Rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis:
After years of mixed reception, the Transformers franchise is trying their hand at a reboot. “Transformers One” transitions the series to animation, featuring the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron. These two enemies began as close friends, working as miners to harvest energy for Cybertron. But when secrets about their leader are revealed, the two friends interpret the information differently. As they process these events, Optimus realizes that a peaceful resolution is the answer, while Megatron believes revenge is necessary. Can these two figure out a way forward together? Or will their differences be the end of a long standing friendship?
Positives:
When I first saw the trailer, my first thought was, “why is the Transformers franchise giving us an animated movie?” After a few underwhelming trailers, I can confidently say that the movie is better than expected. I had no expectations going into it, so coming out pleasantly surprised was great. My favorite part of the film is the world building. We are given a Transformers film that ditches the human subplots, giving more screen time to the machines. We also get a story set on Cybertron, allowing audiences to get some exposure to the Transformers’ home planet. Both of these additions will make fans happy and mix up the formula from the previous films. The animation is also unique. I enjoyed that the characters popped off the screen with colorful designs and cool textures. From a technical standpoint and world building perspective, “Transformers One” gets it right!
The voice acting also gives the story some energy. Chris Hemsworth had big shoes to fill stepping into the Optimus Prime role, but luckily he was up for the challenge. He creates his own spin on the character but I enjoyed his take. The rest of the cast does a nice job creating the early versions of these characters. I think younger audiences will connect with them better as they are more light hearted and fun. The same goes for the story. Everything is simplified to a more palatable level for general audiences. While the large-scale action and smash ’em up robotics is dialed back, there are still plenty of energetic sequences that will create new generations of Transformers fans.
Negatives:
There is no doubt that “Transformers One” is a step in the right direction. But there are a few aspects that could be cleaner. My largest issue with the story is that Megatron’s downfall felt rushed and out of character. He seemed to be the level headed one with the ability to create reason, so seeing him lose control so fast felt somewhat forced. I wish we could have seen him and Optimus butt heads on a greater scale and develop the tension that finally broke the camel’s back. The humor was lackluster too. I didn’t laugh at many of the jokes but a few of the younger kids seemed to giggle.
I also thought the first act took too long to get going. I wasn’t sure where things were going until the story started picking up. Luckily, the film gets stronger by the minute and it pays off with a strong third act. If we get future films in the franchise, I hope they spend more time developing Megatron’s persona and distaste with Optimus’ vision for Cybertron. I also hope we get some further development from Optimus and dive into how he became such a great leader.
Conclusion:
“Transformers One” gives a jolt of energy to a franchise on life support. The colorful world building, vibrant animation, and energetic characters should provide plenty of entertainment for families and fans of the franchise. While I wish Megatron had a stronger descent into evil, there is still time to develop his worldview. Now that we have more exposure to the Transformers lore, there is so much potential for the series moving forward. This is a fun night out with the family, so bring your action figures and grab a tub of popcorn. Autobots…roll out!
