More Than Meets The Eye (in more ways than one)

Children's television has made toys very, very profitable. Once a kid sees a commercial, he/she is just eager to have that figure or car, or whatever stirs their imagination.

A lot of toy companies have made a lot of dough. Hasbro, for example. Remember in the '80s, there were all those cartoon shows that were basically "commercials" for toys? Two such shows I remember are "My Little Pony & Friends" and "Transformers". I loved "Pony" the best. It was a daily anthology series showcasing adventures based on their toy line. My favorite feature was "Moondreamers". However poky or feminine it was, it was every bit imaginable with characters and situations depicting just how we dream at night while we're asleep.

"Transformers", however, were more of the action-packed kind. It was one of two series about interchangable robots trying to save the universe (the other was "Voltron", produced by another company). Kids were really into interchangable toys back in the '80s. "Transformers" contained effects and complicated storylines that only could be brought alive by animation.

So, a couple of years back, when Steven Spielberg announced he was going to produce a big-screen live-action remake of "Transformers" (which by the way, has just been released to video/DVD this week), I was dumbfounded. I mean, no one could possibly pull off such a feat. Doing a big-budget version of "Transformers" was, to me, totally impossible, given the most current motion picture CGI technology.

But, alas, nowadays with the digital age, ANYTHING is possible. I decided to check it all out for myself once Speilberg's "Transformers" finally hit the big screen this summer. What it all turned out to be was a movie with the Michael Bay touch (Bay directed the Dreamworks movie, by the way). It had all the impact of Bay's previous film, "Armegeddon". The only flaw with this film is with all those interchangable CGI robots, I could not tell the good guys from the bad. They all looked the same. I couldn't tell who they were fighting with. But at least the ending was satisfactory.

I hear there is talk of a sequel, but who needs it? I don't think we really need a "Transformers Part II". The story should end just the way it is, just as Spielberg himself wisely didn't need to film an "E.T. II".

For me, there really was more than meets the eye with the latest incarnation of "Transformers". But, if that is your thing, by all means check out the DVD like I've been trying to do this week.

Now, when is Hasbro going to green-light a live-action "Moondreamers" film?

NEXT TIME: The Friday Final Gripe