The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. There are some franchises that I am well-versed in the lore such as Marvel and DC and others I am more so a casual fan of like the Transformers series and Power Rangers. My knowledge of the Transformers lore is limited to the Michael Bay films and some of the episodes from the classic 80’s cartoon, so bear with me if I am not fully familiar with every aspect of the Transformers mythology. I would like to admit that I originally was not going to see this movie and even made a story post on Instagram saying that this movie looked very lame judging by the first trailer. Furthermore, it was not until the day of its release when I heard rave reviews from people whose opinions I trust that I made the decision to go see it. I was completely wrong in my original assessment because Transformers One may very well be the best Transformers movie to date. This is a PG animated movie and my first impressions from the promotional campaign was that this was just a movie for kids. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Transformers One is a tragic story about friendship, trust, betrayal, and the consequences of meeting your heroes. Directed by Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4), this movie is devoid of any human characters whatsoever and fully takes place on the home planet of the Transformers, Cybertron. Don’t get me wrong, I maintain plenty of nostalgia for Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, particularly everything having to do with Optimus Prime and the incredible action sequences, but those films heavily suffered from annoying human characters, convoluted military subplots, and idiotic juvenile humor. Thankfully, those elements are nowhere to be found in Josh Cooley’s Transformers One, as this is a very personal origin story that focuses mainly on the friendship and falling out between Optimus Prime and Megatron.
The voice acting here is terrific. Although Peter Cullen will always be the definitive voice of Optimus Prime, Chris Hemsworth proves himself worthy (pun intended). His evolution from a small working class mining robot to Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots we all know and love was truly inspiring and reminded me why this character is so special. The real standout in this movie though has to be Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron, who evolves from seemingly hopeful pal of Optimus to a hardened and hateful villain. Without giving away exactly what happens, there is a massive betrayal that takes place about halfway through the film which sets Megatron on a path of evil. While the character has always been a formidable foe in the other films, I was never able to glean exactly what his motives were or reason for why he is so evil and hateful towards Optimus. Finally, in this film, we are given a clear understanding of who Megatron is, where he comes from, and why he became the leader of the Decepticons. The character development in this movie is nothing less than superb and by far the best of any Transformers movie yet. Supporting cast is also great, with Keegan Michael Key as Bumblebee being the film’s hilarious comic relief, Jon Hamm’s larger than life portrayal of Sentinel Prime, and Scarlett Johansson’s fearless yet compassionate Elita-1. The friendship between Optimus and Megatron is what’s at the core of this movie and I really found myself rooting for them to stay friends even though I knew where the story was going. There is one particular moment towards the end between those two characters that genuinely broke my heart and left me shocked. This is a “kids” movie, sure, but like some of the best animated films, it’s one that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.
Most of the humor lands surprisingly well and with the exception of a few instances that could’ve gone without a joke, it almost never undercuts any of the dramatic moments or epic action sequences. The 3D animation is lively, colorful and there are plenty of inventive ways in which the camera moves with the Transformers during the fight and chase scenes that make for an incredibly immersive experience. I also have to say I really liked how this movie showed the hierarchy of the class system on Cybertron. By making most of the robots including the would be heroes and villains lower class miners, it allowed me as a viewer to understand and relate to their respective plights. In terms of flaws, there are a few instances where the humor could’ve been dialed down a tad and perhaps the second act exposition dump could have been seen coming from a mile away. These are common issues with animated kids films and thankfully, they’re not of great abundance in this movie. There are two after credit scenes with one in the middle and one at the very end, with the latter being a critical setup for the sequel, so definitely stay in your seats. One of the best feelings is when you see a movie that you had zero expectations for, and you come out completely blown away and itching for more. That was my experience with Transformers One. Overall, with zero human characters and a focused story on the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron’s friendship/falling out, Transformers One is an action packed, gorgeously animated, and ultimately personal adventure showcasing exceptional voice work from Chris Hemsworth and an absolutely revelatory voice performance from Brian Tyree Henry.
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