A boy of six leaps out of bed, he's just had a lucid dream that felt as real to him as any of the many waking memories he has accumulated in his brief existance. His dream was so clear in fact, that he is now utterly convinced that he is the proud owner of an Optimus Prime figurine and the envy of his peers. He goes to his toy box and of course Prime is not there, he scampers downstairs to find Bumblebee and Jazz where they fell in last nights battle with the Decepticons, but, no Prime. Confusion and fear set in, where can he be? I was just playing with him yesterday? He keeps the fear at bay by telling himself that his Mum will know where Prime is, but, all she can say is "Sorry Mat, you must have dreamt it. You don't own Optimus Prime". The words slam into him (well, me if I'm honest) like the articulated truck that Optimus Prime so gracefully transforms into to blend in with the human race. Tears well up in my eyes as I try to figure out how a dream can be so kind in design, yet so cruel in its reality-mimicking delivery.

Yes, I was, and still am, a big fan of Transformers. Being a boy in the eighties makes it very difficult to feel anything but misty eyed devotion to the 'Robots in Disguise' that formed the basis for much of my playtime. Luckily for me I was able, through my grandparents, to have regular access to the original, and in my humble opinion, best Transformers movie. My Grandparents owned the local village video store, so, whenever I visted for longer than ten minutes I would be allowed to rent 'Transformers: The Movie' for yet another viewing.

There were, of course, other cartoons around in the eighties that I would watch, but, unlike Transformers, they would not retain a lasting hold over me to adulthood (I use that term very loosely). Shows such as Thundercats, He-man and M.A.S.K seemed to pit themselves directly against Transformers and form a quartet of cartoons that I would like to call 'The Big Four'. Many other shows flitted around the periphery of my cartoon intake but, although many of them were very good, I do not consider them to occupy this same sub-genre of 80s cartoon entertainment.

The main reason I feel that Transformers is superior to the other members of the quartet is that it combines both the unreal/alien magic of Thundercats and He-man, whilst making the whole thing more realistic and believable, like M.A.S.K, via the transformations into every day vehicles and devices. This on the one hand, captures the imagination of the 80s child and, on the other, gives the child an anchor in reality that causes the cartoon to be deeply embedded within the mind for years to come.

As for going from cartoon series to animated film, of the Big Four, I believe only Transformers and Thundercats made the leap. A leap made with grace and aplomb by Transformers, but, sadly for Thundercats, it was a leap into a gaping chasm of mediocrity. Ok, This may be a bit harsh on Thundercats, but I don't think it is able to match Transformers: The Movie on any count. The main let down I remember from Thundercats is Lion-O and company constantly walking into inescapable ambushes. Mild panic would be swiftly followed by a miraculous escape, only for them to blunder into yet another ambush! I will concede that there are a couple of questionably lucky escapes in Transformers: The Movie, but in general there seems to be a much clearer plot that keeps the action rolling along in a plausible manner. Well, as plausible as you can manage when the film is about, Robots from a far away planet that can mimic objects they have seen on earth?

The development of Transformers in the modern era has seen some interesting, but, to my palate, not entirely pleasing productions. Series such as Transformers: Armada, Transformers: Energon and Transformers: Cybertron, along with a few other incarnations, seem to have moved too far from the humble beginnings, in a search for profit rather than progress. The two recent film adaptations, Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, have been enjoyable action films but not wholly inkeeping with the origins and ethos of Transformers. Having said that, you can't knock the CGI and other special effects they managed to produce. Both well worth a watch for anyone that remembers the original cartoons but, should probably be viewed as if they were a new car or pet dog. They may well be just as good as the original in many respects, but, with a myriad of their own little quirks, thye are quite different. You will have to let go of the old before you can truly embrace the new.