A Battle is Beginning Between Evil and Good

Transformers One is a science fiction animated movie produced by Paramount Pictures and directed by Josh Cooley about the Transformers. But unlike any other movie before, it explores the origins of the iconic hero and leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime along with the notorious villain and head of the Decepticons, Megatron. It provides insight into Transformers’ homeworld of Cybertron, before the Autobot-Decepticon war started long before they came to Earth.Transformers One stars huge Hollywood actors such as Chris Hemsworth, as Orion Pax/ Optimus Prime, and Brian Tyree Henry, as D-16/Megatron. The movie was released in theaters on September 10th, 2024 in the United States.

Robots in Disguise

The movie focuses on the origins of Megatron and Optimus Prime and the subsequent events that led to the Great War. Before they were Megatron and Optimus Prime, they were known as D-16 and Orion Pax respectively, two miner-class Cybertronians that were looked down upon by other Transformers for their low class and their inability to transform, among other things. However, this miner disadvantage doesn’t stop them, especially Orion who is intent on helping his fellow miners and proving to the other social classes on Cybertron that they are equals and just as capable as everyone else. This includes a multitude of stunts and ends up with them along with two other bots, B-127 later Bumblebee, and Elita/Elite One. Going to the surface to aid their leader, Sentinel Prime, after discovering a transmission from one of their former leaders, Alpha Trion, and believing that this could aid Sentinel in his quest. This leads to the crew learning the truth behind a massive conspiracy along with the four of them finally gaining the ability to transform. By the end of the movie, we see the rise of Megatron, the birth of Optimus Prime as well as the start of the Autobot-Decepticon war. 

Now, That’s just Prime

In all I found the movie to be incredibly solid. A step up from the live-action movies that we have come to know for over a decade now. From the characters, the plot, choreography, voice acting, and art direction. It all oozed style and was very well done. Speaking of the voice acting, despite being skeptical when first hearing about the cast, I was pleasantly surprised at how great they are. Chris Hemsworth does a great job not only voicing a positive and hopeful Orion Pax but also a tough yet gentle Optimus Prime. Though he is no Peter Cullen, Hemsworth did make a solid effort and thus his performance was pretty on point. Same thing with Brian Tyree Henry and his portrayals of both D-16 and Megatron. While the other voice actors did a fantastic job, one of my personal favorites was Steve Buscemi as Starscream, Hemsworth, and Henry stole the show with their performances. As a side note, it was also cool to see the easter eggs in this movie in the form of other well-known Transformers characters. Another aspect of the film that I didn’t mention earlier that I enjoyed was the music. Composer Brian Tyler did a great job not only creating new tracks that fit the Transformers franchise and the setting of Cybertron but also paying homage to tracks from previous Transformers media. Specifically, the show Transformers Prime which Tyler was the composer before and I was also a big fan of the show and his work there so I loved hearing some songs in the movie that paid homage and were almost like evolved or slightly tweaked versions of his songs from that show. The art style was also very good, loved how it took the original designs but tweaked and changed them a bit along with the CGI which was also really impressive. Most importantly though, it is arguably the most important part of the movie. The plot and writing were really good. The story flowed well, the heroes were relatable, the main villain’s motivations made sense and they were compelling, the jokes were also on point, and it was nice to see this story’s fresh takes on the origins of the leaders of not only the Autobots and Decepticons. But both factions and notable characters within them as well, along with the conflict that would eventually lead the Transformers to come to Earth. The only complaint I have is one of the characters’ motivations to fulfill their destinies is not as compelling as it has been in other media, but it’s not that big a deal. In summary, the plot was great, everything made sense, and the characters were compelling.

The Battle’s Over But the War has Just Begun

Overall Transformers One is not only a solid animated film but also a great Transformers movie. After the sea of repetition with the Michael Bay live-action films being a constant source of mediocrity or disappointment. This movie and its premiere were a breath of fresh air to see on the big screen. While certain Transformers media has arguably tackled this subject matter better, this movie is still an amazing addition and is debatably the best one in years. With great voice acting, CGI, writing, and a solid plot and characters, this movie certainly has got the touch. Along with the announcement of how this will be the start of a possible trilogy, this movie serves a solid foundation and there is certainly more to this story than meets the eye. 8.7/10