REVIEW — “Transformers One”

An action-packed, animated, Autobot adventure, Transformers One has got the touch, power, and spark of a fun new franchise.

From executive producer Steven Spielberg and producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Michael Bay, Transformers One tells the untold origin story of robot best friends, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), and how they transform into sworn enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron.

Based on Hasbro’s Transformers™ action figures, Transformers One is the first-ever fully CG-animated movie about the famous robots in disguise. The film follows the two cogless, flightless, Energon mining bot BFFs as they toil away as grunts in the Cybertron capital of Iocon. Dreaming of better lives and a chance for adventure, Orion tricks D-16 into entering the Iocon 5000 race against faster, flying Transformers. After nearly winning, the pair are recruited as propaganda machines by Iocon leader Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm) to inspire other mining bots to dig up more of the scarce energy source.

The duo are then introduced to comic relief and future Bumblebee, B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key), and soon discover hidden coordinates to the Matrix of Leadership, a long missing power source that anoints the true leader of Iocon. Together, they unite with former mining supervisor Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) to travel to the dangerously forbidden surface of Cybertron and retrieve the artifact. Along the way, they encounter evil crab-like Quintizons and discover the shocking truth about Sentinel Prime’s traitorous misdeeds.

Whereas the 1986 theatrical release of Transformers: The Movie felt like a big event that took kids’ beloved Autobots and despicable Decepticons from their living rooms to the big-screen, Transformers One feels like the opposite. While the film’s animation and effects look brilliant on the big screen, there is little to distinguish Transformers One from any of the property’s other animated television series of late, besides its theatrical runtime and all-star cast. At first glance, it’s easy to write Transformers One off as a Netflix kid’s movie that’s playing in theaters, however there is more than meets the eye with this film.

Directed by Josh Cooley, Transformers One features clever Easter eggs for adult fans who grew up watching the original Transformers cartoon series. There are several good jokes, sight gags, and an “A-a-tron” Key & Peele reference scattered throughout. There’s also a few borderline-inappropriate recurring catchphrases that kids will love repeating, specifically Bumblebee’s “Badassatron” line. The film also features an important message about finding the spark of courage to do what is right and stand up against injustice and tyranny.

Coming on the heels of last year’s live-action Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Transformers One runs the risk of saturating the Transformers brand, which can confuse consumers. However, Transformers One is a completely different beast, and its plot and pacing work. Based on a story by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari and a screenplay by Barrer, Ferrari, and Eric Pearson, the film reveals the genesis of Optimus and Megatron while shoehorning other recognizable characters into the story along the way. In addition to the main stars, the stellar voice cast also includes Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion and a pitch-perfect Steve Buscemi as the power-hungry, second-fiddle, Starscream.

As Orion Pax, Hemsworth delivers a fun, freewheeling, younger version of Optimus Prime. It’s refreshing to see a less stoic, immature Optimus that cracks jokes and doesn’t take everything so seriously. Like the fractured brothership of Obi-Wan and Anakin, the dichotomy between Orion and his best friend makes the uptight and worrisome D-16’s descent all the more believable. While there are hints at D-16’s transformation into Megatron throughout the film with angry outbursts and bubbling resentment towards carefree Orion, his abrupt heel turn from frustrated friend with a blurring moral compass into a bloodthirsty maniac is a little over-the-top and may be confusing or scary for younger audiences.

Yet, by establishing the two future foes as bonded brothers, the script makes their inevitable rift more emotionally resonant. And when they both finally transform into their destined roles as leaders of the Autobots and Decepticons, audiences will cheer. 3/5

Rated PG with a running time of 1 hour and 51 minutes, Transformers One opens in theaters on September 20, 2024.