I shouldn’t pre-judge a movie based on a trailer, but I couldn’t help it. After watching the joke-heavy trailer for Transformers One more than once, I couldn’t envision that this film would be as compelling or entertaining as it turned out to be. I should have remembered that a context-less trailer can be quite deceiving. As someone who grew up with Transformers cartoons and toys and still holds these characters dear, I am pleased to declare that Transformers One is probably the best Transformers movie I have ever watched.
That is not to say that this new animated take on the “Robots in Disguise/More Than Meets The Eye” universe is flawless. However, after eight previous cinematic entries, most of which are very bad, it seems like the filmmakers of Transformers One have discovered a formula that works very well. Serving as a prequel to the Transformers we know, One introduces audiences to the early days of Cybertron during a time of struggle and turmoil for the sentient robots. The movie gives fans the origin stories of Optimus Prime and Megatron before they become enemies and leaders of opposing factions.
Before they became the iconic characters we know and love, Optimus, then known as Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth), and Megatron, then known as D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), were best friends who worked as lowly miners. Their camaraderie and the challenges they faced resonate with the audience, as they, along with the entire population of the planet, lived underneath the surface of Cybertron in search of more Energon, the planet’s and the Transformers’ precious energy source.
After a costly war in earlier times, an energy shortage forced the Transformers into significant rationing. With a penchant for rebelliousness and the desire to become a hero, Orion Pax hatches a dangerous scheme to acquire the ancient Matrix of Leadership, an artifact with the power to restore the resources the Transformers seriously need before a drought eliminates them. The more pragmatic D-16 reluctantly follows Orion’s plan but becomes increasingly frustrated with his friend’s hair-brained schemes. And there are other forces at bay, hoping to keep the Matrix of Leadership out of the hands of the Transformers.
Written by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari and directed by Josh Cooley, Transformers One gives its audiences solid world-building, thrilling action, and a thoroughly entertaining story, presented with gorgeous animation and excellent voice work. In a lean 104 minutes, the movie accomplishes so much but strains a little when developing the D-17 character into the full-fledged villain, Megatron. A complete heel turn isn’t always easy, especially when a character is as lovable and admirable as D-17. Still, I feel that the switch works well enough, but I would have preferred a more subtle approach with better development, over more than one movie.
Despite my feelings about the trailer, I enjoyed the humor a lot more now that I have experienced it within the context of the movie. The movie’s writing and the voice actors’ performances flesh out the characters nicely. Of course, both Chris Hemsworth and Bryan Tyree Henry are outstanding as Orion Pax and D-17, but I found myself more amused and entertained with the comedic voice work of Keegan-Michael Key, who gives a hilarious turn as the awkward motor mouth, B-127, a character who eventually becomes known as Bumblebee. The movie also features excellent voice performances by Scarlett Johannson, Jon Hamm, Lawrence Fishburne, Steve Buscemi, Isaac C. Singleton, Jr., and Vanessa Liguori.
Transformers One hits theaters on September 20 and is a movie I highly recommend for fans of Transformers and animated films.