Transformers One Review

September 26, 2024 at 3:02pm
By Jason Stettner

I’ve waited quite awhile to see a Transformers film on the big screen that aims to present the world of Cybertron and it looks like that moment has finally arrived. It’s not the War or Fall of Cybertron that I was quite desiring but it comes close to fitting the bill. This is an origin story for the two most iconic characters in the franchise outside of those legendary Dinobots!

That’s right, we’ve got Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry). Big names for sure, they’re miners and they want to be something more. There’s desire there, and they mine so that the people of Cybertron can have a future ever since the Energon supplies drained away fifty cycles ago.

It probably sounds odd, but the two are essentially the future Optimus Prime and Megatron but alas just good pals for now. It’s the journey where you get to see the two literally transform into what they’re meant to be. It’s packaged into something consumable for the younger audience with little bouts of complexity that are great for the mature audience which was grand.

This is an animated film and while some of the designs are slightly strange I do feel that it largely nailed the feel and style of the original 80’s aesthetic that’s ever so sought after. It’s not quite akin to the level we got from the opening of Bumblebee but it was certainly on brand with the characters.

I watched this in 3D and found it fine for the shapes of the robots. It was cool to see a fairly iconic city be the home for this adventure and the greater world of Cybertron was really cool too. The voice performances here were also great, which was surprising to me. It was particularly neat to see Hemsworth build upon the voice as the character and movie progressed.

Initially too much Thor, but by the end it was certainly Optimus Prime. Also just a really grim vibe from Henry as Megatron’s story progressed. Well done. Finally, having Steve Buscemi as Starscream was a treat but so underutilized here. That’s a big issue I suppose, not enough time for all the characters.

The Conclusion

Transformers One is a great adventure for all types of audiences providing a strangely lore heavy adventure while still heavily focusing on how a friendship can transform over hardship. I really loved the building divisive elements between the two lead characters and the eventually adjustment between the two of them as relationships were strained.

The dividing of the factions and the origin all worked out quite well. The pacing felt relatively fast and there were some fun jokes included throughout which got some laughs out of me. I had a great time and left the theater with a smile on my face, being a fan of the Transformers that’s not an experience I often get in watching the movies.

It was a tad abrupt towards the end where things got a little quick in moving along but I do imagine this needed to be quicker due to the target audience. Still, there are some interesting concepts being dove into and I believe the material was well handled. It was an enjoyable watch and an experience that I would hope to see continued as there’s ever so much potential here.

Transformers One Review at Theater with Standard Viewing
Screening Provided by Taro PR

Rating Overall: 8.0