“Transformers One” Review: Electrifying Animated Prequel Brings the Spark Back to This Franchise
After a ten plus year and highly lucrative live action franchise helmed by Michael Bay, Hasbro’s Transformers are ready for an upgrade. And with the first animated film in the franchise since 1986, Transformers One, the famed robots in disguise have breathed new life into the stagnant brand. Gorgeously animated, smartly written and heartstring tugging, this surprisingly great prequel makes for a fun time at the movies for both kids and adults.
On the robotic planet of Cybertron, two mining robots, Orion Pax (voiced by Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry) accidentally find themselves in the possession of a map to the fabled Matrix of Leadership, which could reenergize the slowly dying planet. Alongside the no-nonsense Elita-1 (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and the hapless B-127 (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), the duo find themselves tested as they discover a long buried secret that could either be Cybertron’s salvation or its doom.
While it’s produced by Michael Bay and several of the key creatives behind the live action saga, Transformers One is a far more kid friendly and accessible film than the divisive five films before it. With no human characters whatsoever and a more family focused tone, this film will likely please all fans of the franchise, especially those diehard Generation One-era fans who have been hoping for a movie just like this since 2007.
It helps that the script has a good, if slightly familiar story to tell and the robots have true character as opposed to giant, infallible action heroes. This being a prequel, the vast majority of fans are aware that this film is telling the origin of the iconic arch enemies, Optimus Prime and Megatron, and to this film’s credit, it doesn’t try to twist the tale to the point that it becomes too far off the map. We know where these two characters end up, but rather than let that be a crutch, director Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4) leans into it and makes sure that the ultimate payoff of the relationship has impact.
While Orion and D-16 are clearly the center of the film, there’s also a compelling cast around them, starting with Keegan-Michael Key as B-127, the clear comedic center whom Key seemed born to play, and Elita, who Johansson makes multifaceted and likable. The downside is the big reveal in Act Two, which you can see coming a mile away, and it all hinges around a certain character as the central threat who falls kind of flat as the big bad guy.
But what will no doubt make viewers of all ages flock to this film is its animation, mainlined by famed visual effects house Industrial Light and Magic, who created the robots from the live action films. Everything in this movie is perfectly animated, with the team bringing to life unique locations and vistas, realistic effects around the robots and character designs that honestly deserve a mention in the animation hall of fame. The detail is clear from the first frame, the overall look is wholly unlike any other animated film prior, and you can follow every character throughout the frenetic action, which could hold a candle to Michael Bay’s bombastic set pieces from his franchise.
Transformers One manages to please all fans of all kinds of these legendary heroes in a massively enjoyable animated thrill ride. Compelling and colorful from first minute to last, this delightful prequel is more than meets the eye. Roll out!
Transformers One hits theaters on September 20.