Tear Jerker / Transformers (2007)

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

Look, he’s not fighting back!

Transforming alien robots they may be, but they're still able to bring out the handkerchiefs and tissues.

---

• The montage of the Autobots meeting up on Earth, particularly for the music.
  • "The Gathering of the Autobots" really climaxes when Ironhide rises out of the swimming pool - a gentle choir singing in the background - and the little girl looking at him without any hint of worry or fear. "Children, sleep safely at night. The heroes have come to watch over you".
  • And the finale, with "What I've Done" in the background, Optimus' final monologue, declaring how they will protect humanity.
• Prime asking Ironhide, "Were we so different?", who declares with sincerity uncontaminated by cynicism and irony that "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."
  • The distant look Optimus has when he responds to Ironhide; it's pretty easy to imagine that he was remembering all the brutality he saw during the Great War. Coupled with Peter Cullen's delivery.
  • Fridge adding to it: As Nick Fury said, "Excuse me, do we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Humanity, thus far, as at least had the courtesy to keep our violence among ourselves. And now the war that destroyed Cybertron has come to Earth, an innocent planet that never asked for any of this.
• Bumblebee's capture, especially when you see him being experimented on, all the while making muffled whines in pain.
  • Equally gut-wrenching is Sam trying— unsuccessfully— to get Sector Seven to stop attacking Bumblebee. Major props to Shia LaBeouf for giving a devastating performance here:
    Sam: Look! He's not even trying to fight back! ... Stop hurting him!
• How about the first time Optimus Prime is in robot mode on camera for the first time speaking to Sam and Mikaela? The first line of dialogue that he speaks is so characteristic of him, and with the voice of Peter Cullen to this day will still cause tears of nostalgia for many.
• Jazz's death.
  • The fact that it was easy for Megatron to tear him apart was tearjerking in and of itself. Not to mention the fact that he died trying to protect some random humans when he could have easily run away and saved himself. He died a true Autobots death, he died a hero.
    • Let's take a look at his end, shall we? He first was shot off of his feet at point-blank range by the one not his leader's equal, then his leg was most likely crushed from being in Megatron's hand while transformed, then stepped on without so much as enough space underneath him to keep his back straight and his head up, then after trying to fight back and then getting slammed back first against Megatron's SPIKED AND BLADED KNEE, goes out practically spitting a challenge into Megatron's face, then getting ripped in half. From what we saw from his remains after the final battle he also lost his arm, and Ratchet implies that he may have STILL been functioning, yet the poor doc-bot still couldn't do anything.
  • Optimus' reaction to his death later on is also definitely worth mentioning. All the Autobot leader can do is hold the two dead parts of his fallen comrade and mourn. It really makes you realize that the Autobots aren't just comrades to one another nor are they even just friends, they're family and right now they just lost a member.
    Optimus Prime: [solemnly] Aw, Jazz...
• How one-sided Optimus vs Megatron is.
  • To elaborate, we only see two Autobots attempt to take on Megatron throughout the film. Jazz and Optimus. Jazz didn't even stand a chance, and Optimus... honestly doesn't fare much better. And Optimus knows that it's likely he won't win. At one point, he tells Sam to prepare to shove the Allspark into his chest, fearing that even he, Leader of the Autobots, cannot stop Megatron.
    • What makes it worse is that moments after his conversation with Sam, Optimus is immediately brought down by Megatron again - he is barely managing to stay on his knees and is clearly within an inch of his life... and then Megatron coldly kicks him in the face.
    • And THEN there is his desperate pleading with Sam against letting the boy shove the Allspark into Megatron's chest. Sam opts to go through with the action to spare Prime while taking out Megatron, but Optimus knows the full risk of what Sam's about to do, and can only plead with Sam to stick with his original plan - being too injured to even continue the fight with Megatron anymore, and more importantly, protect Sam.
      Optimus: Sam! Push the cube into my chest now! Sam! NO, SAM!
    • There’s also another interpretation. Optimus didn’t want Megatron to die. He’s pleading Sam to not do it. Yes, even after all that Megatron did, Optimus still viewed him as a brother in arms. He even gave him a brief but heartbreaking eulogy:
      Optimus: You left me no choice, brother.