so it’s going to be interesting to see how well they can wrap this series up.

Transformers Prime ScreenshotThe writing in Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters continues to be exemplary. Not only was the loss of Ultra Magnus’ hand in the previous episode, “Evolution,” a brilliant foreshadow of things to come, but also the revelation comes to a head when viewers are playing along, wondering who is going to be “lost” in the episode, “Minus One.” This week’s show moves with the pacing of a smart murder mystery. Viewers see the Autobots capture a Decepticon, but as for whether or not Soundwave will divulge any information, the wait is intoxicating. The only letdown is that his silent warrior’s voice does not live up to expectations.

As for who may fail in this episode, the money was perhaps on one of the new characters introduced this season—either Ultra Magnus, Shockwave or Predaking.

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Transformers Exodus and Exile Examined (with 3rd Book News)

From the first book titled Rebellion to the last, Reconnaissance, publisher Del Ray has changed the formula around by not offering a teasinFg title like “Transformers: Extinction.”

transformers exodusFans of either Transformers Prime the animated series or the Fall/War of Cybertron games are well advised to read the book Transformers: Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron. Written by Alex Irvine, he does a remarkable job in penning the lead up to one of cartoondom’s greatest wars of all time. As most fans know, the conflict is largely centered on a battle of wills between Autobot leader Optimus Prime and Decepticon dictator Megatron.

But for the leader of the Decepticons, there is more to him than meets the eye. He was a nameless factory worker who quite literally fought his way to the top. Domination is all he knew as he fought in the gladiatorial pits of Kaon. Despite his limited dealings with higher Cybertronian society as a whole, he believed they were corrupt. He wanted to do away with the caste system that was eroding the robotic civilization. He took on the name of Megatronus and preached that equity should exist. That is, no social or occupational ranking system is required to determine one’s way of life. Freedom should exist for everyone. Orion Pax agreed with this up-and-coming orator about what needs to be done, but somewhere along the way, a rift between them would form and a war would erupt.

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What’s Next Now That Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters is Over?

The Transformers Prime series paints a landscape where the Autobots are few and the Decepticons are many.

70234439Transformers Prime is an animated series that is inherently dark. With Beast Hunters being the final season of this saga, Cartoon Network is putting a close to what is perhaps the best of all the re-imaging of Hasbro’s flagship product. Some fans may feel disappointed, and others will have to wonder what will become of the Autobots in their darkest hour. With seven more episodes remaining to be broadcast, hopefully that will be enough to wrap up everything that this series is cumulating to. With Predaking around, the big question is when will Grimlock and the Dinobots appear? IDW Publishing has a comic book featuring this mighty dinosaur. But as for this series, the character of Grimwing has yet to make a full appearance (since he exists as a toy). The battle with the Decepticons is not looking too good with when there is dissention in the air with Ultra Magnus now part of the team.

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