Transformers 40th Anniversary Review

  

On Friday September 18, 2026 was the 40th Anniversary of the introduction of the Transformers universe to be introduced to us humans. The introduction came in the animated movie that first aired on television. The same movie made its big screen debut 40 years later in the theaters on the very day Friday. While I could do a review of that movie, I believe many of you that read my reviews probably would not try to find and watch that first movie. So instead, I am going to give you a review of a movie of the live action Transformers that was made with CGI effects on the big screen on July 3, 2007 starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight and John Turturro.

I am not sure where you can find the animated film after Friday since it is a one day celebration in the theaters. The live action Transformers or Transformers 1 and subsequent films can be found on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+ and Fandango to name a few streaming services. I personally own a few of these movies on Blu Ray. 

What can I say about Transformers universe? When I was a kid, I remember the television show and the toys that came out by Hasbro. I used to have a couple of them but they were lost as I have moved many times in my life. The first time I felt they made an indelible mark in many people’s minds was when the first live action Transformers movie came out directed by Michael Bay on July 3, 2007. It is crazy to think that this movie is almost 20 years old and the special effects that were used along with an epic movie soundtrack made the movie stand out. 

I remember the first time I watched the original one and when I first heard the beginning of  “What I’ve Done” song by Linkin Park at the beginning under the scenes with Sam Witwicky driving around the first time in his Camaro unknowing the importance of the car and the power it held before its unveiling as the famous Bumblebee. This movie had the most famous Autobots and Decepticons. I must confess that I am a Peter Cullen fan and hearing his first words in the movie as Optimus Prime sent goosebumps through my body knowing who it was and the first time on the big screen. Optimus is the leader of the Autobots. Fast forward to Friday while watching it for maybe the fifth time I had those same thoughts and emotions.

When I was a kid, the animated changes from a car, truck to the Autobots or Decepticons, never realized or made as much of an impression for the transformations like in this live action feature film. The special effects for the transforming was very good. I would give it an A- because I have seen some other movies do better but at the time when the movie was released was the best for a movie like it of its genre at that time in my opinion.

Transformers first foray on the big screen is the best of the series of movies that Michael Bay has been involved with to date. The cast of characters and actors were a good ensemble and it made it hard to find all of the bad guys and want to be bad guys. The heroes were the Autobots and Sam Witwicky which is fitting since his grandfather started this archeological exhibition of aliens and tried to fight a Decepticon that he found given the name Iceman. He left all of his clues to his son a unhip wannabe and the grandson that is a pivotal dealer to keep himself out of trouble.

The voice of the Transformers are legends in the voice world and in front of the camera as well. As stated, the leader of them all is Peter Cullen the voice of Optimus Prime. Cullen has been known as Optimus all the way until his unfortunate death last month. He is also known as the voice of Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh films. Cullen has been doing voice work for 50 years with over 40 of it just for the Transformers projects alone. The voice of the evil Deception leader Megatron for the movie was Hugo Weaving known for acting in front of the camera. The other voices were Mark Ryan as Bumblebee, Robert Foxworth as Ratchet and Jess Harnell as Ironhide and other Transformer characters. 

Transformers, the original in 2007, is definitely worth a watch and has a good easy to follow storyline and revelations are timed just right. I think this movie deserves a 9 out 10 stars.  I have seen many of the other movies in this universe and feel most of them are deserving a watch at least one time. Congratulations to all those associated with the Transformers universe!  R.I.P. Peter Cullen and Autobots roll out.

Ghosts of Honolulu Book Review

 
   

As I have written in previous blog posts, I stated that I will be discussing about various media dealings with American History since this is the 250th birthday year of the United States. I will talk about movies I think deal with that history or Americana as some people call it. I also said that I will try to find books that go into important historical significances of what has made America great, ways it can learn from its mistakes and the foundational structure from the government to the military and the business of how we have gone about existing as a great and most important Nation of all the world in my opinion.

Before I go into the review of Ghosts of Honolulu written by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr.,  I want to say that if you watch “NCIS” t.v. shows where Leroy Jethro Gibbs played by Mark Harmon or a military / police drama show watchers then this book is not that fast. This book is not wrapped up in a bow and given a final conclusion in one hour. Leon Carroll Jr. not to be confused with Rocky Carroll that played Leon Vance on the NCIS t.v. show is actually a real retired NCIS agent and consultant. Also, I have personally been to Honolulu and more of Hawaii on multiple occasions. I have had the honor of going to Pearl Harbor and seeing the incredibly moving and impressive historical pieces and heard people tell the story that happened on December 7, 1941. “A date which will live in infamy” President Franklin D Roosevelt said after the attack. It is also moving to see the watery grave of the USS Arizona. When you go over it and know that sailors are buried in his sunken ship, it is a powerful solemn moment.

What can I now say about the Ghosts of Honolulu book? I was not sure what I was going to read. A history book used for a college classroom? A novel type approach to the stories you would find for your favorite fiction or historical fiction book? A diary unveiling like Gibbs does on the spinoff show “NCIS Origins?” Well, I believe its got a lot of all three except this is all true. It is a book that fillets open all of the known historical facts and stories known about the untold story of Pearl Harbor. It tells about Japanese spies and the beginnings of the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service and how the US Government and all the military branches dealings before, during and after the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor. The islands of Hawaii were not yet a state of the United States. It was a territory not unlike Puerto Rico today. Honolulu was a big place that America had their ships and planes stationed in the Pacific. Honolulu had a big Japanese population back in the 1930s and 1940s.

I took the seriousness of the book and the subject matter to really digest the information introduced and discussed very thoroughly. It’s detailed accounts of the Japanese spies like Douglas Wada and tells about the important places and events that unfolded to trick, deceive and manipulate both sides of Japan and the USA. This leads to all that is discussed in this deeply powerful and well written telling of this whole event. I thought I knew everything about it from studying it in school, watching movies like Pearl Harbor that came out in 2001 starring Ben Affleck and Josh Harnett and interviews and documentaries. I have to say that this book is the most detailed account I have ever read about the events and the deceptions of the spies to steal all the important information and catch America off guard to make it the deadliest attack on the American military at that time.

This book is very well done and a definite MUST read for the history buffs and those wanting to understand better of what happened from successes to failures. I was also impressed that the authors put the whole speech, word for word, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in the book. It fits to what they were presenting about it to give a clear complete picture of the aftermath even years later. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. Very well done and loved all the pictures included and all the prologues and epilogue to this American history event.

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning Movie Review

 

When you watch a movie, do you care if it is a prequel, sequel or ending of a series of films when watching it? Is it important to watch a previous film or films if it is a continuation and a previous story? In the case of the eighth installment in the Mission Impossible universe, I believe it to be the final installment of the Mission Impossible nine part saga. I would say yes you definitely need to see the previous movie called The Dead Reckoning that came out in 2023 to fully understand the conclusions and plots for this film. This movie made its screen debut on May 23, 2025 in the theaters to a moderate level of success in the United States. A few months later in December 2025, it made its streaming debut. So why has it taken me so long to finally see this movie you might ask? While I am not a fan of Tom Cruise, I do appreciate the movies that he acts in and also that he performs his own stunts. I watched the first movie called Mission Impossible in the theaters in May 1996. The date of the first movie release was May 22, 1996. There is an important moment using that date for The Final Reckoning. With the movie theaters not providing a lot of consistent good options to watch and streaming prices going up and up, I am finding more and more great quality movies I can watch on whatever streaming service I subscribe to with movie theater quality using Dolby Atmos, IMAX, 4K, all of them in my house. For this week’s pick of The Final Reckoning is on most streaming services. I have Prime Video and Paramount+ and through it I decided I wanted to see the conclusion to this saga. I am really glad that I finally have watched it and really liked it. The film is just under 3 hours at 2:50. The story is dealing with Ethan Hunt and his team who yet again save the world literally. The villain this time is believed to be A.I. also called “The Entity”. 

 A.I. is discussed a whole lot these days from movies, novels, news and other outlets. I felt this movie and my last movie review of Mercy gives us all a good look as to why we should never consider AI in the future to dictate our lives. It can be a poison pill in the wrong hands.

While the film felt a little long, I didn’t feel it was necessary to wrap up the two part film and overall saga’s epic quicker. There were flashbacks to the first film and other movies in this series. To help with explaining the plots throughout there were several foreshadowing moments to help the audience along with flash images and videos of the future and how it could all play out. I was happy to see all of the same beloved cast reappear in both The Dead Reckoning and The Final Reckoning. I will miss seeing Benji, Luther, Kittredge and of course Ethan Hunt in the future but this was a good sentimental sendoff to the series. What is my rating for this final installment? A 8.5 out of 10 stars. It was a satisfying conclusion and happy that I finally saw this and maybe you can as well if you have not taken the time. If you have seen it, what are your thoughts on this movie? Leave them in the comments or what you thought of my review to this one.