Most touching Prime Death : ROTF or TF :The movie (1986)

[SUPER SAIYAN D]

Which death of Prime had more of an impact ? For me, it was his death in the Animated 1986 movie. I was 8 at the time, and remember me and other kids in the theater crying.

[Drizzle]

Well, ROTF's was more shocking, but I guess the animated movie had the sadder death because Prime didn't come back.

[MessiahDecoy123]

The animated movie by far.

The music, the other characters crying, Optimus turning slowly gray and shriveled. All used to great effect.

In Bayformers, Optimus just falls in slow mo.

The animated movie FTW.

[Ipodman]

In ROTF, i thought the way he died was when he got hit and flew a distance as shown in the trailer.. i didnt expect it to be so brutal.. u could hear his electrical circuits exploding =( .. and then there was the humans DUMPING him onto the ground??!?!?!
So of course the 80s death was more touching...

[MessiahDecoy123]

where the hell is the poll?

[steelio2006]

rotf was the more touching.

[SUPER SAIYAN D]

Originally Posted by MessiahDecoy123

where the hell is the poll?

Damn, I didn't even think to add a poll.

[Wally West]

Transformers the movie had much more of an impact because it was the first time it happened.

And I can't begin to tell you what a total shock is was for me as an eight year old to see all of those beloved cartoon characters getting killed off left and right, especially Prime. I think it was around the time that Prowl's eyes glowed breifly and smoke started rising out of his chest as he fell. At that moment I realized that Brawn probably wasn't getting up either, and before I could come to terms with all that Ironhide was getting his head blown off.

[The Guard]

The movie has a much better battle and stakes. The safety of their human ally VS...well, nothing.

In the animated movie, Prime just gets shot a bunch of times while he stands there for some reason. In the movie, Megatron blows out his spark and chest with a sword through the back when Prime shows concern for Sam. I don't know...I think the movie one is ultimately sadder and more visceral, but not as touching overall, since you have all that (cheesy) but well meaning stuff about the Matrix and grieving Autobots in the animated movie.

The animated movie one, I guess. Barely, though.

[SUPER SAIYAN D]

Originally Posted by Wally West

Transformers the movie had much more of an impact because it was the first time it happened.

And I can't begin to tell you what a shock is was for me as an eight year old to see all of those beloved cartoon characters getting killed off left and right, especially Prime.

HELL YEAH !!! Megatron was cold blooded !!! Especially how he killed Ironhide at point blank range !

[Wally West]

Originally Posted by The Guard

The movie has a much better battle and stakes. The safety of their human ally VS...well, nothing.

In the animated movie, Prime just gets shot a bunch of times while he stands there for some reason. In the movie, Megatron blows out his spark and chest with a sword through the back when Prime shows concern for Sam. I don't know...I think the movie one is ultimately sadder and more visceral, but not as touching overall, since you have all that (cheesy) but well meaning stuff about the Matrix and grieving Autobots in the animated movie.

The animated movie one, I guess.

Wait are you saying the animated movie fight had no stakes? If Prime hadn't turned the tide in that battle, the autobots would have all ended up dead in the first act.

[The Guard]

Not "no stakes, better stakes"

How so?

[Wally West]

You mean how would the autobots have all ended up dead? Watch the movie again man. The autobots were getting completely slaughtered by the Decepticons in that battle until Prime showed up. Megatron was on a total rampage, if Prime couldn't have stoped him that was it for the few autobot survivors. Not only that but Prime took out at least half a dozen other Decepticons on his way to the throw down with Megatron. I believe Blaster said it best and I'm paraphrasing here "If Prime doesn't get this distress call we're all gonna end up like burned out toaster ovens"

I will grant you that the dinobots were able to slow Devastator down, but it was Prime that turned the tide.

BTW did anyone else see the storyboards on the dvd release a few years back with the fight between Ultra Magnus, Sideswipe, Tracks, and Red ALert against Devestator. As awsome as that would have been, it would have crushed me at the time being that Sideswipe was always my favorite, and the battles certainly were not going well for the original characters. I always wondered if that happened before or after the Dinobot/Devestator fight.

[The Guard]

So you've got a battle the autobots are losing...

Or Prime protecting his human ally after being ambushed.

I'll take the human ally any day of the week.

[Wally West]

Originally Posted by The Guard

So you've got a battle the autobots are losing...

Or Prime protecting his human ally after being ambushed.

I'll take the human ally any day of the week.

They weren't just losing, they were getting CRUSHED. Thier defenses were broken, and the decepticons were about to finish them off when Prime showed up.

And what about Daniel? He was among those under seige at autobot city. His life was definately hanging in the balance as well. So you have a human ally along with the rest of the autobots in peril, but Sam trumps all of that by himself?

[CELTICPRED]

The incredible high I got from seeing Optimus open up a can of whoop ass to the sudden jarring death made it more touching for me. I felt crushed inside as I was watching.

[The Caped Knight]

Originally Posted by Drizzle

Well, ROTF's was more shocking, but I guess the animated movie had the sadder death because Prime didn't come back.

True , However he did return

The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1
The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

[Nathan]

The 1986's death was more touching, because he was still alive, but there was nothing they could do for him and he gave a final speech before finally passing away.

In ROTF it was more shocking/dramatic and probably even a little sadder because you see how humans treat the Autobots after they cease to function. They just get tossed asside.

Prime defends Sam from 3 Decepticons, gets overpowered, pummeled and send flying after Megatron shoots him upclose in the chest. And you think that's it for him. But he gets up again only to unleash hell. He beats Starscream with his own arm, makes short work of Grindor. The fight has ceased for a moment and he looks for Sam and then BAM! Just like that, it's over, impaled on Megatron's blade and his spark blown out.

[Nathan]

*Double post*

[dark_b]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_ULg4RSy5Y

[Mr. Earle]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 8

True , However he did return

The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1
The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

He returned after many episodes though.

[baerrtt]

The animated movie simply because of the wider context.

The one where for the first and last time a popular kid's cartoon character(at least in the Western part of the world) was actually killed onscreen. Tonally wrong and bizarre on so many levels and yet absolutely unforgettable and shocking because of it.

The death in this live action sequel may have upset kids watching today but they're surrounded by blockbusters, and a world at large, that doesn't allow them to shy away from how horrible and traumatic death is(Pixar's UP is primarily about the subject).

Back in the 80s however main characters in family oriented blockbusters, blockbusters period, weren't killed. And yet a movie that critics branded as nothing more than a two hour toy advert raised the stakes, and brazenly endangered any potential huge box-office, by killing characters the target audience knew and cared about very well with a bravado that bordered on mad.

[Marvin]

a touching death isn't about the stakes

it's about how the characters actions touch at your emotions, weather it be due to the injustice of the situation or maybe the sacrifice...etc

(ie when robocop died as alex murphy that was pretty sad, the sakes being no more then his own life)

for me the new movie really hits home, much more then the original

mainly due to the

1. fact that he was clearly outnumbered (gang beating)

2. on paper going into the fight he was destined to die(unlike the cartoon)

3. die for his friend that had just turned down his request for help earlier

4. the fact that even though he did somehow defeat the enemies, they still won buy getting him in the back(that at lest is kinda like the cartoon)

5. megatron is doing what he's doing for the good of his people, optimus is the "traitor" for standing up for human lives
"you'll never stop at just one"

6. the human perspective(a few of those shots of sam were really striking, i'm sure that that one guy who blamed himself for op death felt bad but the way it was shot....)

7. the humans he fought and died for, dropping him on the ground.

I was touched.

early on in the film we see how the military handle their fallen dead
when you see what they do with primes body it's.....dumb potty humor..

[Wally West]

Originally Posted by baerrtt

The animated movie simply because of the wider context.

The one where for the first and last time a popular kid's cartoon character(at least in the Western part of the world) was actually killed onscreen. Tonally wrong and bizarre on so many levels and yet absolutely unforgettable and shocking because of it.

The death in this live action sequel may have upset kids watching today but they're surrounded by blockbusters, and a world at large, that doesn't allow them to shy away from how horrible and traumatic death is(Pixar's UP is primarily about the subject).

Back in the 80s however main characters in family oriented blockbusters, blockbusters period, weren't killed. And yet a movie that critics branded as nothing more than a two hour toy advert raised the stakes, and brazenly endangered any potential huge box-office, by killing characters the target audience knew and cared about very well with a bravado that bordered on mad.

Exactly.

I was thinking about this last night and You really can't compare the impact between the two. It's one of those things in life where if you weren't there at the time, and you weren't the right age you really can't understand how it felt to experience it.

SUPER SAIYAN D mentioned all the crying children in the theater, and that was definately my experience as well. You have to understand how tame cartoons were in the 80's. I grew up watching cartoons like the superfriends where there was no real violence and the good guys always won. Transformers the movie was completely and totally shocking. And watching Prime die, it was such a dark moment, I felt like OMG it's really over now, without Prime they're all gonna die.

[bell110]

Those are some good point Marvin, never really thought about it like that.