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This seems like the one community I can get away with relating this tale with the least amount of ridicule. I was reminded of it when I went to see the new Transformers movie (which I still have very mixed feelings about). I'd also love to hear anyone else's stories about the subject (I tried to find a thread with this subject-ish, and failed to do so. So I hope I'm not going to cause any trouble by starting this one). I know I'm new around here, but I'm really getting into the idea of a TF fan community...for so many years, it was just me and my buddy Tom.

I was in a movie theater, filled with dozens of other screaming children. I was six, and my grandfather drove over an hour and a half with me to get to the one "nearby" theater that was playing it. My grandfather used to watch Transformers with me...it was one of our bonding things.

So, the scene where the shuttle lands and Optimus comes out and says, "Megatron must be stopped...no matter the cost." Well, let me tell you...not a kid sat still. We were all jumping up and down on our chairs, howling with joy as Optimus ran Decepticons down, then rocketed into the air to transform...even my grandfather let loose a hoot and we high-fived triumphantly. Grimlock was my favorite (I had a thing for dinosaurs), but let's be serious. Every kid LOVED Prime. Even when it looked like Prime was down for the count, he came back and clobbered Megatron. It was the greatest thing I'd ever seen.
Then, cheering and jumping up and down turned into wide-eyed horror. I've still never seen such an instantaneous mood change come over a group of people at once. There he was, Optimus Prime, laying on his deathbed. Even through teary eyes, I remember thinking, "He'll be fine. He'll be fine." Then he turned grey, and it was over. I just sort of watched the rest of the movie in a daze. Even my grandfather seemed depressed. He liked Optimus because he sounded like John Wayne.
When we got home, my mom asked how the movie was, and my grandfather goes, "Not now, Janet.", pops a tape in the VCR, and sat on the couch with me in his lap and we watched the episodes we had been taping to make ourselves feel better.

A lame story, I know. But it was one of the last times my grandfather was healthy that I can remember. Not too long after that, he had a heart attack, then and life just wasn't the same. So I like to remember him as the happy, indestructable man who hooted and high-fived me, and drove an hour and a half just so I could see a movie.

Unfortunately, my mom had this nice little habit of grounding me just before a movie would come out so I would miss it. Since Transformers was only in our local theater for like a week, I totally missed seeing it there. Yes, she was totally cruel like that.

Anyway, so I don't have a story like that. By the time I was able to see the movie was when it was released to video stores. I remember we just bought a VCR (hey, back in those days a VCR was a luxery - I can also remember when we first got Cable, that was big thing too.) and I went with my parents to rent our first movies and there it was. I had to wait until the next morning to pop it in and see it, they had first dibs.

Now, by this time, I had already knew what happened. After hearing it from every single kid in the playground, and having read the movie adaption, and seeing most of Third season and the "Dark Awakening" at this point, I was well prepared for Prime's death. But after seeing it for the first time on screen, it became...real. I remember rewinding the fight scene between Optimus and Megatron a dozen times or so because it was too cool.

Well, it wasn't much, but that was my story.

Not only did I weep in the theater when I saw it, I still hold Hotrod responsible to this day

I was honestly never really devestated by it.

Even at that age, I understood it was 'noble sacrifice'. Because of that, I wasn't sad. Prime went out a hero saving others. That's what heros do.

However, I was thrilled when he "came back" via PowerMaster Prime (that's what commercials told me anyway).

Prime didnt bother me too much, as already stated, even at the age of 6 or 7 I knew that he died to save his friends and is a very acceptable death. But I was already MORTIFIED at that point anyways because Prowl and Ironhide were offed like a couple of b*tches......that hurt me more than Prime dying.

But they introduced Hot Rod, Springer and Kup, and kept the Dinobots so I got over it quickly.

Find it funny how there is a lot of cannon fodder available to off like Huffer, Skyfire, Red Alert, Inferno, Grapple, Hoist, Skids, Gears, Swerve, windcharger and trail blazer but no, fan favorites like Ratchet, Wheel Jack, Prowl, Ironhide and Prime all have to die.

I still have a hard time watching his death scene. Maybe it's because Optimus Prime reminds me of my grandfather...

Cinema_Major wrote:Prime didnt bother me too much, as already stated, even at the age of 6 or 7 I knew that he died to save his friends and is a very acceptable death. But I was already MORTIFIED at that point anyways because Prowl and Ironhide were offed like a couple of b*tches......that hurt me more than Prime dying.

But they introduced Hot Rod, Springer and Kup, and kept the Dinobots so I got over it quickly.

Find it funny how there is a lot of cannon fodder available to off like Huffer, Skyfire, Red Alert, Inferno, Grapple, Hoist, Skids, Gears, Swerve, windcharger and trail blazer but no, fan favorites like Ratchet, Wheel Jack, Prowl, Ironhide and Prime all have to die.

That always bothered me too. No way Ironhide should've gone down that easily. It was like they were trying to erase Cullen from the cartoon.

I was 14 when it came out but I had to wait for the video. It crushed me. Prime was my favorite and still is. Of course things were different in the 80's. Kids could play with toys at age 14 or 15 and is was still normal. Now kids are done with toys by 10. I remember crashing on my bed for the rest of the day, trying to play with my bots and forget it. It still bothers me and I'm a grown man! My 4 year old watches it now and it is starting to make him a little sad too. He loves my bot collection and since I tend to watch at least one episode a week he his really picking up on it. Peter Cullen said that there was so much outcry from parents about the death of Prime that they HAD to bring him back.

Flint wrote:Not only did I weep in the theater when I saw it, I still hold Hotrod responsible to this day

Definately! He should have kept his little chASSis out of it. It would have been cool to see Prime shot Megs in the face.

Lucky those who saw in theaters, I couldn't because my family was really poor, and didn't want to spend the money. Pretty lame, I know.

I remember the commericals for it, and kept dreaming I would see it, but of course, I didn't see it until they put it on T.V for season 3 or 4, to begin. When I saw how Prime and Megatron fought, it was so awsome, but when I saw Prime hit the floor after Megatron hurt his side, I knew it was over. I was even sad when Megatron fell over. As a child I always wanted peace between the two. I admitt when Prime spoke his last dying words, turning grey, and then RC cryed with Daniel, I too teared up. I was especially very upset when Starscream, Thurdercracker, Skywarp, Ironhide, Prowl, etc.,died so horribly. It was very heart breaking for me, I was depressed for a while, in secret, because I didn't want my mom to worry. I was about 11 yrs. old.

optimusprime72 wrote:

Flint wrote:Not only did I weep in the theater when I saw it, I still hold Hotrod responsible to this day

Definately! He should have kept his little chASSis out of it. It would have been cool to see Prime shot Megs in the face.

Oh, man. Could you imagine? He blasts Megatron, then gives the rest of the 'cons one last chance to surrender before they end up like their leader (because you know Prime wouldn't just mow them down).

Stupid Hotrod.

well i was in preschool/kindergarden when G1 was on TV so i didnt understand what death was yet. i was like "oh hes dead...." and then went on my way. prime as a kid was always my fav. he was my first TF to. i remember all i wanted on my bday was prime and i got him and i opend him up on my grandpas bed and played with him there ignoring all my other presents.

Wow! hearing how some of you guys never got to see it in the theatres I feel pretty fortunate to see it the night it came out. My dad took me and 4 or 5 of my friends, I was nine. I was a little slow back then, so I don't remember being really affectd by anything too much. Ironhide and Prowl's death seemed like play fighting to me, I didn't really think much of it. Sure Prime dying, that was sad, and I remember my buddy sitting next to me crying too. We were sad about Prime's death after the movie, but we were looking forward to the next season. Who knows, maybe I was hoping they would all come back.

I'll tell you though, that next season really lost me Transformers wasn't as fun anymore and I never watched it since. Never got any of the toys either, except for someone gave me Wheelie. I had a little interest, but not much.

I cried. Optimus is one sexy truck.

Seeing as how the movie came out a year after I was born, I wasn't able to see it in theaters. But it's odd, as I don't remember ever having a reaction to Prime's death. I don't remember when I first saw the movie either, I just knew Prime died.

Of course, only having basicly seen the first season when I was a kid due to a few VHS's I had and rented, Prime was never really my hero or anything, or even a favorite(the Dinobots and Bumblebee filled that role). Still, I thought he was great in the new movie.

Every synonym for angry, outraged, the strong sense of bait and switch as my sisters and I had seen only Oppy and Megs squaring off in the TV film advertisements; we had zip indication things were to turn out as they did. Including one of series, the franchise's bigger characters (if not the biggest) amongst the slaughtered (which on the Autobots' side btw was high to the point of unrealistic IMO--If this was the future couldn't the Autobots had drones placed on the front line who instead?) was one the sickest ploys I've ever seen foisted on fans. There was both thought of the fan base and character appeal so lacking, they had to "apologize and bring one of the two bigger appeals back" (Screamer and espcially Oppy). One of the less memorable robots should have died, the new characters could have intergated, developed along with the old characters and the final product would have been less nauseating, had me sittiing after Prime brought the scraheap: "If not the rest of the Autobots aren't coming back, is he coming back at least?" Did anyone think to run an advance screening before a "test group" and gauge their opinions? Forsee the contraversy (although I didn't expect that ran so far)that would be aimed their way?

I don't blame HR for his Pime mistake, I blame Hasbro and the think tank surrounding this film for theirs.