Transformers One: The Perfect Prequel Movie
This is how Transformers One filled in the many gaps in today’s interpretations of the franchise.
Transformers One is the best Transformers movie to date. This beloved robot franchise has been around for 40 years now, and it boasts rich histories from different versions across TV and comics: histories that have not been appreciated properly on the big screen. Transformers One is the film that longtime fans have been waiting for and the best entry for new fans just as well. It is a brilliant origin story for these iconic characters, but more than that, it is a celebration of every iteration that came before and an actualization of everything that makes Transformers great.
Returning to the roots of Transformers
The movie revitalizes the franchise for the better by returning to its roots and then finding new ways to transform. It literally brings these characters home, welcoming the audience to a fully realized Cybertron. While the planet has been shown in the other movies, it has never had this much depth and life. It is an absolute joy to see Cybertron have actual culture and history, and it makes the tragedy of the destined conflict all the more engaging.
Everything in this movie works as well as it does only because of how rich the setting is. Hopefully, this sets a precedent for this franchise. While the fish-out-of-water storyline between humans and Cybertronians has been the staple format of most Transformers stories, Transformers One boldly asserts what longtime fans have always known: the bots (and the ‘cons) can stand on their own.
Making the story digestible for all kinds of audiences
The ultimate proof of this assertion is in the friendship between Orion Pax and D-16: who they were before and how they came to be the most bitter of enemies as Optimus Prime and Megatron. Director Josh Cooley, who previously won an Oscar as a writer of Inside Out, triumphs in realizing the tragedy of these characters in under two hours. It can’t be understated how impressive it is to have taken inspiration from all these different versions (Transformers: Prime, IDW comics, Marvel comics, etc.) each with fathoms of lore and instead of making passing references like the other movies, fully center around it, making it digestible for all audiences.
Praise must be given as well to Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry as the voices of Pax and D respectively, convincingly embodying the transformations (pun intended) into Prime and Megatron. They’ve proved themselves worthy of the roles that Peter Cullen and Frank Welker have been playing for decades. No matter what iteration, the conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons has always centered around the fallout between these two leaders, and this film makes the case for having arguably the best version of it.
It’s an awesome watch
As an animated film, the trailers don’t give justice to its awesomeness. The film uses the medium to its full advantage, though, having crafted an art style that resists the temptation of imitating popular contemporaries and one that seems tailor-made for the franchise. The texture of every metal surface speaks to a texture in storytelling.
The visual storytelling of this film is truly what sets it apart. Every gloss, sheen, rust, and stain brings to life every location, character, cameo, and moment. Every movement and transformation is in service to inventive action and deep emotion. The third act of the movie especially pushes what these characters can do and be. The choreography is surprisingly inventive and brutal, and when Pax and D fulfill their destinies with Brian Tyler’s immersive score swelling in the background, it’s epic, sad, and truly awesome.
Cheesy but it works
When Peter Cullen described the process of bringing the character to life, he talked about how his brother inspired him. His brother told him, “If you’re gonna be a hero, be a real hero. … Be strong enough to be gentle.” Transformers One feels like a response to what Transformers movies have become. Without spoiling the context, the movie explicitly says that it is not the gimmicky transformations that makes Transformers what it is, it’s the spark that matters.
It’s cheesy, and it’s perfect.
Transformers One: The Verdict
The franchise may have started out as a way to sell more toys, but it’s become much more than that. Yes, everyone wants to see big robots blow stuff up, but what Cooley, Hemsworth, the animators and the whole team have remembered is that these bots need to be more than meets the eye.
There’s many people who grew up with Prime as a figure of kind heroism, and it’s a heartwarming thought to think that kids will watch this and get to experience that. Transformers has found a new spark, and fans that fell in love with these big blocky bots will find their inner child likewise filled with new life.
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