Movie Review ~ Transformers One

As I sat waiting for my screening of Transformers One to begin, I started to wonder why I was even there in the first place.  From the nostalgic glow of Saturday morning cartoons to Michael Bay’s explosive blockbusters, the Transformers franchise has long been a pop culture mainstay, but it’s never been one of my favorites, even as a casual viewer OK with checking my brain at the door.  While 2018’s Bumblebee proved to be a nice riff that worked as a spin-off, it was only a year earlier that I fell asleep fully during a weekday matinee of Transformers: The Last Knight.  I woke up not knowing how much I’d missed or who many of the characters were…and it almost didn’t matter.  That’s not a good thing.  I skipped out entirely on 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and didn’t even know this film existed until it popped up on my schedule.

Despite all this, I’m glad to report that with Transformers One, the series reinvents itself once again, delivering a fresh origin story that brings the robots in disguise back to their roots. Directed by Josh Cooley, this animated prequel proves that there’s still plenty of fuel in the tank for the Autobots and Decepticons, offering both longtime fans and newcomers a reason to care about these characters that have reached iconic status since being introduced first as plastic action figures in 1984.

I’m not well versed in this world’s lore, but I think I have it square.  Set on a pre-war Cybertron, Transformers One centers on two young, idealistic miners: Orion Pax (voiced by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s Chris Hemsworth), who will one day become Optimus Prime, and his close friend D-16, the future Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry, Bullet Train). The screenplay from Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari takes us back to the beginning of a complicated friendship and eventual rivalry, showcasing a story of camaraderie, ambition, and betrayal that will echo through the eons (and leaden live-action sequels). As Orion and D-16 uncover a conspiracy about their world’s forgotten history, their diverging paths set the stage for the epic conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons that fans know so well.

What makes Transformers One stand out is its focus on character over spectacle, a refreshing change for a franchise often/always dominated by sensory overload. While Bay is still a credited producer, so is Steven Spielberg, a clash of tone titans that favors Spielberg’s love for the discoveries the maturing mind can unlock.  It’s true again here, with the film’s central emotional strength existing in the rapport between Orion and D-16. This relationship gives the story its right brain sensitive heft, and by witnessing how diverging determination and ideologies pull the two apart, we gain a greater understanding of how friends become franchise-long enemies.

The voice performances are a highlight of the film, with Hemsworth and Henry bringing surprising depth and levity to their roles. Hemsworth delivers an unexpectedly vulnerable performance as Pax, infusing the character with a youthful optimism that makes his transformation all the more believable. Henry, meanwhile, brings an underlying solemnness to D-16 early on, making the eventual fall from grace feel tragic rather than just criminally motivated. The portrayal underlines the multiple dimensions available to the character, showing that Megatron’s descent into darkness is driven by a genuine belief in his cause, not just a thirst for power.

Scarlett Johansson’s Elita-1 supports the leads, providing a welcome counterbalance to the male-dominated cast. While Transformers One focuses primarily on a bro-ness that has always followed this IP, Johansson (Black Widow) gives Elita-1 a sense of agency and strength, making her more than just a background character. Keegan-Michael Key (Wonka) also injects a lightness as B-127 (soon to be Bumblebee), offering frenetic comic relief that never feels forced but adds charm when it is sorely needed.  Rounding out the main cast are Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm, playing characters I’m going to refrain from mentioning in case you don’t want to be tipped off on who might be up to no good in and around Cybertron.

Transformers One does take its time to find its footing, though. While beautifully animated, the film’s first half feels a bit routine, ticking off familiar origin story beats. For a while, it seems like it might fall into the steel trap of predictability. But then, as the final act approaches, Transformers One undergoes a transformation I wasn’t expecting. The pacing quickens, the stakes rise, and the narrative hits a thrilling crescendo.  I got goosebumps.  Director Cooley, an Oscar-winner for Toy Story 4 and Pixar graduate well-known for his ability to balance emotion and action finds his feature-film groove here, delivering a finale that introduces a kind of sentimental magic previously missing in the Transformers franchise.

Handled by Industrial Light & Magic, the animation vividly brings Cybertron to life and is frequently stunning.  I haven’t checked to see if this is being released in 3D, but if there ever was a film that would warrant a release in the format, it’s this one.  The presentation is fluid and inventive but with an industrial feel that sets a dark, oppressive tone at the beginning.  Adding in Brian Tyler’s rhythmically pounding score heightens the tension of these early scenes, leading up to that impressive final act that offers more bang for your buck than many would-be winners this past summer season.

Standing out as one of the best entries in the franchise in recent history, Transformers One offers a fresh perspective on familiar characters, blending high-voltage action with a surprisingly poignant story that sneaks up on you with supreme stealth.  It’s a disorienting ride at first for those not well-versed in this universe, and even this marginal fan was scratching his head trying to get his bearings.  Patient viewers will be rewarded with a gripping origin story that rekindles the spark of what made the Transformers such a beloved live-action property and reminds audiences that there’s still plenty more than meets the eye regarding these shape-shifting robots.