For 40 years, Transformers have graced our screens.
From the original animated television series in the 80’s to the live action films in the 2000’s, the franchise has indeed had many transformations in its lifetime. With seven films in the live action line-up, it was refreshing to hear that a brand-new take on the successful franchise was in the works. Titled Transformers One, this latest instalment takes a look back at the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Aside from the very first Transformers film in 2007, and the two recent films Bumblebee in 2018 and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 2023, the franchise has been mostly misses and has been in dire need of a full reboot. Directed by Josh Cooley, with a screenplay by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, Transformers One is here to save the day and is easily the best film yet!
Following a great war, and the fall of the great Primes that protect Cybertron, the Transformer race have taken up residence safe beneath the surface. The flow of their main resource, Energon, has all but dried up and in order for the Transformers to survive, dedicated crews of worker-bots must drill deep into the Cybertron core to harvest this precious resource. Amongst the battalion of worker-bots, we find Orion Pax (Optimus Prime) and his best buddy D-16 (Megatron), voiced by Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry respectively. At the helm of the crew is their supervisor Elita-1 voiced by Scarlett Johansson.
After breaking the rules in search of some more excitement in their otherwise monotonous existence, Orion Pax and D-16 find themselves working in sanitation as punishment. Here we meet B-127 (Bumblebee) voiced by Keegan-Michael Key. The trio discover an SOS message from a fallen-prime on the surface and hatch a plan to escape and rescue them. Orion Pax, D-16 and B-127 find themselves stuck on the surface with Elita-1. In search of the fallen prime, they discover that their so-called leader Sentinel Prime, voiced by Jon Hamm, is up to no good and the group must band together to save Cybertron from destruction.
There is so much to love about Transformers One. Not only is it visually stunning, but it is also utterly hilarious. The animation style comes across as a happy medium between the classic animations I grew up with and current 3D Animation Technology. The bots themselves are incredibly detailed yet maintain that ‘box-like’ structure from the cartoons. And unlike the live-action film counterparts that are big, bulky and overly detailed, there is a beautiful subtlety about their design.
Whilst Transformers One is visually stunning, the comedy is fantastic! Right from the beginning of the film, all the way through, I was laughing. From subtle jokes to blatant puns to even references to the classic character dynamics from the animation series, there is plenty to find funny. However, Transformers One is more than just a laugh-fest. There is a lot of heart and soul written into this origin story, and at its centre is a film about two best friends that are drawn apart over political differences, ending up becoming sworn enemies. And if all that is not enough to entice you, then Transformers One’s music will! In an ode to the origins of Transformers as an animation, the music is heavily 80s inspired with a stunning score composed by Brian Tyler.
The voice acting in Transformers One is impeccable and really helps to convey the transformation of these characters as they evolve into the titular roles we know them as today. Brian Tyree Henry is wonderful as D-16, the almost innocent worker-bot that is always getting Orion Pax out of trouble. Early on, he has a very happy ‘bro-like’ persona and Henry does a wonderful job evolving the voice as D-16 morphs into Megatron.
The same can be said for Chris Hemsworth. Although, I wasn’t entire sure about his casting at first. Optimus Prime is a very deep, baritone commanding voice, and whilst Hemsworth does pull that off as Thor, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to take it seriously in such a role. But boy, am I glad to have been proven wrong! Much like his co-star, Hemsworth’s portrayal of Orion Pax has a very adolescent vibe in the beginning but soon becomes the leader that Cybertron needs. I found that as we got deeper into the film, Hemsworth’s voice also got deeper, taking on a more commanding presence towards the end of the film. I was pleasantly surprised by Hemsworth’s voice acting ability and do hope that he has the opportunity to voice the character again.
We are also introduced to the character of Starscream voiced by Steve Buscemi who does an impeccable job in the role. Other notable mentions are Scarlet Johansson as Elita-1 and Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime. And of course, we have the classic Transformers narrator role, usually played by the voice of Optimus Prime, this time voiced by Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, the leader of the Primes.
One character we normally never hear speak, Bumblebee, or as he is known back when it all began, B-127, voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, is perfectly cast. In a hilarious twist, B-127 just simply does not stop talking. It is clear that Key had the best time voicing this character because I was laughing at almost every time he opened his mouth. But I couldn’t help but think of the character’s future. Did the Autobots really try to fix his voice processor? Or did they leave it be because he just simply wouldn’t shut up?
Transformers One is the Transformers film that needed to happen. It is funny, it is visually stunning, and is full of heart. The writing is impeccable, and I could not have asked for a better film. Perfect for long-time Transformers fans and a great introduction to new fans alike, I really hope this film succeeds because I could happily do away with the ‘live action’ films and continue on with this animation style long into the future.
Transformers One opens in cinemas nation-wide this Thursday the 19th of September. Check your local guides for session times, grab your friends and roll out! This is one Transformers film you do not want to miss!