Why are Bay's films such hits? A variety of factors, primarily the big-budget CGI spectacle of watching Autobots and Decepticons duking it out while incurring collateral damage. Another huge part of Transformers appeal is nostalgia, appealing to '80s kids weaned on the popular cartoon series and toy line by Hasbro.

And the hallmark of Reagan-era Transformers awesomeness was 1986's The Transformers: The Movie, the first big screen incarnation featuring everyone's favorite shape-shifting robots. For many hardcore fans, Transformers The Movie not only rivals Bay's films, it actually succeeds in ways the modern live-action movies fall short. Not bad for a movie that only cost $6 million to make and flopped upon its release.

Here's 16 reasons why Transformers The Movie holds up so well over 30 years later, and why it remains the Autobot/Decepticon movie to beat.

16. They Killed Off Optimus Prime 

In the 2007 Transformers movie, there's a moment towards the end of the film where Optimus Prime almost bites the dust, until Sam Witwicky saves the day. The Optimus Prime in the 1986 film was not so lucky. He died, and near the beginning of the movie, no less.

This was a downright traumatic development. Prime is the fan favorite, the main protagonist, the paternal figure watching over his fellow Autobots as well as the humans on Earth he's sworn to protect. But thanks to a conniving Megatron, he's destroyed--living only long enough to the "Matrix of Leadership" to Ultra Magnus, who would be the group's new leader.

This was a truly heartbreaking moment for kids in the '80s, and has more emotional resonance than any scene in the modern-day films.

15. They Killed Off Other Major Characters Too

Not content with stomping on our hearts with the shocking Optimus Prime death reveal,The Transformers: The Movie slaughters a host of main and ing characters as well, including Brawn, Prowl, Ratchet, Ironhide, Huffer, Wheeljack, and Starscream, to name but a few.

In many cases, these deaths happen so briskly that there's barely time to grieve. So why were the filmmakers hellbent on killing off so many beloved characters in such a rapid and brutal fashion? The answer is fairly cynical: it coincided with Hasbro's launch of a new toy line with replacement characters and new incarnations of old favorites. Hats off to the director and screenwriters, though--what could have come across as a crass, feature-length commercial took on an unexpected level of pathos.

14. It Didn't Glamorize Violence

Parents have long been concerned with violence in children's entertainment--a trend that continues in the 21st-century Transformers films. In the '80s, they were even more obsessed it seems, which is why so many cartoons of the era made pains to avoid showing any death or graphic killing onscreen.

When you're dealing with robots, you can get away with more in that department, with the lack of gore and all, but Transformers: The Movie used its PG rating to really push the limits. It did so, however, in a way that showcased the ramifications of death. These killings were treated with a straight-faced soberness that's downright surprising given the subject matter. That examination is lacking in the current franchise.

When Optimus Prime (and the other aforementioned victims) bought the farm, there were a lot of kids biting their lips so they didn't shed any tears in front of their friends. Even the death of the ever-annoying Starscream packed a punch.

13. Amazing WTF Moments

The live-action Transformers films have developed a winning formula of CGI bombast and smaller character moments punctuated by broad humor. Transformers: The Movie isn't lacking in the laugh department either, but it's more off-the-wall. Some of the humor isn't even intentional--it's an involuntary response to the absurd delight the film offers.

Take the reference made to Of Mice and Men, when Dinobot Grimlock asks Kup to “Tell Grimlock about petro-rabbits again.” Or the Transformer squid! The Sharkticons! And the cheesy '80s music! (More on that in a bit.)

The Quintesson is another joyous oddity; a five-faced robot judge, jury, and executioner that sentences all its subjects to death, whether they're innocent or guilty. And then there's the moment when Starscream assumes command of The Decepticons, coronated by trumpet-playing Constructicons.

The capper is a scene featuring Bumblebee and his human pal Spike. As they watch in horror as the planet/villain Unicron devours a moon, Spike shouts "Oh s--t! What are we gonna do now!?" A kid's movie with profanity? That was awesome! Sure the new films contain some spicy language, but in an '80s kids cartoon? Why was in included in the film? To avoid a G rating (PG rated films have more screenings per day, therefore a higher margin of profit).

12. It's The Citizen Kane of Animated Robot Movies

Sure, the latest Transformers movie may have Sir Anthony Hopkins around to class things up, but The Transformers: The Movie featured an appearance from the director of the greatest film of all time. That's right--Orson Welles, the director and star of the iconic Citizen Kane, lent his inimitable voice to Unicron, the evil robot planet that threatens both Autobots and Decepticons in the 1986 film.

Welles had done voiceover work for many products and films over the years, and he simply viewed Transformers as just another gig, joking that he spent his day “playing a toy," adding "I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed."

Transformers The Movie would be Welles' final role, and his voice was so weak that it had to be electronically modified for maximum impact. Yet his presence was still felt, and it classed up the source material. "This is my command: you are to destroy the Autobot Matrix of Leadership" may not be up there with "Rosebud" in of legendary film quotes, but it sent chills down every kid's spine who saw it.

11. The Rest of The Cast Ain't Too Shabby Either 

Orson Welles may have been the most high-profile member of the Transformers: The Movie cast, but he wasn't the only cast member with an impressive resume.

Monty Python's Eric Idle lent his quirky humor to the role of Wreck-Gar, a comedic Transformer with a warbly voice and facial hair. And Leonard Nimoy voiced Galvatron, i.e., the resurrected Megatron.

Other actors of note include Brat-packer Judd Nelson (Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime), Unsolved Mysteries host and Untouchables star Robert Stack (Ultra Magnus), Casey Kasem (Cliffjumper), Scatman Crothers (Jazz), and fast-talking Micro Machines pitchman John Moschitta, Jr. (Blurr). And of course, we can't leave out Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, who still voices the character in the modern-day Transformers films.

All this talent helped elevate what could have been a very one-dimensional voiceover experience into something special, a group that rivals the cast of the live-action films.

10. No Racist Portrayals of Autobots

The most uncomfortable element of Michael Bay's Transformers series is certainly Skids and Mudflap--a pair of Autobot twins first introduced (in the live-action series) in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

The pair brought a ton of criticism from critics and audiences alike for perpetuating racial stereotypes. The characters were accused of basically being robotic caricatures of young black men, complete with gold teeth and exaggerated, stereotypical dialects.

The Transformers: The Movie has no such distractions. The characters are robotic in nature, and minus the natural inflections of the performer's voices, they feel appropriately alien in tone. One can still be critical here, of course, as the film featured a primarily white cast, and only one female Autobot. However, that can still be somewhat excused for being a product of its era, when representation was far more limited. Surely we can try harder in the here and now.

9. A Megatron With Gravitas

Megatron is a pretty one-dimensional baddie in the modern Transformer movies. His motivations are relatively threadbare. But the character is downright Shakespearean in Transformers The Movie.

A creature seething with hatred for Optimus Prime finally gets his wish after he kills the beloved Autobot leader in the brutal opening battle (after shamelessly begging for mercy a few moments earlier). But he too is damaged in the battle, left for dead by his Decepticon compatriots in the depths of space. He is then rejuvenated and recreated as Galvatron, tasked with helping Unicron to destroy the aforementioned Matrix.

Megatron relishes his new role, while also dishing out vengeance to his former teammates, including the ever craven and conniving Starscream, who he destroys with relish. And, whether he's Megatron or Galvatron, he can turn into a firearm, which is still way cooler than turning into a jet or a truck a la the Bay-verse. A hero is only as good as his villain, and Megatron more than fits the bill here.

8. Non-Stop Action 

Michael Bay's Transformers movies are most popular for their final showdowns, where Autobots and Decepticons smash and bash each other with reckless abandon, using their herculean strength and excessive bulk to lay waste to cities.

Transformers: the Movie has plenty of that, but it places more emphasis on the characters abilities to, you know, transform! This gives the film a dynamic, kinetic scope the modern films lack. In fact, the animated film is a non-stop chase and fight film from the start, with plenty of battles, aerodynamic acrobatics, and animated spectacle.

The film moves in such a fast and nimble way that you don't even have a chance to catch your breath, let alone get bored, and unlike the overlong, turgid run times of the modern movies, it's over in a brisk 83 minutes. Less is more, especially when its jam-packed with so much action-filled eye candy from start to finish.

7. Leaves Earth For Space 

While the Transformers hail from the synthetic planet Cybertron, their adventures are largely stuck on Earth. This is true in both the live-action films and the original animated series.

What makes Transformers: The Movie the most expansive and grandiose installment is that it frees itself from its Earthbound shackles. The film is a true cosmic odyssey, taking the Autobots and Decepticons into deep space to battle Unicron, a villain far too large in scope to battle on Earth.

Everything on the movie operates on a huge scale, taking the audience on a journey to bizarre alien worlds, and its widescreen vistas makes it a cut above your average toy-related tie-in entertainment. It's the Star Wars of the Transformers universe, for lack of a better descriptor, and nothing has topped it since.