Autobots!

Figure 1: Optimus Prime

Remember the cartoon Turbo Teen? I barely do, but I just watched a clip of the show's opening credits on YouTube.

Figure 2: El Teen de Turbo

If you're not familiar, Turbo Teen is the story of a teen, full of turbo, who transforms into a 1980s Pontiac Firebird-like car when his body temperature increases. His hands turn into the front tires, his mouth the grill, et al., but no, I don't know what his penis becomes. The driveshaft? I suppose, if he's packing.

Figure 3: Puberty

Anyway, the Turbo Teen roams throughout the countryside, fighting crime and helping people with their personal problems.

Of course, the Turbo Teen's gimmick leads me to ask what if his entire family were full of the turbo? I picture his mother as a middle-aged menopausal woman who transforms into a 1993 Ford Taurus and then roams throughout suburbia, helping people with their personal problems. I picture his grandfather as an elderly man who transforms into a dented 1974 Cadillac Seville and then roams throughout suburbia at 23 miles an hour with his left directional on...complaining about minorities, trying to get to the bingo hall.

But back to the intended subject: I saw The Transformers—the movie—this past weekend. The movie was bad. Why? I can think of numerous reasons, but one of my primary complaints, besides every thing else, concerns an issue plaguing most of today's action-packed kinescopes: scenes filled with GCI animation and spastic jump-cut editing set at an astronomical pace that makes any action flick from 1980s look like My Dinner with Andre (in terms of pacing...and storytelling, of course). What do I mean? The Transformers themselves, more than meets the eye, were created using CGI animation—I hope that doesn't come as a shock to you—and whenever the Autobots (good guys) and Decepticons (bad guys) would get into a scuffle, I couldn't tell what the hell was occurring on the silver screen right in front of me. It was as if someone took the film, removed every other frame, and played it back at twice the normal speed. I had the same issue with the last installment of the Spiderman. I mean, really, what the fuck? I will bet you—yes you—that in ten years' time movies will simply be recordings of strobe lights. Wait a minute! Maybe I will do that! I could probably receive a major-studio distribution deal. To seal that deal, I'll tell them in advance that my film is a shot-for-shot remake of Teen Wolf II.

Figure 4: A "hair-raising" movie