Directed by Josh Cooley, Transformers One is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth) and Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry), better known as sworn enemies, but who once were friends, bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
The Transformers franchise has had quite the journey when it comes to adaptations on the big screen, from the much beloved G1 film to the very mixed live-action films that have been more miss than hit with all kinds of audiences, including the fanbase. A new and refreshing take on the Transformers series was clearly needed, bringing us to Transformers One, which is the first theatrical animated film of the franchise to be released since 1986.
Initially, the film failed to draw me in as its marketing was extremely lackluster and seemingly aimed at much younger audiences, so I was put off from seeing it upon its original release in September. But then I was surprised to hear immense positivity for the film, not only from members of the fandom but general audiences and even various reviewer friends who don’t have strong attachments to the franchise. So I decided to give it a shot to see what the buzz was about and I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome the film turned out to be.
Transformers One is an epic and magnificently crafted animated installment that appeals to both older and younger audiences despite what the marketing will have you believe. It definitely is not only for younger audiences as it is much darker and mature than most would expect and not in an infantile edgy way that Michael Bay forced up on the franchise for so many years. The choice to step away from the limitations of live action as well as step away from the former Bayverse formula allowed for more passionate and creative storytellers to come in to create quite possibly the best Transformers film to date that many people have wanted for a long time.
There are a lot of things to discuss about this film but one of the most crucial elements this film needed to get right was the characters and the story, and I believe this film did an awesome job with both. Most of the cast of the characters in this film ended up being very solid despite the initial concerns I had for some of them. I was very shocked by just how amazing the performances for certain characters turned out to be after having doubts about some of the cast members that were chosen. Let’s begin with the main four being Orion Pax / Optimus Prime, Elita-1, B-127 / Bumblebee, and D-16 / Megatron.
Chris Hemsworth surprisingly proves himself to be a worthy voice as the younger version of Optimus Prime aka Orion Pax. His performance wonderfully captures the reckless and ambitious nature of the character in his youth while also displaying heart, compassion, and courage that grows over the course of the film and molds him into the inspiring leader he was destined to become. His journey is very well written in the film and I’m glad that Hemsworth brings the character to life so beautifully, giving a great range of emotions to the character and giving a new side of him never seen before in other adaptations.
He is obviously not like Peter Cullen but he is not trying to be. This is a new take on Optimus at a much earlier point of his life, so to expect him to match the exact voice that evokes the same wisdom and immense presence Cullen had given to the character over the years is unfair in my view. The harsh reality is that Peter Cullen can’t voice the character forever so new actors taking on the role of this iconic character in new projects is inevitable and that is something that has to be accepted. At the moment I consider Chris Hemsworth to be a worthy actor to have taken on the role of Optimus, at least in this adaptation.
Scarlett Johansson does a brilliant job performance-wise as Elita-1, giving her a fiercely independent personality as well as giving us a fun character that doesn’t take crap from anyone but also has a soft side to her underneath the rough exterior. Scarlett was one of the few casting choices in this film that I had the most confidence in because she’s proven time and time again how amazing of a voice actress she can be when given great material.
The same can’t be said for Keegan-Michael Key as B-127 / Bumblebee who was the only performance I didn’t like. Don’t get me wrong, I do love Keegan-Michael Key and I think he could make for a great character in the Transformers series but just not as Bumblebee. His performance and style of comedy just doesn’t fit with the character in my opinion and I feel that someone else would have been better suited to take on the role.
But by far the biggest surprise of the four that also ended up being my favorite performance of the entire film was Brian Tyree Henry as D-16 / Megatron. At first, I didn’t think Brian Tyree Henry would have been a good fit for this character despite him being a terrific actor but oh boy was I proven so wrong. Brian absolutely f**king rules in this film as he perfectly plays the part of a protocol-following miner bot who then transitions into the terrifying and merciless villain we all know. The writers did a phenomenal job writing his arc in this film and Brian does a phenomenal job bringing the character to life in that arc, making us understand the character on a deeper level compared to most other adaptations of the character in the past. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say this may be one of my favorite adaptations of Megatron I’ve seen in years since it takes the character in a unique and layered direction rather than the same old super evil overlord direction that the character always goes on.
The supporting cast of characters were also excellent as well, with the most notable among them being Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime, Vanessa Liguori as Airachnid, and Steve Buscemi as Starscream. Jon Hamm was fantastic with his take on Sentinel Prime and I’m actually surprised most people didn’t say much about his performance in this film because it is honestly amazing. Now I can’t exactly discuss too many details about his role due to major spoilers but I do think Jon Hamm delivers a really underrated performance that was honestly unrecognizable in a great way.
Steve Buscemi completely shocked me with his performance as Starscream because he sounded almost exactly like the character from his G1 days. I was fully prepared to hear Steve Buscemi’s usual voice as Starscream but no I just heard Starscream being Starscream. He was honestly awesome but my only gripe was that he didn’t get as many lines compared to the rest of the cast.
The film’s narrative plays out very much like a standard origin story though it is not only very fun and thrilling but also layered with plenty of Transformers lore and mature themes that make this film more geared towards older audiences and fans than expected. This film serves as a perfect entry point for young and new Transformers fans that wish to get into the series but it is by no means a “kids film” as the marketing suggested. This film goes to some seriously dark places as it progresses and even tackles a lot of relevant mature themes, which include ones explored briefly in previous Transformers installments along with completely new ones.
The themes of honor, hope, loyalty, and betrayal get hugely explored through the characters on their journey and we get to see the Autobot and Decepticon ideologies begin to form over the course of the film, primarily through Orion and D-16, who start off as brothers before major revelations about their people’s history and their lower class status as cogless miner bots is unveiled, causing a growing divide between them. I am truly amazed by how deep this film goes even with the adventurous elements interwoven within it, which I feel make the film feel grand and epic in scale as a result of the greatly written characters and themes.
Most of the previous Transformers installments had constant robot battles that you barely cared about because the titular robots were barely explored, so it never felt as epic or investing as what was being portrayed on screen. The complete removal of humans from the equation allowed this film to explore and expand upon many elements of Transformers lore that many fans have wanted to happen for decades, and the film handles all the lore presented extremely well. Even people who aren’t major fans of the series will be able to understand everything that is happening in the film both through visual storytelling and well-written dialogue scenes that don’t entirely spoon-feed you information, compared to the exposition-heavy installments of the past.
The choice to make this film completely animated was genius because the 3D animation of this film is absolutely gorgeous and stunning in every single frame. It brings to life the colorful characters and enormous world of Cybertron in such beautiful glory that it eclipses all of the previous installments visually by a landslide. Everything looks, feels, and sounds like Transformers in this film and it is very pleasing for the eyes, especially when watching it on the big screen.
The action present is extremely fun and thrilling while also occasionally brutal. While it’s definitely not as graphic in comparison to the Michael Bay films or even the War for Cybertron Trilogy on Netflix it certainly has some moments that really push the PG rating limit and I’m honestly impressed by some of the things they managed to pull off with that rating. I also loved how huge the sequences felt even in the smaller stake sequences like the Iacon 5000 race scene, which was adrenaline-fueled fun to the max, as well as beautifully animated and shot. Without the limitations of live-action the filmmakers were able to go crazily creative with this world utilizing everything from the source material to their advantage.
The film also features a strong and thrilling score by composer Brian Tyler who dials up the film’s epic story and visuals to a whole new level. There are even moments in the film with no dialogue where his music is telling the story and it is absolutely magnificent.
Transformers One truly was an unexpected surprise and I’m honestly glad I was convinced to give it a shot to see it in theaters, because I would have regretted not seeing it on the big screen. The film’s ending and post-credit scene perfectly sets up a sequel and I honestly hope it happens, because this is an adaptation worth continuing the story over any of the live-action installments. I highly recommend watching the film in theaters over watching it at home because it is honestly worth your time whether you’re a Transformers fan or not. The marketing may not have made it look appealing but it truly is more than meets the eye. I am going to give Transformers One an A = 97.
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