First Speculations for Transformers: The Last Knight

Looks like Optimus had a rough flight

Finally we have our first idea of what to expect from the latest Transformers movie, now known as The Last Knight.  A pair of brief 20 second videos have been released showing what appears to be Optimus Prime and Megatron.  In addition, filming has begun this week and several new cars have been spotted on site.  I was planning to offer my thoughts on the latest installment of the Transformers film franchise, as well as what I was hoping to see.  Now seems as good a time as any, so let's get started.

I will admit that I generally like the Transformers movies.  The first one was a lot of fun, Revenge of the Fallen is passable, and Dark of the Moon is hindered only by the convoluted Sentinel Prime plot twist.  I will be going into The Last Knight on a sour note, as Age of Extinction was my least favorite movie.  It could have been good, but there are numerous problems.  The tone is way too somber, the product placement is annoying, the story makes no sense, and there are so many filming errors that it's hard to take this film seriously.  I still have yet to buy it on DVD, and probably won't unless The Last Knight blows my mind and I need Age of Extinction to fill in the story. 

As we know, Age of Extinction ended with Optimus Prime flying into space in search of his creators.  From the looks of this image, the trip didn't go too well.  Optimus's face is all faded and dirty.  I'm curious about the red on his left cheek, since he didn't have any red markings on his face when he left.  The most interesting aspect of this image is his eyes.  Instead of their usual blue, Optimus's eyes are purple.  The last time I saw a transformer with purple eyes was Megatron in the Transformers: Prime TV series.  Megatron was under the influence of dark energon at the time.  Dark energon is said to be the emanation of Unicron and can be used to increase one's power, revive the dead, and corrupt Transformers. 

Speaking of Megatron, his image also shows him with purple tinged eyes and a red stain on his face.  I'm still not sure if this is indeed Megatron, because Megatron became Galvatron in Age of Extinction.  Also, this looks nothing like any previous depiction of Megatron.  There will be some heavy duty explaining to do if Megatron returns and changes his appearance so comprehensively.  Although Michael Bay insists that this is Megatron, I am going to assume that this is misinformation and will continue my speculation as if Megatron's conscience remains in Galvatron.

It is possible that somehow, Megatron is able to extract his conscience from Galvatron's body, but I would hope that the writers don't go for something as crazy as that.  Ideally, The Last Knight should focus primarily on Optimus Prime's search for his creators.  A story about Optimus Prime travelling the universe would be quite entertaining.  He could encounter all kinds of alien species and have a Star Wars style adventure.  For that matter, he could meet other characters from the Transformers universe who have yet to make an appearance on screen.  Imagine if Optimus found Ultra Magnus as an obedient slave for the creators and is able to show him a greater calling as an Autobot.   

The Transformers still on Earth may go back to working for the government.  However, I find it more plausible that after everything from the last movie, they would just like to be left alone.  Bumblebee and the other Autobots could become the guardians of the Yeager family, as Optimus instructed.  They may be drawn into conflict as Galvatron, who survived the battle of Hong Kong, rallies all remaining Decepticons on Earth in a bid for revenge.  He would likely chase down the humans and Autobots until a final encounter where Optimus arrives with reinforcements from the creators' homeworld to drive off Galvatron.

The details can change and some character subplots could be introduced to spice things up, but I feel this is a logical story based on the events of the last film.  But, if I have learned anything, it's that the logical route is rarely followed in these films.  We'll probably end up with yet another poorly written, explosion-filled, product-saturated headache.  Only time will tell.  Until then, I anxiously await confirmation on new Transformers and will pour over all the new vehicles as more information becomes available.