Tuesdays we "Roll Out"...

Prime: This is it Megatron... One shall stand... One shall fall!;

Megatron: not if I out-stare you do-gooder!

Like most typical boys in the early eighties, yours truly was very much into cartoons. I was enchanted by the way these hand drawn images were made to move and depict feats only possible in the mind's eye. From the early Disney flicks that I watched on Betamax (precursor to the VHS format, for those not in-the-know), to the early saturday morning cartoon marathons made me anticipate the weekends all the more. But there was one particular cartoon series that got me excited over everything else. At the time, it was'nt shown during weekends. It was oddly placed at a primetime slot (on a Tuesday no less!) at one of the leading TV networks... The Transformers.

I remember having watched the first episode of Transformers (sometime in 1984 I think), literally glued to my seat in front of the boob-tube; I didnt even dare to go take a piss during commercial breaks for fear of missing out on what came next. The story was fairly simple, millions of years ago in the farthest reaches of space, a war was going on in the technologically advanced planet of cybertron. This war was unique due to the fact that its participants were'nt your typical flesh and blood alien entities. Instead, the warring factions were sentient robots who morphed or "transformed" into different vehicles, equipment, weapons etc. On one side was the heroic Autobots and on the other the destructive Decepticons. At the end of that first episode, I kept thinking to myself... "the next episode is still a week away... why cant it be Tuesday everyday?"

Fast forward to a couple of years later, the first Transformers animated Movie came out in 1986. It was all the eye candy a kid like me was hoping for and more. It had excellent animation (far superior to the regular series) and a great soundtrack ( to this day I cant forget the line from stan bush's song "The Touch": "You've got the Touch... You've got the Poweeeer!!!"--- okay, THAT was weird... heh heh). Sadly, it also gave me one of the earliest shockers of my youth, it featured the death of Autobot leader Optimus Prime: one of the most noble characters in cartoon history. Although the series continued after the movie... it wasnt the same for yours truly. I watched a couple of episodes of the continuing series but something was missing... It didnt have Prime in it. Sadly, I let go of my infatuation with the Transformers. I think that was when I realized that it couldnt be "Tuesday" forever. With a heavy heart, I moved on with the rest of the week.

But then as fate would have it, almost 20 years later, the recent boom in big-screen translations of early TV hits prompted the powers-that-be (in the name of Steven Speilberg and Michael Bay) to conceptualize a LIVE ACTION TRANSFORMERS film based on the hit cartoon series! I cannot even begin to describe the elation that started to swell up within this 30 year old fanboy. It was like having a long lost friend call on you after years of separation. From the first gossip that spread on the internet, to the teaser trailers that cleverly did not show too much of the material... I was hooked once more! I thought to myself... Tuesday's back!!!

The present incarnation of the movie stars Shia Lebeouf as Sam Witwicky, your typical teenager dealing with the normal shtick of growing up and who is on the verge of buying his first car. Little does he know just how important he will be in the coming conflict. Lebeouf is joined by rising star Megan Fox as Mikaela, the token hottie who at first doesnt notice Sam in school but is inadvertently cast alongside our teenage hero in a battle of robotic proportions. The story is centered on a mysterious cube known as the "All-Spark", the source of conflict of the Autobots and Decepticons. Having found clues that the "All-Spark" may be here on Earth, events unfold that warrant a final confrontation between these robotic entities. Whoever posesses the "All-Spark" will ultimately decide the fate of the universe.

Mostly aimed at *ahem* my generation, Michael Bay's Transformers succeeds in bringing into the fold newbies to the genre. Good word-of-mouth played a pivotal part in the apparent box office success of this film. Although most fans were a bit hesitant that Bay was on the helm of translating a much loved classic onto the big screen, the finished product and its mind-blowing visuals ultimately allayed their fears.

Fans are treated to fast-tracked action sequences that have come to be a trademark of Michael Bay. Although this aspect has been the source of scrutiny in Bay's recent flicks; in this particular case it actually fits! Admittedly some sequences got to be a little confusing at first because some of the autobots and decepticons tend to look the same in robot mode. But as a whole, it was still absolutely thrilling to see these "iconic" characters come to life and interact with real live people (oh, the wonders of technology!). A friend told me that one particular scene stood out when they watched it: the very first time that the Autobots met with Sam and Mikaela in the alley. That was the first time that viewers saw the whole heroic gang transform into their robot forms... and yes... I got goosebumps the first time Optimus Prime transformed from a Semi into the colossus we all know and love.

One aspect that probably helped the film's success would have been the "nostalgia factor" (Watch out for the one-liners used in Bay's movie that were picked up from either the original cartoon series or the first animated flick). Speilberg and Bay counted on this for the movie's success and their gambit paid off. As of this writing, Transformers has already surpassed Spider-Man 3 as this year's big winner for the highest grossing movie in its first 7-day run in the US. With this development, fans are almost assured of a sequel or three in the coming years.

At least THIS kurly fan hopes so, because I cant help but hope..... that somehow... "Tuesday is just around the corner" :)