Most people will be familiar with the popular Transformers series of cartoons, and the associated toys which can change from an everyday object such as a car into a robot. Transformers is unusual in that the toys were developed first and then the cartoons built around the toys, rather than the other way around which is the norm. The concept has been a hit with children for many years, and like many other successful cartoon series, Transformers has been turned into a blockbuster movie franchise also.

The first movie in the Transformers series was released in 2007 and features Stephen Spielberg as executive producer. The film features a combination live action with actors such as Shia LaBeouf and computer generated scenes with the Transformers technology. The movie was highly successful and profitable, costing around $150 million to make, but generating over $700 million at the worldwide box office. The fan was very popular with fans of the cartoons and toys, which explains the large box office revenue. Critical reviews were more mixed, mostly praising the great special effects and the computer animation, but criticising the basic plot and acting as weak. Despite the criticism, Transformers picked up several movie awards and the financial success of the first movie ensured that a sequel would also be made. The second movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, also simply known as Transformers 2, was released in 2009. Many of the same cast who appeared in the first movie were happy to return for the second movie, and the formula of blending live action and computer generated scenes was kept broadly the same. The second movie was a bigger box office hit than the first, and was the second biggest box office success of 2009 behind the ground breaking Avatar. More money was spent on marketing the movie and on the special effects, and this explains in part the high level of box office success. Critics were not kind about Transformers 2, and the plot was heavily criticized for simply trying to recreate the same plot as the first one, but making everything bigger and using more special effects.

Despite this mauling from the critics, the box office revenues were sufficient to convince the production team to make another film in the series, called Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Shia LaBeouf is back for a third time as Sam Witwicky and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, recently voted as one of the sexiest women in the world, co-stars as Carly Spencer, replacing Megan Fox who pulled out of the movie just before filming began. One of the main attractions of the film is that portions are available in 3D, and the movie has been shown on several IMAX screens to allow fans to enjoy the special effects in all of their glory. Transformers 3 is already performing very well at the box office, and with the school holidays rapidly approaching, it seems certain to continue to attract large audiences through the rest of the summer months.

Movie memorabilia and merchandise is popular not only with serious collectors but also with people who have a general interest in the movie business. Serious collectors will try to snap up the unusual objects only, or go for items such as props from their favourite films. For the less serious collector, or for someone who is just interested in brightening up their walls with something advertising their current favourite movie, one of the best things to buy is movie posters. There is a wide range of Transformers 3 posters available, and buying two or more can ensure that your display is eye catching and colourful. Posters look equally good in frames or simply fastened to the walls, and can be easily moved around to change the look of the room when you get bored with them. Transformers 3 posters are a great item for the summer and to remind you of one of the big blockbuster movies of summer 2011.

Jamie Fountain is the author of this article on Posters. Find more information on posters here.