Transformers One – Movie Review

“Transformers One,” the latest installment in the Transformers film franchise, will see a theatrical release on September 20, 2024. Its release will mark the first fully animated theatrical movie in the franchise in almost 40 years, since 1986’s “The Transformers: The Movie.”

Chronicling the origins of the two mainstay factions, the film delves into the falling out and disagreements that led to the formation of the Autobots and the Decepticons. On the alien planet, Cybertron, Orion Pax (Optimus Prime) and D-16 (Megatron) are two lowly mine workers under Elita-1’s command, searching for remaining deposits of raw Energon, a valuable source of energy that once flowed throughout the planet because of the Matrix of Leadership.

Most of the legendary leaders, known as the Thirteen Primes, had vanished after a fight against the Quintessons, another alien race. In the depths of Iacon City’s waste management, Pax and D-16 discover a locator beacon in B-127 (Bumblebee)’s possession that reveals the last known location of the fallen Primes. The trio make their way to Cybertron’s surface and Elita-1 reluctantly joins them in the search for the Matrix.

Once at the cave, they turn up empty-handed but instead find one of the Primes, Alpha Trion, barely functioning after so many years. He reveals the truth behind what led to the Primes being ambushed and why lower-class Cybertronians are unable to transform. This sparks a desire to fight for the freedom of their people, with D-16 being especially moved, seeking revenge instead.

I would summarize this whole film as an excellent buddy comedy film, beginning with the duo attempting to prove their worth, by evading protocol to save one of the other miners and even illegally entering a race to show that they can compete with the upper-class Cybertronians. Their quest to find the Matrix wraps them in a conspiracy that they must bring to light, and at that point, their ideologies begin to split. This culminates in an action-filled lead-up to their final battle, that forced them to take opposing sides to their conflict.

The film’s animation is handled by Industrial Light & Magic, the studio responsible for the CGI in most of the prior live-action films. Cybertron is presented in a magnificent sci-fi aesthetic, ranging from the brilliant and colorful aurora in the night sky to the elegant Iacon City architecture.

All the character designs are on point, inspired by previous incarnations and the Quintesson race takes on a more biomechanical design to contrast the fully robotic Cybertronians. Another one of the visual highlights is the main cast transforming for the first time, it was really interesting to see their parts shift and turn to accommodate for their new ability.

I would even say that the movie had plenty of fan service for long-time fans of the franchise, such as B-127’s battle mask being directly lifted from the original 1984 toy. Countless recognizable fan-favorite characters are sprinkled throughout background shots of Iacon City. And in the final battle, Prime hits the exact same mid-air gun pose, a classic call back to the original animated film.

As a surprise to audiences, the featured actors consisted of well-known star power, with Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry voicing Orion Pax and D-16 respectively. Hemsworth and Henry were given plenty of screen time to develop the younger incarnations of these beloved characters into their iconic appearances.

Hemsworth’s charismatic personality works well for the optimism and leadership attributes of Optimus Prime. And I loved watching Henry’s D-16 gradually change into Megatron as his troubled experiences of learning the truth led to the broken bond between him and Prime.

Keegan Michael Key’s B-127 always lightens up the mood with chatter, providing quite an energetic and comedic performance. Scarlett Johansson’s role as Elita-1 works well to contrast Pax, by acting pretty grounded and sticking to her orders, but also becomes someone for him to rely on in his time of emotional need.

To wrap it up, this new installment of the “Transformers“ film franchise is a solid 9/10 experience, being a great step forward in terms of storytelling and visuals.