Excepting Batman adaptations, fans don’t always get a good look at many heroes’ fuller origins. They’re often introduced as either fully-fledged heroes with entrenched sets of allies, antagonists, and motives, or at the point immediately proceeding their new, out-of-the-ordinary life, rarely before. The prolific Transformers franchise has had everything from cartoons to live-action adaptations to a host of beloved toys, but while audiences have had ample cinematic introductions to Autobots, Decepticons, and a host of human protagonists, we rarely get a full look at Cybertron and the origins of the ever-warring factions that darken our skies and imitate our technologies. There hasn’t been a Transformers film with as thorough and revealing an introduction to the opposed alien-robot factions as Transformers One. It’s a fun, action-packed outing with surprisingly effective emotional resonance, adding layers to existing Transformers lore while being a worthwhile story in its own right.
What is ‘Transformers One’ About?
Transformers One, from director Josh Cooley, takes place entirely on the dying planet Cybertron, a world strictly divided between powerful Transformers and the large population of cogless bots whose work keeps Cybertron moving. A long and fateful war with another alien species, the Quintessons, killed the original Primes, the most powerful of the Transformers, and resulted in the loss of a great artifact: the Matrix of Leadership. With the Matrix lost, the planet’s most important and once-flowing resource, Energon, has become scarce. Enter Iacon City, where lowly but ambitious mining bot Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) is obsessed with finding the Matrix of Leadership. His loyal friends D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), Elita 1 (Scarlett Johansson), and B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) eventually get embroiled in a fateful journey that reveals the dark secrets of the death of the Primes, the planet’s Energon depletion, and the tragic origins of fan-favorite Transformers like Optimus Prime and his nemesis Megatron.
A Few Issues Notwithstanding, ‘Transformers One’ Is a Breezy but Thematically Rich Origin Story
The anchor of Transformers One is a talented voice cast who breathe life into the colorful animated characters. Hemsworth is continually charming as the ambitious, somewhat goofy, but ultimately virtuous Orion Pax. He gives nuance and believability to his transformation from an unreliable nobody to a worthwhile leader. Henry gives an adept and complex vocal performance as D-16, developing a layered and evolving character as D-16 becomes more serious following the revelations that the bots experience on the planet’s surface. Johansson’s memorable and tough as Elita 1, though she’s underutilized until things really get going above ground. As B-127, Key capably captures the ever-talking excitement and goodnatured nervousness of the bot who would become the ironically silent Bumblebee. The central players all excel in developing complex characters that notably evolve with the events of the narrative.
The animation style is slick and beautiful, and with action sequences that are tightly edited overall (though, on occasion, they may have a moment or two that are harder to follow than would be ideal). It’s full of comedy that largely lands, getting legitimate mileage out of simple actions like running away, or punches, thanks to smart timing and skilled vocal performances. There are memorable scenes, but also missed opportunities: spend a few minutes longer on Cybertron’s surface and audiences would better understand the characters’ awe at its discovery (plus, it’s fun). Lengthen the conflict from a key reveal around the Cybertronian hero Sentinal Prime (Jon Hamm), or with the elite troops that will form the basis of the Decepticons (including their original leader, Starscream, given unhinged but pathetic malevolence by Steve Buscemi), and the script would have an improved, even more action-packed narrative with minor alterations. Small issues aside, it’s an engaging and exciting introduction to details of Cybertron we’ve never seen in such detail, and the reveals around the bots’ missing cogs, including thematic lessons around finding your own potential regardless of societal rules and limitations, are well scripted and hit home.
The film’s biggest issue stems from the evolution of D-16, who becomes the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron. Brian Tyree Henry is excellent in the role as it evolves, while the pivot to a betrayed, angry Transformer-turned-tyrannical aspirant dictator largely works. Still, the suddenness of the pivot doesn’t make full sense given the character’s initial set-up. D-16 feels rightfully betrayed by certain reveals, sure, and from moment one D-16 exhibits a weird fetishization of ‘the rules’ which does somewhat suggest fascistic potential. Yes, what happens on the planet surface does change him and that could make a big difference in a personality. Even with that context, the shift to full villainy is consistent with D-16 but is still a wildly sudden divergence from the lifelong loyal friend that we meet in the first act. These issues aside, Transformers One is a strong and engaging film with excellent vocal talent, a breezy pace, action and comedy that largely lands, and great contributions to franchise lore.
‘Transformers One’ Is the Best Look at the Origins of Our Favorite Transformers Yet
While there are missed opportunities and some scripted transitions need honing, Transformers One provides in-depth look at our favorite alien robots before they became the transforming bots we’ve loved for decades. The vocal performances shine, giving life to these characters, and combine well with expressive animated details that allow the characters to stand out as full-fledged beings instead of the cool-but-relatively-inexpressive robots we’re used to in the prior movie landscape. The thematic work around the species’ cogs and agency, as well as time-honored dramatic elements like falls from grace and betrayal, are well written and give new layers to characters we thought we knew. Transformers One is a film that will add complexity and new emotion to the characters and factions that franchise fans love, while having enough dramatic heft for unfamiliar, new audiences alike.
Transformers One rolls out to theaters on September 20. Click below for showtimes near you.
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