Optimus Prime, temporarily known as Nemesis Prime (due to the fact that Quintessa was infecting him and controlling his mind) is one of the three main protagonists (alongside Sam Witwicky and Cade Yeager) of the original continuity of the Transformers live-action film series.
Originally a peaceful Cybertronian scientist and the very last Prime of the Dynasty, Optimus and his team of scientists were studying the mysterious Allspark until they were betrayed by their security unit, the Decepticons, and his twin brother, who is now their corrupted power-hungry leader, Megatron. Naming his squad of scientists as the Autobots, he used his team to fight the tyrannical Decepticons in order to stop them from getting the AllSpark's awesome power. He is based off his original incarnation with the same name.
He is voiced by Peter Cullen, who also voiced the version of Optimus in the reboot films.
What Makes Him a Base Breaking Character?[]
What Do People Like About Him?[]
- The character was praised for his CGI appearance considering that the first live action Transformers film was released in the late 2000s and it have had a budget as low as $145 million (which wouldn’t have made it close to being one of the most expensive movies of its time).
- His ending monologue in the first film was iconic and received wide praise.
- Peter Cullen’s performance elevated the character, especially since it had been over 20 years since he voiced the character.
- In the first three movies, he fought to protect others from genocide and slavery rather than to kill those who hurt him.
- His designs in the first 3 movies (while it still received some criticism from old-school fans) is generally considered one of the best designs in the Bayverse as it does capture the basic point of Prime's design while adding details and a style that's for a newer generation.
- His Evasion mode is also even more faithful to his G1 look, though we never got to see it in the traditional colors.
- His portrayal in the first movie was where he truly felt like Optimus Prime in terms of personality, as it captured his lovable nature in the G1 cartoon, even feeling saddened when Megatron (his brother) died.
- "You left me no choice, brother."
What Do People Hate About Him?[]
- To get the MASSIVE elephant out of the room, he is very sadistic and often mutilates and kills his opponents in a gory and brutal manner (only in the sequels), which previous versions of Optimus never did.
- He becomes flanderized in Age of Extinction and frequently threatens to kill others, such as when he threatens a human, when he screams “I’ll kill you” at a KSI deception before Grimlock eats them, when he threatens Quintessa before she corrupts him and when he threatens a human after becoming Nemesis Prime.
- After beating Grimlock to the ground, he forces him to do his bidding under the threat of death, which angered viewers.
- While his designs in the first three films received mostly positive reception (including even the Evasion Mode in AOE), there are still more than a few old-school fans who criticize them for not being G1 enough, even though Prime in the films was never completely based on G1.
- His look in the last two Bayverse movies were considered inferior due to looking too human.
- It is implied he was once overprotective of Bumblebee, an idea which didn’t sit well with fans.
- The novelization of Dark of the Moon is rather different, being as brutal but less sadistic, doesn't execute Sentinel Prime, who instead is killed by his own actions, and ultimately agrees to Megatron's truce, despite his misgivings. This being the original script, as well as addressing many complaints people had, made the canon version seem worse by comparison. (All because it got leaked and Bay decided to change it)
External Links[]
- Optimus Prime on the Heroes Wiki
- Optimus Prime on the Transformers Wiki
- Optimus Prime on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki
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