Transformers One

Transformers One

Released September 20, 2024

Directed by Josh Cooley

Written by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari

* No Spoilers *

If your only exposure to Transformers has been the Michael Bay movies, you might be pleasantly surprised with the thematic depth and character development of this animated prequel. Transformers One is an origin story, and like most prequels, the audience already has an idea where this is going to go. Thankfully, they managed to keep the journey compelling.

The story begins as a fun buddy comedy following two mining bots navigating life on planet Cybertron. Things quickly shift to an action-adventure epic before the climax becomes an emotionally gripping revolutionary war. That’s a lot to fit into shorter runtime so at times it feels a bit rushed. However, seeing two unassuming lower class robots become the legendary Optimus and Megatron is surprisingly well-executed despite how quickly it occurs.

This is primarily a character driven story. Nearly every moment pushes each character toward their respective endpoints. The build-up was phenomenal, but unfortunately things faltered toward the very end. Similar to Anakin Skywalker’s turn in Revenge of the Sith, characters make decisions that feel unearned. The story takes bold leaps, but without the necessary foundation, they fail to stick the landing and deliver the catharsis the story deserves. If I didn’t know who Megatron eventually becomes, I wouldn’t have been able to swallow how quickly his turn to evil occurs. At the same time, I get why they needed to make it happen in this movie rather than presumptuously saving it for a sequel.

The pacing of this is non-stop and like other recent animated features (think Super Mario Bros: The Movie) you barely have room to breathe before jumping to the next action sequence. Don’t get me wrong they are exhilarating and well-choreographed, but overwhelming at times. When things do slow down we get a lot of interesting lore and character development. The world-building is done largely through exposition and flashbacks, but it’s thankfully limited to only what’s necessary to propel the story.

One of my favourite directorial decisions is a sequence that repeatedly cross-cuts between the two leads, showing their shift into the beloved and iconic iterations of their characters. The dialogue and sound effects fade away, focusing on an epic cinematic montage that captures the characters’ diverging paths as they fall into their respective destinies—pure cinema.

What impressed me most was how overt some of the more controversial themes were depicted. This isn’t your typical children’s movie, at least not after a large midpoint revelation. Transformers One deals with heavy themes such as class divide, forced labour, social credit based caste systems, fake news, information control, colonization, resource extraction, and violent revolution. These ideas ave been sadly missing from the Michael Bay movies but were often present in the TV shows and comics. Transformers movies are usually glorified toy commercials, so it’s refreshing to explore deeper themes.

Technically speaking this was an audio-visual treat. It has a bright and colourful palette that is typical of an animated action movies, so it’s not taking many risks. While the cityscapes can be a bit flat, some stunning landscape shots stand out in the more wild areas of Cybertron. Like the rest of the movie things do evolve, and by the end, the camera movement is dynamic along with a bold use of shadows and contrast. The framing of the action resembles a comic or graphic novel, amping up the more dramatic moments.

Brian Tyler’s (Avengers Age of Ultron) score is as tonally diverse as the story, shifting from light-hearted to epic when needed. Not as iconic as Steve Jablonsky’s 2007 Transformers  score but it hits where it needs to. The sound design delivers the heavy metallic clangs you would expect from giant robots rolling out into action. There is a “superhero landing” that shook the theater and gave that moment the earthshaking grandeur it deserved.  This movie begs to be seen on a big screen with powerful sound.

The supporting cast is stacked with Scarlett Johansson (Fly Me To The Moon) as the fiery Elita-1, Jon Hamm (Top Gun: Maverick) as the charismatic Sentinel Prime, and Keegan Michael-Key (IF) as the the quirky (and somewhat annoying) comedic sidekick Bumblebee. There are also brief but excellent appearances by Laurence Fishburne and Steve Buscemi.

I wasn’t thrilled to have Peter Cullen’s iconic Optimus voice replaced, but Chris Hemsworth (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) is far better than expected as Orion Pax and eventually Optimus Prime. I really enjoyed how his performance evolved with the character. He starts off as a relatively generic comedic nice guy but ends as a commanding leader with surpyringing gravitas.

Bryan Tyree Henry (Bullet Train) stands out as D-16/Megatron. Like Hemsworth his performance evolves throughout the movie. Starting out as the straight-laced D-16, Tyree uses his natural speaking voice. He is mellow and a bit sarcastic. His performance really shines when he taps into his rage. Tyree doesn’t just yell—he embodies betrayal and a loss of compassion that erupts into an inferno of vengeful hatred. I never expected to root for Megatron in a Transformers movie but Tyree brings to life an emotional arc that endeared me to his character. I hope he gets the recognition he deserves for this fantastic performance.

Far more impressive and thematically resonant than the popcorn animated feature I expected. I won’t fault Transformers One for being clearly geared to a younger audience but the tonal shifts, while interesting, left the feeling that it never leans hard enough into one lane. As a result, this is a fast paced, action-packed, character-driven story that sometimes fails to fully earn its most dramatic moments. The performances and exploration of heavier themes elevate this beyond the average animated action movie. For Transformers fans, this will be a welcome change from the more mindless and superficial adaptations we’ve seen. Hopefully, this inspires future live action films to dive deeper— there is clearly potential and Transformers One is proof.

7/10 – Transformers One explores bold themes and compelling character arcs, crafting an unexpectedly rich narrative for a film aimed at younger audiences. While some character shifts feel abrupt and unearned, the emotional weight and depth stands out among modern Transformers movies. It’s a strong reminder that there’s more to these characters than meets the eye.

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