Is "The Transformers" More Than Just a Popcorn Flick?

So, who's seeing the new Transformers movie that comes out tomorrow? Looks like a fun popcorn flick for the summer season, but some see more in the whole Transformers backstory, and especially in Optimus Prime. James Harleman at The ReSurgence, a website for young Reformed church leaders wrote: "So many people I know are polarized: excited or exacerbated, feverish or furious, titillated or ticked off, by the Michael Bay directed / Steven Spielberg produced return of Optimus and the bots."

Why the anxiety? Harleman explains:

Intentional or not, there is something godlike built into the stoic Autobot Commander, a titanium trinity imaging a loving Father, a sacrificial Son, and even an indwelling Spirit represented by the "Matrix of Leadership" he carries in his heart (or cab). To a lesser degree, he also represents a rugged, brass-knuckle, rubber-meets-the-road manliness that contemporary culture has slowly leeched from its men. Optimus Prime is a desperate grab for God, daddy, and lost masculinity.

And Scott Brown at Wired says that American culture – American males – are looking forward to the Transformers movie for "more than galvanic summer thrills or simple nostalgia. They're looking for redemption, as men"--

With bated breath and shaken faith we await the return of our Almighty Rig. Because without Prime, we're stuck with whiney Spider-boys, metrosexual pirates, and koan-spouting kung-fu Christs in designer sunglasses and unisex clubwear. . . . Because these days, the only real men left are giant robots.

Harleman asks, "Just a toy? Purely nostalgia? Wired certainly doesn't think so, and neither do I. Truly, there is something going on here that is more than meets the eye."

Maybe so. You know I'm not one to miss cultural signals, whether an artist consciously intends to send them or not. Then again, I wonder if we aren't all like Jeff Albertson, the "Comic Book Guy" on The Simpsons (and anyone who knows the Comic Book Guy's name has a little Jeff Albertson in 'em--or at least a link to Wikipedia). In Internet Explorer, click twice to play: