THE STORY – Brothers-in-arms Orion Pax and D-16 become sworn enemies, Optimus Prime and Megatron.
THE CAST – Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Keegan-Michael Key, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi & Lawrence Fishburne
THE TEAM – Josh Cooley (Director) & Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, & Eric Pearson (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 104 Minutes
Most people today have not lived in a world where the Transformers didn’t exist. The Transformers franchise is undoubtedly a staple of every young boy’s adolescence because nothing is cooler than seeing robots turn into impressive vehicles that constantly fight one another. The 1984 cartoon series “The Transformers” ran for four seasons and successfully released its own feature film. Then, in 2007, Michael Bay introduced a new generation of alien robots with a live-action film, of course, which resulted in a new movie being released every few years. Now, Paramount is ready to reclaim the series and return to its animated roots, and this time, Academy Award winner Josh Cooley is helming this endeavor. With “Transformers One,” Cooley crafts an origin story that doesn’t break any new ground but will satisfy most longtime fans of the series.
Instead of focusing on the end days of Cybertron, the Transformers landing on earth, or the never-ending war between Autobots and Decepticons, “Transformers One” takes it back to the very beginning of the franchise. Here, the planet Cybertron is slowly decaying, and the mining robots digging for Energon (the energy source that keeps the planet functioning) are subjected to a life of purely grueling labor. Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) are brothers bonded by their life in the mines who aspire for something more. While these names are unfamiliar to us, these two characters are who we eventually come to know as Optimus Prime and Megatron. As the pair, alongside B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) and Elita (Scarlett Johansson), venture to save the planet before it reaches its demise, they uncover a larger conspiracy that slowly tears away at the relationship between the two protagonists.” Transformers One” is very clearly an origin story in almost every aspect; slowly establishing what every hardcore fan comes to know and love (even at times in the most obnoxious ways). Cooley essentially goes down the route of “Solo” by trying to establish meaning in almost every name of objects associated with these iconic characters. At times, it works swimmingly, and at other times, it comes off as unnecessary key jangling.
For the most part, the film works due to the story’s framing through the perspective of the relationship between Orion Pax and D-16. Mostly, everyone who watches the film knows how the story will eventually play out between these two characters. The dynamic is nothing new to any form of media – two brothers/friends slowly growing apart because of varying ambitions and differing views on how to attain them. Sure, this dynamic and even the story itself plays out predictably, but audiences are at least captivated due to the strong voice acting associated with the two leads.
“Transformers One” is an interesting case in terms of celebrity stunt casting in animation because, for decades, these characters have been flawlessly voiced. But instead of hearing the sultry and magnetic voice of Peter Cullen, Hemsworth is center stage as the premiere autobot everybody knows and loves. Hemsworth brings, at times, the right energy, but he often doesn’t do much to differentiate his voice work. In fairness, he does get better as the film progresses, especially in the final act. It’s just odd, as audiences saw earlier this year with “Furiosa,” that Hemsworth is a more than capable actor who can completely switch it up when he wants to. Henry, who’s not only a brilliant performer in front of the camera but also a voice booth, is far and beyond the best of the ensemble. He stands above the material given to him and brings an emotionality that makes the audience care for a character one is supposed to love or hate. As for the others involved in the cast, it ranges from terribly misscasted to underutilized. Johansson is fine, but Key feels like he is in a completely different film and doesn’t match the overall tone. Sure, “Transformers One” may be the most kid-oriented film this franchise has produced in the decade, but that didn’t make Key’s interpretation of Bumblebee any less annoying. Credit is due for casting Steve Buscemi as Starscream and having Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime. It was fun to see Prime depicted in the image of a sleazy politician put onto a pedestal by the Cybertonians to save their planet.
As for the animation itself, the work done in “Transformer One” is decent. Nothing in the film visually shatters any ceiling in terms of pushing the medium forward, but it never looks terrible, either. Most of the film’s visually impressive moments don’t even occur to the intricately crafted finale set piece, and even then, it’s just fine. It’s somewhat similar to what you’d get from a well-made Cartoon Network original film on a far larger scale. Essentially, “Transformers One” hits its necessary notes for a successful and enjoyable experience but is chained down by having to hit beats that are already predetermined.
