REVIEW: ‘Transformers One’ Sparks Triumph

The Transformers franchise has seen many incarnations in tv and film, but Transformers One takes viewers back to the beginning in amazing ways. Director Josh Cooley, writers Andrew Barrer,Gabriel Ferrari,and Eric Pearson and Paramount Animation have teamed up for a cybertronic adventure that’s both action-packed and emotionally resonant, proving a spectacular entry into the legacy of Transformers. It’s not a film you want to miss in theaters.

It’s an easy film for new, less knowledgeable audiences to enter the world of Cybertron and a treasure trove of references for longer-term fans of the franchise. As we find earlier versions of the iconic characters, we know and love and see how they made it their well-known status quo as the Autobots and Decepticons. Transformers One is an emotional and inspiring thrill ride. And it’s an excellent ride for all fans, new and old.

Chris Hemsworth does a magnificent job voicing Orion Pax, as does Brian Tyree Henry as D-16. The film balances their personal and interlinked journeys that see them transform into the iconic characters by which most know them. Orion Pax is a young miner bot whose relentless optimism will strike a chord with audiences. Hemsworth proves himself a highly talented voice actor with his American-accented voice that masks his regular Australian accent. However, D-16, with Tyree Henry’s superb performance, may have the more compelling journey.

D-16 seeks approval and recognition for his tireless work, seeking to rise through the system and make life better for himself and his fellow miners. But the journey he, Orion Pax, and their fellow bots undertake shakes his resolve in many ways, driving him to a new path that will irrevocably change his and Orion Pax’s destinies. Tyree Henry, already a prolific voice actor with his role as Miles Morales’ dad, Jefferson Davis, in the Spider-Verse films, brings incredible pathos, clarity, and resonance in his performance, making you sympathize with the miner bot, and worry for him and his decision-making.

The other cast voicing the bots is excellent all around, as well. Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1 is recognizable and assertive, and even if her role harkens to previous ones she’s played, she still displays versatility in her vocal performance. Keegan-Michael Key is hilarious as B-127, giving us zany lines full of charisma through the film that yield many laughs. Jon Hamm showcases his own range as the arrogant Sentinel Prime, while Vanessa Liguori is menacing as Airachnid. The iconic Laurence Fishburne is superb as Alpha Trion too, and all around, the voice cast of Transformers One brings the necessary gravitas and wonder.

Barrer, Ferrari, and Pearson’s script ensures a good starting point for new fans of Transformers (particularly those who may have been turned off by the live-action films), and a treasure trove of references for longer-term fans. The inciting event of Orion Pax and D-16 forcing and entering the Transformers race is thrilling. It leads the two and their fellow bots on a journey to find the legendary “Matrix of Leadership” to help their fellow bots. We’re then thrust on a journey to the surface of Cybertron, where they find bots they’ve never seen before, invading aliens and revelations that will alter their destinies forever.

At times, the story may feel too fast-paced to understand everything happening. You have to pay close attention, which might sometimes be a bit overwhelming. However, the film will continue to command your attention with the overall strength of the characters’ journeys, the excellent action, and, of course, the superb animation, making the story still come together in the end.

Transformers One is a maximalist animation. Animators have never imagined Cybertron in such a dynamic and grand way, with the buildings, sky, railroads, nature, and more all breaking conventions in movement and aesthetics. The fights between the bots are electric and riveting, with stunning shots and stunts making full use of the animators’ imagination.  There are so many moving pieces as the film takes you on a thrilling ride on virtually every scene, making a fast-paced runtime that pummels with spectacular scenes that somehow don’t feel overwhelming. Between films like this, the Spider-Verse films, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT): Mutant Mayhem, and more (non-Disney, at least) U.S. animated films, the future of innovation in the industry feels hopeful (pending a good deal for animation workers of course).

Transformers One breathes new life into the Transformers franchise in the most superb ways, while keeping it rooted in the canon that’s so beloved by fans everywhere. With a superb story, excellent performances,  extraordinary and mesmerizing animation, thrilling action, and a fast-paced story that puts you on a thrilling ride, this film has so much to enjoy for new and old fans alike. Get yourself to a theater as soon as you can for this exemplary work of animation.

Transformers One will be playing in theaters September 20th.