Transformers, Face The Music & Stop Being Embarrassed Of The '80s Theme Song
Contains spoilers for "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts."
One thing that "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" can definitely take pride in is the film's selection of impressive needle drops. Given that this movie is set in the '90s, "Rise of the Beasts" is crammed with some top-tier rap gold, guaranteed to get wild reactions from audiences. Without going into full spoiler mode, for instance, one character's entrance in the final act is accompanied by LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" — and while the story beat is a tad cheesy and unsurprising, the track choice redeems the moment entirely.
However, there's one alternative song choice that would've warmed even the coldest of Cybertronian hearts, and undoubtedly would've commanded full-on applause from any audience — and that's the classic "Transformers" theme tune from the original television show.
We're now seven movies deep into this film franchise, and it's getting ridiculous that it hasn't played at least once. For fans, the sheer word "Transformers" automatically conjures a cacophony of robotic noises from a Saturday morning long ago, with Peter Cullen's Optimus Prime and Megatron's Frank Welker trash talk being amplified by that absolute banger of an opening theme. It's an earworm that has stayed solidly in pop culture alongside thousands of other classic television tunes, and one that people never get tired of hearing. So why have we never heard it in these movies?
The original Transformers theme could turn any live-action moment into an epic one
Give respect where it's due. Within this metal-grinding, money-guzzling movie franchise, from its good moments to its questionable ones, there have been plenty of pitch-perfect music moments. Back in 2007, the first film's Linkin Park song, "What I've Done," is still raising hairs all these years later. However, facts are facts, and none of the movie franchise's top musical moments come close to the power of Ford Kinder and Anne Bryant's 1980s tune.
Now for any other franchise, it might be a little late in the game to apply such loving, nostalgic nods to the source material. Not this one, though. Given that "Rise of the Beasts" is set in the 1990s, a time when "Transformers" was still very much in its — ahem — prime, chucking this iconic throwback into a future film would've been incredible. It would've fit perfectly — as perfect as an excessively sharp 16 foot robot transforming into an overly expensive sports car. And between this and "Bumblebee," there's no better time to fully lean into the legacy that's making a comeback.
Besides, it's not like "Transformers" would be the only franchise tossing musical throwbacks to past glories. The MCU has been doing it for a while now.
Transformers movies need to take the hint from Marvel
With "Rise of the Beasts" finally teasing a long-anticipated crossover with "G.I. Joe," the shape-shifting cinematic extravaganza is, at last, tapping into the same interconnected game as the MCU. Good. Since we're already following the MCU's playbook, "Transformers" can also take cues from Marvel Studios' fearless embrace of classic tunes, since that has paid off massively.
For example, the theme from the 1967 "Spider-Man" cartoon is now firmly planted as part of the score for this era of Tom Holland's films, instead of the mere gag it was in Sam Raimi's first two movies. In addition to that, fans got a fix of even stronger nostalgia when Patrick Stewart's Professor X hovered into "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" to the iconic tune from the 1992 animated series. That theme jingled again when Kamala Khan found out she was a mutant in "Ms. Marvel."
The MCU is a franchise that knows how to play to the strengths of what came before. Why doesn't Paramount do the same?
Given that an epic crossover is now definitely on the cards, it would be great if Paramount just said to hell with it and threw out all the bells and whistles, including that classic theme. We can only hear how humans are "more than meets the eye" from Optimus so many more times. Wouldn't it be better for it to be said by a choir over some mad synth, while two opposing robot forces are firing lasers at one another? Cinema at its finest.