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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
Transformers One is Hasbro and Paramount Pictures’ latest attempt to revitalize the Transformers franchise. One is directed by Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4) with a screenplay by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari. This fully animated movie is set in the alien world of Cybertron and features no human characters. It follows the journey of Orion Pax (voiced by Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry) in their attempt to save Cybertron and their transformations into Optimus Prime and Megatron. It’s exactly what fans have been asking for, but the results are about the same as their last attempt to restart the franchise, Transformers: Rise of The Beasts. Transformers One is unfortunately less than a sum of its parts.
A Tale of Two Bots
Transformers One is absolutely star-studded. Hemsworth and Henry star as Orion Pax/Optimus Prime and D-16/Megatron, respectively. Both of these actors do fantastic work voicing their characters. Hemsworth especially sells the naive optimism of Orion with ease. Henry works well as the rule-following D-16 and the eventually angry tyrannical Megatron. These two characters and the deterioration of their relationship form the movie’s spine. It’s a classic tale of two brothers; one becomes good the other evil. This Thor-Loki dynamic is simple but relatively effective, whereas oftentimes, it’s less than subtle. With dialogue from D-16, that practically screams, “I’m going to become evil later in the movie!”
It’s frustrating because at times there is very rich and poignant dialogue but because it’s a movie primarily for children there’s always that in-your-face dialogue afterward. Or often these moments get undermined with juvenile humor, a problem that’s all too common in this franchise. There’s no real time to allow moments to sit and develop. It’s either always moving or getting undercut. The movie is fast-paced, the second act is very condensed, and the movie starts to conclude when it feels like it’s barely started.
Transformations Abound
Despite that, the fall of D-16 and rise of Megatron is the most engaging aspect. In the few moments the film doesn’t hamper D-16, Henry really gives an all-star performance that makes this transformation believable and at times fully supportive of him. Plus, D-16’s motives for wanting to change the government are entirely relatable. His whole life has been a lie, and his government has stripped him of his autonomy and future. He’s rightfully angry, and it’s a timely message in today’s climate.
In contrast, Orion Pax’s transformation into Optimus Prime is nearly as well developed or interesting. He starts the film as a cocky hotshot who leads D-16 around and ends the film a little humbler, now as the leader of the whole planet. Yet, the work to get him there isn’t really in place. There are a few scenes of character development but they are hard to buy. Within the larger narrative, Orion never seems like someone who could become Optimus Prime. He’s certainly easy to empathize with, but compared to D-16—who changes so much and has such rich motives—, Orion falls flat some. He’s not undergoing nearly as radical a transformation so it becomes less engaging to watch him.
With that said, the moment in the third act when the two complete their respective changes into Megatron and Optimus Prime is by far the highlight of the film and one of the best animated sequences in a long time. The score, the visuals, and just the raw emotion communicated on screen during that segment is almost transcendent. It’s a shame the rest of the film cannot match that high.
Supporting Transformers
Switching back to the other two core characters: Elita-1 (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and B-127 (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) are both fine. Elita-1 is D-16 and Orion’s supervisor who begrudgingly gets dragged along on their adventure. She’s not given a whole lot to do; the character is mostly there to round out the cast and support Orion towards the latter half of the movie. On the other hand, there is B-127, the film’s main source of comedic relief. A lot of his humor is very hit-or-miss, and as mentioned earlier, the film tends to undercut some of the more emotionally charged moments. However, the “badassatron” recurring bit always made for a good laugh regardless of its placement. Overall, Keegan and Johannson are suited for their roles and fit in well with Hemsworth and Henry.
Transformers One contains a few other notable actors: Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi, and Laurence Fishburne. Hamm plays Sentinel Prime, the de facto leader of Cybertron. His role as Sentinel is quite good at times insofar as his voice is unrecognizable. Sentinel himself is a rather imposing figure and makes for a good antagonist. The character is manipulative, power-hungry, and ultimately rather pathetic. He is someone you want to see fail almost immediately.
Buscemi’s Starscream is a very minor part of the film but one that is horribly miscast. He’s not enjoyable to listen to and doesn’t match the vibe of the character at all. Finally, there is Fishburne as Alpha Trion. There is not a whole lot to say about him. He’s good but really just rehashing his role from The Matrix series, albeit now as a giant robot instead of a human male.
A Visual Feast
In terms of visuals, the movie’s animation is absolutely amazing. ILM created a film that looks like how ’80s cartoons are remembered in the minds of viewers who grew up with them. Everything is shiny and chrome, and the surface of Cybertron has a very retro look. The movement of the Transformers themselves is quite smooth. The only thing that doesn’t sit well is their more humanoid faces, specifically the mouths. The mouths offer an uncanny quality that just makes the whole viewing experience uncomfortable. It becomes less jarring as the film progresses, but it never quite feels right.
As for the action sequences, they aren’t overly hard to follow. However, they do feel messy and not as clean or visually interesting as they could be. It’s easy for your eyes to glaze over during some of the fights. Yet, in the quieter moments or in a wide establishing shot, it really is a beautiful movie. That’s not to mention many little flourishes add a lot. For example, Megatron’s red eyes have this trailing effect when he moves, which makes him so much more menacing.
Final Thoughts on Transformers One
The movie deals with some surprisingly heavy themes for a children’s film. It looks a lot at the effects of propaganda, the dangers of classism and fascism, and bodily autonomy. When the movie does slow down to actually explore these themes it’s incredible. Unfortunately, the movie has a breakneck pace, so there’s not enough time to fully explore all these themes. Sometimes, the blatantness of the dialogue takes a well-thought-out point and turns into eye-rolling annoyingly simple dialogue. It never quite finds the footing to truly express what it wants to say.
Transformers One gives much more to chew on than its live-action counterparts. It’s thematically much richer and has stronger central characters. However, like those live-action films, it’s all disrupted by a fast pace, jokes that don’t land, and underwhelming action. It’s afraid to really engage more heavily with the themes it presents and for that, it’s worse off. Ultimately, this movie still isn’t the massive success that Transformers needs, but it is a step in the right direction.
Score: 3/5
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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.