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.
Director: Josh Cooley
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, John Hamm, Keegan Michaeley
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.
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