More Than Meets the Eye?
By Gabriel Lopez de Azua
Transformers One is the latest film in the Transformers franchise. There are many bold changes in this movie, from its all-star voice cast, the decision to set it on the Transformers homeworld of Cybertron instead of Earth, and the fact that it is the only other feature film in the entire franchise to be entirely animated aside from the original Transformers: The Movie in 1986.
Transformers One follows the story of D16, voiced by Brian Tyree Henry.
When the first trailer for this movie was released, the public reaction was… less than enthusiastic. While the general consensus was positive towards the designs and animation, what really put people off was the writing. It seemed to be geared towards younger audiences, with an overabundance of mediocre jokes that would really weigh down the plot. Needless to say, I was sure I was going to pass on this movie. But in true film critic fashion, I knew not to “judge a book by its cover” and went to see it myself. Did the trailers conceal a well-written masterpiece, or was the film really just a glorified toy commercial? To put it bluntly: I absolutely loved this movie.
Transformers One follows D-16 (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry) and Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth), best friends who are part of Cybertron’s miner crew. Orion is a troublemaker who dreams of bigger things and hopes of one day escaping the toil of the energon mines, while D-16 just wants to stay in line and get his job done. The supporting cast includes Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) their stickler shift manager, and B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) the comic relief. The four of them embark on a great adventure to find the Matrix of Leadership, uncovering some terrible truths about their planet’s past and its leader, Sentinel Prime (John Hamm). Truths that, once discovered, send D-16 down a dark path and change the course of Cybertronian history forever.
This plot, while simple, is surprisingly detailed. The writing is simply fantastic and knows how to pace itself, giving quieter moments when needed and holding on important scenes, whilst evenly distributing good comedy and stellar action to keep the viewer entertained. All our protagonists are engaging characters and feel worth caring about, and the villain is as entertaining as he is evil. The film knows how to make the viewer think while also providing a big bad guy who’s so lovably hateable. Overall, there’s something for everyone, from new fans and casual moviegoers to hardcore Transformers fans.
The animation is simply fantastic, taking inspiration from the unique designs of the original cartoon, yet leveraging modern computer animation techniques similar to Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse to create a vibrant and original setting on Cybertron. I won’t spoil too much, but there is a race scene towards the start of the film that is extremely creative and engaging, and it makes the viewer feel like they’re on a roller coaster in Universal Studios. The character designs are amazing as well, being at once bold and unique while also familiar. My two favorite designs of this movie are Optimus Prime and Sentinel Prime, as they really lean into the alien vehicle aesthetic of Cybertron while still remaining faithful to the original depictions.
The question you may be asking yourself is “Is Transformers One really worth watching?”, and I am here to answer that question with a very definitive yes. This film is fantastic and I cannot sing its praises enough. It’s worth your time and your money, despite what the advertising may lead you to believe. It’s creative, smart, and knows how to treat an audience of both fans and newcomers alike. This film really is more than meets the eye.
For my final rating of Transformers One, I rate it 5 full popcorn buckets out of 5. I’d add extra butter on top if I could.
