Transformers One, the latest animated action film that serves as a prequel to the 2007 Michael Bay movie, actually offers a breath of fresh air to this jaded franchise that mostly went after scale. Unlike the Michael Bay films, which always depend on the visual spectacle angle of filmmaking, the animated version approach from director Josh Cooley is more character-driven, and there is a solid drama in the story that starts off in a humorous manner.
So the story is set in Cybertron many years before the events we saw in the 2007 movie, and there are two kinds of transformers on that planet. One category has cogs and can transform, and the other ones without cogs are considered minors. Our main characters, Orion Pax and D-16, are followers of their ruler, Sentinel Prime. When these two decided to take part in an annual race called Iacon 5000, they managed to grab the attention of Sentinel Prime, but eventually, they ended up in a secret basement as prisoners. What we see in the movie is the dramatic developments that happen when Orion and D-16 obtain a chip that has key information about the Primes who died trying to protect the Matrix of Leadership.
This prequel has an entirely different visual aesthetic, and hence, it uses the liberty of being an animated film to stay away from the signature Transformers stuff. The screenplay by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari takes a lighter tone in the initial portions of the movie, and if you look at the story, it is the classic tale of the rise of the manipulated and oppressed. But the flavor of humor gives it an interesting outlook. The movie then gradually goes into the details of the conflict, which makes it a tale of rebellion.
The second and third act of the movie is what makes it really exciting when you look at the movie both as a Transformers film and an animated film. There is that political layer in the story where we are seeing Orion Pax and D-16 going against Sentinel Prime. While that fight is pretty black and white, the other tussle in the story, the one that ultimately leads to the creation of the major rift in the whole franchise, is in the grey zone. While Orion believes in restoring equality and doesn’t want that to begin with an act of crime, D-16’s perspective is entirely different, and his reasons aren’t one-dimensional. The final act of the film that sets up things towards the Cybertron and power dynamics we know has enough moments of goosebumps to its credit.
The visual texture and the choreography of set pieces are really of top-notch quality. Unlike the live-action versions we have seen, the editing has a sense of space continuity, and they do not blindly depend on mass destruction to create a visual grandeur. And since the movie is happening on a different planet, the patriotism porn vibe is not there for this film. The Michael Bay signature of ultra slow-motion shots is used in this film, but only at a few key moments, making the use of it look sensible. Brian Tyler’s score beautifully elevates certain dramatic sequences.
The voice cast of the movie has some prominent names like Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm, Lawrence Fishburne, and Keegan-Michael Key, and they all fit in perfectly for the roles, and that slight transition of Hemsworth’s voice into Peter Cullen was a terrific theatrical moment.
On the whole, Transformers One takes an entirely different approach. The contrast it has from the other films is pretty much similar to how Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok gave a different visual aesthetic to Marvel films, and interestingly, the world of Cybertron somewhere reminded me of Waititi’s Asgard. With humor, character development, and drama in the story keeping you interested in the developments, Josh Cooley’s film instills hope in this Hasbro franchise.
With humor, character development, and drama in the story keeping you interested in the developments, Josh Cooley's film instills hope in this Hasbro franchise.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
