Could Transformers Open the Door to Anime?

The success of the movie, Transformers, could open the door for other movies of similar sci-fi/mecha appeal. This movie proved that a mere toy line and a cult-hit animated series could enter into the mainstream movie audience. Although facing mixed critical reception, the movie has definitely appealed to a broad gambit of viewers. The movie is characterized not only by its subject matter, but also by the special effects that allow it to come to life. Transformers is a great culmination of great science fiction and movie magic, and could usher in many more movies like it.

The special effects of today's postmodern age of the movie industry have brought many stories to the silver screen that could never have been told before. With the full integration of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in today's movies, the possibilities are endless. Seeing brilliant visuals from movies like Transformers is definitely encouraging to similar such movies that could be made in the future.

Transformers is certainly not the first to have success via the use of abundant eye candy. Jurassic Park was the first film to fully integrate CGI into it. Needless to say, the film was a runaway success, ushering in a new age in film. Filmmakers now had a way to tell almost any story they wanted without the burden of sub-par visuals. While countless movie classics have told their fantastic tales without brilliant visuals today such as the original 1933 version of King Kong, and the 1953 version of War of the Worlds. These movies were revolutionary for their respective times for their amazing visual effects. But the fact that both of these movies have been remade shows the influence today's amazing visuals have over contemporary filmmakers.

As I mentioned earlier, Transformers is different from similar movies that rely on special effects because of its obscure subject matter and where that subject matter originates. Looking back, who could have foreseen that a popular toy line and cult-hit animated series with Japanese influences would become a successful Hollywood film?

It is true that Transformers is only the latest film to have great success with an obscure sci-fi plot. The Matrix trilogy comes to mind. These movies aren't so different from Transformers in that they also have drawn from Japanese influences. Few of the millions of people who went to see The Matrix know that the anime film, Ghost in the Shell, inspired and heavily influenced the making of the acclaimed movie. While Transformers is not the first film to take a peculiar sci-fi concept and turn it into success at the box office, it is the latest. Since these kinds of movies only seem to come along once every year or so, perhaps the buzz Transformers has created will open the door for many more projects to receive the green light.

With all that said, what projects are out there in Limbo that deserve the green light? The short answer is, "there are many." There is one in particular that is the most intriguing to me. The film would be based off the popular anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. If produced, the film would be the first Hollywood film to be based off an anime. It is a sci-fi, apocalyptic story involving the use giant robot super-weapons. The project would undoubtedly require extensive special effects to bring the giant mecha battles to life. The film has gained widespread support from fans, but it has been put on the back burner and has yet to receive the green light. Could it ride the success of Transformers, another giant robot story? All the signs point to "Yes."