Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Transformers One is the ninth theatrical Transformers movie and the second animated Transformers movie, this time directed by Josh Cooley. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Bryan Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, and Keegan-Michael Key and takes place on Cybertron, focusing on the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron, who start as Energon miners Orion Pax and D-16. The duo, along with Elita-1 and B-127, are on a quest to find the Matrix of Leadership, which changes the future of Cybertron. As a fan of Transformers since I was a kid, I’ve been waiting for a movie that solely focuses on the Transformers for a while. A weakness of Michael Bay’s films was they focused too much on the human characters and not enough on the robots. With Cooley’s vision and the film going animated, Transformers One gives fans what they wanted to see for years.
Transformers One delivers on focusing solely on the Transformers and building the lore well in one movie. The friendship between Orion Pax and D-16 is done so well. In the previous films, it was mentioned how they used to be friends, and seeing how strong that friendship was and how it changes drastically throughout the movie is incredible and heartbreaking. The development of D-16 to Megatron is done well and gives us the best film adaptation of the character after the previous movies mishandled him.
Chris Hemsworth and Bryan Tyree Henry voice Orion Pax/Optimus Prime and D-16/Megatron. At first, it was weird to hear someone else besides Peter Cullen voice Optimus. Still, Chris Hemsworth does a great job voicing a younger version of the future leader of the Autobots who comes across as a bit reckless at first but wants a better future for Cybertron and cares for everyone. Bryan Tyree Henry as D-16/Megatron was the best voice performance in the movie, especially with how he handles the character’s change throughout the film. Scarlett Johansson voices Elita-1, another Energon miner who joins the adventure and gets annoyed with Orion’s antics but grows to respect him. Keegan-Michael Key voices B-127/Bumblebee, who has not lost his voice box and provides comedic relief.
Cybertron looks incredible, as do the designs of the Transformers. Brian Tyler’s score, while different from Steve Jablonsky’s from the live-action films, is just as epic. The action takes a while to begin, but once it does, the movie goes all out. For an animated movie geared towards families, there are some dark action sequences. The pacing is also done well for an hour and forty-four-minute film, with scenes never dragging or going too quickly.
Transformers One is not a perfect movie despite all the things it got right. The humor, while way better than Bay’s cringe humor from the previous films doesn’t always land and certain jokes get old after a while. For example, this one joke with B-127 got old after a couple of times. Also, there is a twist in the movie that involves a certain character that felt predictable and something that was slightly pulled off better in a previous Transformers movie. The outcome of the twist, however, is strong enough to forgive it.
Overall, Transformers One is a fun movie that everyone of all ages will enjoy. It’s by far the best Transformers movie to come out. The voice acting is great with Bryan Tyree Henry giving the best voice performance in the film. My final grade for Transformers One is an A. The story, tone, and characters make this a great movie overall. The potential for an animated Transformers movie franchise is there and Paramount Pictures should embrace it. If you are a Transformers fan, I highly recommend you check it out. What are your thoughts on Transformers One? Let us know in the comments below.
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