Comic Tom’s reaction to the current Transformers movie is a little more judgemental than the movie review I posted Monday. So I don’t want there to be any confusion about which opinion is more accurate. Today’s comic was pretty much an excuse to share a story from my real life.

Back in the day, when the original animated Transformers movie was in theaters, I begged and pleaded my Dad to take me. Just as I said in the comic, my Dad tried to use peer pressure to talk me out of it. Honest to goodness, he dismissively said “Transformers are SO over” – as if liking them made me uncool.

This has always stuck with me because I think it was the first time I can recall my Dad editorializing my interests. There would be many more dumb fads I would follow in the coming years (dying your hair green, anyone?) but this was the first my Dad really seemed to have an opinion on.

I was ten years-old at the time, so it might have been his attempt to steer me away from childish pursuits. Or maybe he was just tired of buying the damn toys. More than likely he didn’t want to sit through an animated movie about shape-changing robots.

A few years ago I picked up Transformers: The Movie on DVD. Watching it, I think my Dad was onto something. That movie is an incomprehensible mess. Even MORE SO than the live-action version! I know there were all kinds of problems during production and that’s why it’s edited together kind of weird. But the casting alone should have been a heads-up. Judd Nelson, Eric Idle, Leonard Nemoy and Orson Welles? WTF?

Watching the movie as an adult, I can appreciate what makes the movie terrible. Because I love the characters so much, I’m willing to kick my feet back and ignore some of the worse aspects. But I think, had I cajoled my Dad into taking me to that movie when it was in theaters we probably wouldn’t be speaking to each other ever again.

I didn’t mention it on Monday, but you guys should check out Monday’s broadcast of The Triple Feature talkcast. You can download it from TalkShoe. In it, Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex and I talk about our reactions to Transformers before spending the latter half of the episode talking about the two-year anniversary of Multiplex – which happens to be today!

So download the show and then swing by Multiplex to extend your words of encouragement to Gordon.

That’s pretty much all I have for today. My sister-in-law went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and The Order of the Pheonix. I’m interested to hear what she things. The movie has been getting some middle of the road reviews. But I’ve also heard it’s a lot darker than the previous movies, which is exactly what I think the franchise needs at this point.

Be sure to come back Friday for a comic all about Harry Potter! See you then!