Transformers One is a rip-roaring piece of adventure that revitalises a franchise while still playing squarely within the set rules of the Michael Bay films. The film is rich in themes, replete with rat-a-tat dialogue and repartee, and rendered through a revelatory voice cast. It has themes of friendship, betrayal, power, and destiny. Of unchecked ambition, the fragility of alliances, and the chosen one. The live-action films, to which Transformers One is a prequel, also have some of these elements. Only here, the focus is more on storytelling, with greater attention to exploring the themes and character development, making Transformers One more than just robotic razzle-dazzle.
The story seems more complex at first glance, but it is very simple at its core. As a one-liner, you can say that it follows Orion Pax’s journey from an Energon miner to one who realises his true potential of changing the fate of the Transformers’ home planet, Cybertron. En route to becoming the legendary Optimus Prime, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) forms lifelong allies but also earns new enemies. Especially one in the form of D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), who eventually becomes his fierce adversary Megatron.
The voice cast and the steady splashing of humour throughout the film make it delightful to watch. Hemsworth and Tyree Henry make the bonding between the characters so believable that you instantly buy them as comrades willing to go to any lengths for each other and Cybertron. The film thrives on the constant raillery between the two characters in the first half hour.
Then come Scarlett Johansson and Keegan-Michael Key’s characters Elita-1 and B-127 (younger Bumblebee), respectively. In fact, B-127 is likely to appeal the most to kids thanks to his quirky traits, reminiscent of characters such as Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy or Korg from Thor: Ragnarok. At one point, he exalts, “This is the best day of my life!” a bit like Korg, the rock creature from Ragnarok. And in many other places, he keeps repeating his quirky nickname, Badassatron, in two different voices, including one where he channels his inner Bumblebee.
It is interesting how B-127 teams up with Orion Pax and D-16, revealing why he has a constant urge to talk. It is hilarious how Elita-1 tells him to shush up at one point of the film. Speaking of Elita-1, it is easy to buy Johansson as a character with a psychological influence over even some of the more prominent characters, partly thanks to her reputation as the occasionally manipulative Black Widow from the Avengers films or even as Kaa, the hypnotising python from The Jungle Book. B-127 is an absolute hoot throughout and sometimes a comic relief, especially when the plot becomes slightly exposition heavy. Props to writers Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari for imbuing the characters with such human qualities.
Their writing seems to lend itself nicely to the casting of Jon Hamm as the voice of Sentinel Prime, the self-proclaimed protector of Cybertron. Best known for Mad Men and Top Gun: Maverick, Hamm brings a touch of gravitas to Sentinel that grounds the story in realism, even in a world as fantastical as in Transformers One. His actions contribute to the emotional core of the story, including the transformation of Orion Pax and D-16 from friends to foes. Laurence Fishburne and Steve Buscemi make as much impact as possible in whatever little voice time they have in the film.
The only slight quibble I have is with the animation, especially in the spectacle portions. It is just that some of it is wishy-washy and seems like derivative computer-generated work, which does not really measure up to the best of Disney Pixar, DreamWorks, or even Sony Pictures Animation. The robots do have some personality that shines through in the form of expressions, though. And some of the visuals do pop, such as an early race sequence involving the two main leads and actual Transformers with cogs. Ultimately, it is the exemplary voice work that masks whatever little limitations the film has in terms of animation.
Director: Josh Cooley
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, John Hamm, Keegan-Michael Key
(This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)