The Energon Pub

Don't mistake me - I'm glad they netted Peter Cullen to be the voice of Optimus Prime in the movies and the TF: Prime series. I just think he sounds more like Peter Sullen these days.

In the G1 toon he sounded a lot more energetic (yeah, I know) with a kind of John Wayne twang to him. He had some life and enthusiasm. In the new movies and in the new series though, he sounds listless, tired and bored. I can be forgiving - there may well be a reason for it. Here's some I can think of:

1) He may be feeling his age, and doing the voice with a full range of emotion might be too much a strain for the actor.

2) Optimus Prime is now too 'epic' of a figure. Let's face it - they've built up Optimus Prime into something larger than life. He's legendary. And as such, EVERYTHING he does has to be legendary. His every motion, his every word, now HAS to be something grand or epic or people are somehow disappointed.

I lean more towards the second. The script writers come across like they're just trying too hard to craft Optimus' dialogue so each sentence is wise or profound. But that comes across as silly when he's saying something normal, like 'get the door' or 'hello'. Instead of letting him say simple things like 'hi Raf', they make him say, 'Greetings my human ally who is known by the nomenclature of 'Raf'. It is GOOD to see you on this glorious day.' (I exaggerate slightly, but not by much) And in the course of the series, he HAS to say normal stuff every so often, so it becomes goofy to hear him trying to talk like a demi-god in exile with every line.

I just wish they'd lighten up with him a little. Just because he's a great leader doesn't mean they HAVE to make him so unapproachable and lofty. The TFA Optimus had a much more down-to-earth and personable feel to him, which in some ways made him a lot more likable as a character and a leader. In almost every scene where the autobots are having fun, they remove Prime - as if they were scared of tainting him with the filth of being 'normal'.

I think it was summed up best in the Wheeljack episode. Bulkhead and fake Wheeljack were lobbing, Miko was playing guitar, some dancing was going on. Jake looked around and said 'Where's Optimus.' Arcee just shrugged and said, 'Primes don't party.'

They don't have to make him dance or boogie. But they could have him at least stick around and maybe just crack a smile.

Primes party and Primes play basketball.

Inserting "Michael Bay sucks!" here

I can honestly relate to this post. I remember when Seibertron got his advance copies of Eps 1&2, one thing he mentioned that I've continued to think as well was that Prime is so serious.

Optimus Prime - he's basically the same as his movie counterpart. As much as I love Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, I sometimes feel that he takes the role a little too serious. Everything always seems so epic and heavy with him voicing Optimus. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just looking for something to complain about like a typical fan boy. Or maybe he does need to loosen up a little bit.

And I feel that way somewhat. I wouldn't be happier if it wasn't him, but I would like a little more snap to his performance. This isn't the movies after all, it should be more fun.

Even in WFC, Prime makes a quippy line to Bumblebee about being in the decepticon prison, surrounded by the enemy, and it being merely a matter of perspective. Which I thought was actually pretty light hearted and well done. These moments are not entirely absent from TF Prime, but it'd kind of be nice for me if he was more endearing. I'll still respect him in the morning.. I swear! G1 OP in the Kremzeek episode makes a comment like "talk about a bull in a china shop". And it cracks me up still.

We need this for Prime.

I agree Peter Cullen does sound a bit weary on the show and in the movie, and in parts and situations where maybe he doesn't need too.

I think he may be showing his age.

And yes, it would be cool if PRIME's Prime and the Autobots still did things like play basketball, football, and have snowball fights!

Sounds like a personal problem...

I'm sure there is an infomercial about this...

tigertracks 24 wrote:I agree Peter Cullen does sound a bit weary on the show and in the movie, and in parts and situations where maybe he doesn't need too.

I think he may be showing his age.

And yes, it would be cool if PRIME's Prime and the Autobots still did things like play basketball, football, and have snowball fights!

Nothing better than giant robots having fun, I say.

I always thought his "new" version was a little wiser and more "fatherly".

Granted, I do miss the Prime of old who saw past political correctness and patted Spike on the head like a dog. Heheh.

I agree with everything. Optimus just sounds so epic with everything that he says in Prime. He needs to calm down. And he's way too serious. Everyone else can have a decent conversation, then Optimus just comes in sounding epic and ruins the realism. They need a more realistic voice for Optimus in Prime. And it's not the voice work, it's the lines they give him. They give him lines that no one would ever say in real life.

SlyTF1 wrote:I agree with everything. Optimus just sounds so epic with everything that he says in Prime. He needs to calm down. And he's way too serious. Everyone else can have a decent conversation, then Optimus just comes in sounding epic and ruins the realism. They need a more realistic voice for Optimus in Prime. And it's not the voice work, it's the lines they give him. They give him lines that no one would ever say in real life.

Well... he is a giant robot from outer space fighting an ancient war. Not many of those in real life.

I love the epic style of Prime. I laugh everytime he says something with unnecassarily big vocabulary. There has to be one guy like him on the team, or nothing would ever get done right, and BB, Bulkhead, and Arcee are really laid back. And Ratchet never leaves the base, so...

Besides, he has joked around a little, like with the kids' science projects. For the movies though, it wouldn't make sense for him to be light-hearted though. I mean it would, but it would seem out of place.