Transformers One is the ‘Spider-Verse’ of the Franchise
Image Courtesy of Paramount Animation
By Luis Zonenberg
For decades, the Transformers franchise has been typically used as a punching bag when referring to the current state of Hollywood consumerism. With a usual emphasis on explosions over stories, it was easy to see why many people turned away from it over the years. Despite the positive reception to 2018’s Bumblebee, audiences seemed to have outgrown the franchise. Considering the low bar that the previous movies set, I was surprised to find how much I not only enjoyed this one but was also emotionally invested.
This latest entry is the first animated entry since the Transformers Movie from 1986 and tells an origin story that focuses on the relationship between Orion Pax (voiced by Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry), who would later become Optimus Prime and Megatron. We see them working as everyday miners with aspirations to become something more. But after recovering an old transmission, they soon uncover a deadly conspiracy that shatters their reality. This propels them on a quest to reveal the truth to the public, but D-16’s thirst for vengeance puts them in jeopardy, creating a division that will spark a war that might destroy their very planet.
Despite the marketing making it appear as a typical kid’s film, the writers clearly wanted to tell a more mature story that families could show their children. Along with director Josh Cooley, everyone working on this showed a true love for the franchise and clearly had a blast making this. Seeing these characters grow into the archetypes we would later come to know and understand why their differences created such a rift was a genius move that delivered a huge payoff.
Going in, I was curious to see how the voice talent would compare to the iconic original voices of Peter Cullen and Frank Welker. While I can’t say that Chris Hemsworth fits in as Optimus Prime, I totally buy him as Orion Pax and see him growing into the Optimus we all come to know. With that said, Bryan Tyree Henry was superb as D-16, and by the time he became Megatron towards the end, I was surprised to find how downright terrifying he was by then.
Do keep in mind, though, that this is a family film nonetheless and features a wide variety of knee-slapping jokes and some eye-rollers. Not every joke landed, but more often than not, I found the audience and I laughed consistently enough that it would be fair to say that the humor is very well written. It finds a good balance between corny and slapstick humor, along with some good character interactions that allow the humor to aid in developing the characters to boot.
Considering how many more duds than hits this franchise has produced, it was a real joy to see such a humorous albeit emotional take on these iconic characters. The makers clearly have a love for this franchise that extends back to the early cartoons of the 80s and that love is ever so clear and present here. Crafting expert story-telling with a beautiful animation style, Transformers One is a family film audiences should be rolling out to see ASAP!
Rating: ★★★ ½ of four
