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Review: ‘Transformers One’ is an Action-Packed Origin Story that Delivers in More Ways than Meets the Eye
September 12, 2024Ben MK
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A pop culture phenomenon that originated when Hasbro first introduced its beloved and now-famous toy line back in 1984, the Transformers franchise has seemingly done it all. From a feature-length animated movie and Saturday morning cartoon series to a computer-generated spin-off, live-action films, comic books, video games, and more, the past 40 years have provided Transformers fans with no shortage of content. What has never been attempted before, however, is a computer-animated origin story delving into the evolution of the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron. And with Transformers One, that's something Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley aims to rectify. Set in a distant universe, in a time long before the raging conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons even began, the story follows good friends Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), two mining robots from the planet Iacon who are eager to prove that they're more than just lowly worker bots. A world born out of the noble sacrifice of the very first Transformer, Primus, and the war with the alien race known as the Quintessons, Iacon is a place dependent on them and the millions of other cog-less miners who work tirelessly day after day to retrieve life-giving Energon from deep beneath the planet's surface. However, when Orion and D-16 stumble upon a well-kept and long-forgotten secret that calls into question the integrity of Iacon's revered leader, Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm), it forces the pair to abandon their assigned duties and sends them on a dangerous quest to find a valuable artifact that has been lost for centuries — the Matrix of Leadership. Teaming up with fellow bots, Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) and B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key), Orion and D-16 journey to the surface of Iacon, encountering strange creatures they had no idea even existed and discovering new things about the history of Iacon that casts doubt on everything they thought they knew about their world. What they never expected, though, was to come face to face with one of the first-generation Transformer warriors who battled the Quintessons in the ancient war that defined their civilization, Alpha Trion (Laurence Fishburne). But is this quartet of brave adventurers ready to hear the hard truth that Alpha Trion is about to tell them? And what about the rogue army of Transformer soldiers led by the cynical Starscream (Steve Buscemi) — will their mission of sabotage and deception inspire D-16 to forge a new identity for himself? An action-packed origin story full of heart, humor and everything followers of Hasbro's long-running franchise have come to love, the result doesn't just surpass audience expectations — it shatters them completely. Whether it's the movie's slick CGI visuals, which bring to life the story's pre-Cybertron world with a vividness that Transformer fans have never seen before, or the appearances from fan-favorite characters like Soundwave, Jazz and Arcee, there's plenty here to keep viewers entertained. What's most impressive, however, is the way screenwriters Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari and Eric Pearson portray the character arcs for Hemsworth's and Tyree Henry's characters, giving new dimension to the mythology behind Optimus Prime and Megatron. It all adds up to what might very well be the best Transformers film yet. And while many moviegoers might have a preference for Michael Bay's live-action takes on the series, or have a soft spot for the nostalgia of The Transformers: The Movie, there's one advantage that this prequel has over all of them. After all, it's not easy to create compelling new backstories for iconic characters that fans have known and loved for decades. Yet, that's exactly what Transformers One does — and in more ways than meets the eye. Transformers One releases September 20th, 2024 from Paramount Pictures. The film has an MPAA rating of PG for sci-fi violence and animated action throughout, and language. Its runtime is 1 hr. 44 min. |
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