More Than Meets The Eye!

Our lack of perspective growing up often causes us to have fond memories of certain things (like play-dough, GI Joes, Hungry Hungry Hippos, etc.) that seem quite trivial when we reminisce. Television shows are often an extreme case of this feeling. When we were young, both boys and girls probably watched some shows (and enjoyed some shows) that we would rather not admit we enjoyed (No... that's not a copy of Rainbow Brite in my basement... Swear to God). Yet, the case is that we enjoyed them when we were younger. Power Rangers, Transformers, Thundercats, Voltron, Johnny Quest, TNMT, GI Joes, were among the many shows that I watched and loved (and to an extent, still do). When I think back on them today, I realize not only how incredibly insipid most of them were (c'mon, the theme of Transformers was that guns (Megatron), planes (StarScream), and tape players (Soundwave), were very very very very BAD), but how absolutely horrendous the voice-acting was. Somehow, I still look back on those days fondly, and find myself constantly re-exploring my interest in such series via Wikipedia.

One special case of this is Transformers: The Animated Movie, released in 1986, the year of my birth. Not only does this movie contain one of the defining scenes of my childhood (I HATE TO RUIN THE MOVIE FOR YOU, BUT OPTIMUS PRIME, DIES), but it is probably where my incessant love/obsession with montages began. Even knowing that this movie was made in the 80's (the glory days of the montage), this films montage-level is of epic proportions. To put this in perspective, the Transformers movie soundtrack had 10 songs on it when it was released in 1997. All 10 songs were in the movie. In their entirety. Needless to say, I loved this (and still do), which causes me to visualize the scenes corresponding to each song when they come up on my Ipod (Yes, I bought the soundtrack).

But, my favorite scene from the entire movie was one that during my childhood, was not even slightly salient to me. That scene is Unicron's dialogue with Megatron. For those of you who are in-the-know (cool), you know that Unicron was the last role of the late Orson Welles (yes, Citizen Kane/War of the Worlds Orson Welles). According to Wikipedia, it is said that Orson Welles described his role as "playing a toy" in a movie about toys who "do horrible things to each other." Yet, his dialogue is so amazingly delivered, with his sarcastic responses to Megatron's hyperbole being extremely well acted. For your viewing pleasure, I've included this scene (it starts at about 2:25), and a transcript of the dialogue for those of you who suck at listening.



Unicron: Welcome...Megatron.
Megatron: Who...who said that?
Unicron: I....am Unicron.
Megatron: Show yourself!
Unicron: I have summoned you here for a purpose.
Megatron: Nobody summons Megatron!
Unicron: Then it pleases me to be the first.
Megatron: STATE YOUR BUSINESS!
Unicron: This is my command. You are to destroy the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. It is the one thing - the ONLY thing - that can stand in my way.
Megatron: You have nothing to fear. I have already crushed Optimus Prime with my bare hands!
Unicron: You exaggerate.
Megatron: The point is he's dead! And the Matrix died with him!
Unicron: No. The point is YOU ARE A FOOL. The Matrix has been passed to their new leader - Ultra Magnus. Destroy it for me.
Megatron: Why should I? What's in it for me?!
Unicron: Your bargaining posture is highly dubious...but very well. I will
provide you with a new body and new troops to command!
Megatron: And?!
Unicron: AND NOTHING. You belong to me, now.
Megatron: I BELONG TO NOBODY!
Unicron: Perhaps I misjudged you. Proceed....on your way to oblivion. *Unicron begins torturing Megatron*
Megatron: NOOOO!!!! NO! I ACCEPT YOUR TERMS! I ACCEEEEEPT YOOOOOOUUURRR.....
Unicron: Excellent.