The “Transformers” franchise has had its ups and downs when it comes to movies. They started off OK, and then gradually got worse with each subsequent movie, 2018’s “Bumblebee” being the only exception. “Transformers One,” the first animated movie in the franchise in 38 years broke the mediocre movie trend with its gorgeous animation and humor-filled script, making it a fun outing for all ages.
The Paramount Pictures film was released in theaters on Sept. 20, following Orion Pax, voiced by Chris Hemsworth, and D-16, Brian Tyree Henry, who would later go on to become archenemies with Optimus Prime and Megatron. The movie focuses on a time when the two characters were best friends, as lowly miner robots on the storied planet of Cybertron.
In the film, Pax goes on a quest for the legendary Matrix of Leadership, a plot device that controls the flow of the metal, energon, that they mine for. This quest propels him, D-16 and their allies into a conspiracy that will change the landscape of Cybertron forever.
One of the reasons why audiences are so invested in Pax’s quest in “Transformers One” is the animation. The 3D animation style makes every frame visually stunning, whether it be the sprawling, multidimensional city of Iacon or the vibrant yet dangerous surface of Cybertron. The train to the surface should seriously be an amusement park ride because it was so immersive.
The other great part of “Transformers One” is the script. This is where many of the previous “Transformers” movies went wrong, in my opinion. Past films were too focused on delivering big, explosion-filled set pieces and heavy-handed exposition of plot devices like the AllSpark that gave no room for humor or character development.
“Transformers One” has loads of humor. Most of it comes from B-127 (the vocal talents of Keegan-Michael Key), who would come to be known as everyone’s favorite yellow Camaro, Bumblebee. B-127 is just as fun-loving and chaotic as he was in the other movies, which is especially great when he and the other characters transform for the first time.
Since it is an origin story, we follow the characters before they even have the ability to transform into vehicles. We also get to see the origins of franchise taglines like “More than meets the eye” and terms like Autobots and Decepticons. The ending has a payoff for true fans, so make sure to stay until the end.
A lot of the humor also comes from Pax and D-16’s rivalry, as well as Pax’s evolving relationship with mining supervisor Elita-1, a pitch-perfect Scarlett Johansson. Initially wary of him, Elita-1 begrudgingly accompanies him, D-16 and B-127 on their mission, eventually becoming one of Pax’s most trusted allies.
The character development is also done very well. The fact that we get to see Pax and D-16 as friends makes it all the more heartbreaking when they inevitably become Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Megatron’s descent into villainy is foreshadowed a little bit in the film, but I thought that the writers could have done this part a bit more smoothly by hinting at his nefarious nature earlier in the film.
I also thought that Megatron was very quick to want to destroy all of Cybertron, when he showed no signs of wanting to do that in the first part of the film.
An action movie is only as good as its villains, and “Transformers One” effectively conveys the threat of the insectoid Quintessons. However, Sentinel Prime is just a cartoonish “hero” who turns out to be a generic evil villain with no layers behind him.
Overall, “Transformers One” is a great addition to the long-running franchise. Its animation and wit will likely breathe new life into the franchise for many years to come.
