I like it but at the same time, I'm confused as to why other robots don't have a mouth, such as Bumblebee and a few others.

 

I actually like Optimus with a mouth. It doesn't bother me at all. In fact, it gives him a chance to be more expressive and emote. We see this DOTM, especially in the scene after Sentinel destroys the base and Optimus transforms and looks at all the damge Sentinel did. You can see the sadness and shock on his face. So no, it doesn't bother me at all.

 

I like that he has the retractable face plate. All I see when he has the face plate out is the expression that he's about to whup some ass. Seeing him without it, he was able to emote more.

I will say this though - I can't see Optimus without it at all. It is a feature that'll always stick with Optimus (Primal doesn't count since he's a completely different character). I do like what the crew did with WFC Prime, where the face plate had a few moving parts, and it wasn't just a solid piece of metal.

 

I like the mouth. It gives him much more expression. It would have been kind of dumb to see Optimus in all his dialogue scenes talking with a piece of metal as his mouth.

 

I've been used to the mouth prior so yes.

 

THIS

 

I like it. It just seems right, now. I like how expressive it is. I kinda prefer future Optimi to have mouths.

 

This. Granted, I did become attracted to the franchise because of the 07 movie, so I don't have this particular nostalgia stigma to pit me against the changes. But yeah, when that face plate does slam shut, it's like that final nail in the coffin. Shit is going down! I like this Prime, the one that gets pissed off and is not afraid to take a few heads. But, I grew up idolizing Raphael from the Ninja Turtles and Animal Mother.

 

I love that he has a mouth, it adds character I think. Like when he makes those somewhat pouty/angry faces   I love those

 

Personally, HATE it...especially in TF: Prime

 

Not really.

 

i like the idea of it, though i think optimus's face looks horrible though, his mouth looks weird and his "nose" is odd, i would have preferred the Primal look, maybe of made it look like he had a goatee

 

I liked it. Especially because Optimus would have seemed even more emotionless without a mouth. The face makes him much more emotable.

ie: Scowling at Galloway, looking depressed while discovering the damage Sentinel has caused and the panic he felt when yelling at Sentinel to stop in DC. It made it much easier to feel compassionate for Optimus because you could actually see the emotions unlike if he had no mouth.

 

He looks epic without one, so yes.

 

As I said, I like he has a mouth. And have you guys noticed the strange thingy inside his mouth everytime he speaks? It moves from side to side of the inside of his mouth when he is talking, and Ratchet has it too. But others don't, like Ironhide or Sideswipe. Dont remember if the Twins have it, though. Decepticons, none of them, either.

 

Yes, it almost looked like a gear churning in his mouth. Oh well, like how some of us have tonsils, and some of us have had them removed, maybe the same thing happened with the Transformers.

 

I have noticed it. It's like moving teeth or something.

 

Yeah it took me a while to get used to as well, especially since the mouth is a bit far down on the face, but now I love the design and I agree that it's dignified.

Prime from TFPrime has a stupid-looking muppet face IMO, although he looks awesome with the mask. There is just nothing interesting about his mask-less face at all, and the tiny mouth and lack of a nose makes it even worse.

In general I think it's interesting that the face/head area seems to be the hardest to repair and the longest to regrow in recent TF fiction. For instance, BB's voicebox, Ironhide and Shockwave's permanent face scars, Megatron missing half his face in DotM, etc. It's a really interesting part of their physiology that's been relatively consistent. It also explains the need for face plates, battle masks, and all that awesome stuff.

 

^^Muppet face! That's a good way of putting it. I like everything EXCEPT his face and BB's eyes in Prime.

I think in the first movie we see something inside Ironhide's mouth moving when he yells "It's Starscream!" I'll have to check, but I do believe you can see it.

 

I think it's a lifeline moving as he speaks