Last Updated on September 21, 2024 by
Transformers One is a 2024 Animation Movie Directed and written by Josh Cooley. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, and Scarlett Johansson, with a runtime of 1h 44M, and was released on September 20, 2024.
Having been a fan of Transformers all my life, I felt happy and at the same time apprehensive when I learned about Transformers One. Transformers is not only my childhood toys and a TV show, but I am heavily invested in the theme — I even have tattoos and posters at home. However, despite my interest, most of the Michael Bay’s live-action films did not appeal to me as much. While some aspects of the commercial were slick and well-produced, others felt like they were missing the spirit of what made Transformers great. There are only three movies from the franchise I really love: 1986’s Transformers: The Movie, Bumblebee from 2018, and the newest installment, Transformers One.
In this position, I was uncertain and afraid of what I would see on TV before it happened. This made the promotional material look like some buddy comedy film about young Optimus Prime (Orion Pax) and Megatron (D-16), with the voices behind them being Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry. It could almost seem as if it were a joke or just an attempt at being funny. But I was pleasantly surprised by how well the movie handled the story, thanks to director Josh Cooley (known for Toy Story 4) and writer Eric Pearson (who worked on Thor: Indonesian Premier League Clubs (Source: Indonesia Wikipedia, Sigla & Logo Komunikasi, Fan. Translate the word Ragnarok into English, it means the duo of clubs representing Indonesian Basketball Association teams is perfect for the occasion. However, Transformers One is not only a comedy; the show employs humor and call back to draw the audience’s attention to how these transformation characters come to life.
A Fresh Origin Story
Transformers One brings us back to where everything started, before the Autobots and the Decepticons were bitter enemies, or before Optimus Prime and Megatron were enemies. This time they show the viewers their home planet, Cybertron in a whole new perspective. Cybertron is getting over a war with an alien species known as the Quintessons and the society is itself divided. The majority of people inhabit bunkers of mining towns and devote themselves to gathering energon, which is used by the Transformers. It only befits the elite group of Transformers, a few in number, those with the facility to transform into vehicles, thus, the ruling class. The current enemies on the road, Optimus Prime and Megatron were once close friends. Optimus Prime used to be Orion Pax when he was young; he is not the leader that we know; instead, he is a rebellious personality who liked to get into plenty of trouble.
His best friend D-16, or as he later becomes known, Megatron, was the serious one who usually had to get Orion out of whatever mess he had gotten himself into. Together they struggled with their lives in the mining camps but yearned for more. One of Orion’s crazy stunts puts them into the Iacon 5000, a fast race sponsored by Sentinel Prime, voiced by Jon Hamm, the last of the Primes. Imagine the pod racing from Star Wars: I think it is The Phantom Menace — it is quite a witty and furious race. The animation is great here and the animation work is rather fluid with much detail. Even though they become famous for the silly dare they pull off, they end up with a terrible consequence.
The Beginning of a Rift
They do not get bored with the race; instead, they continue their journey with this endeavor. Orion and D-16 are soon engrossed in a mission of searching for a lost artifact which could help in saving Cybertron and they come across a political scandal. Some of the subplots in this plot revolve around the past of the Primes’ downfall, the loss of the function to transform, and the bifurcation between labor and the elite castes. Finally, there is the demonstration of how the friendship, existing between Orion Pax and D-16 at the beginning of the story, gradually deteriorates, which leads to their confrontation in the future. One of the strengths of Transformers One is how it deals with class conflict and authority. Of course, it paints the very different picture of Cybertron where the society is divided between the Wage Earners and those who manage them. It is common knowledge that Orion Pax will grow up to be the noble Optimus Prime while D-16 will turn into the treacherous Megatron. But what is interesting is to observe how the seeds of that transformation were sown long time ago.
The film portrays D-16’s animosity growing due to the fact he is forced to be a mere drone within his society and contributes to him turning into an evil man. The script of the movie, the way it has been written and the character development is fantastic and logical in my opinion. It’s something that has a resonant message – the greatest antagonist is not a villain in their own right, they are convinced that they are the heroes. This depth brings a certain level of complexity into Megatron’s personality that was not present earlier. By contrast, the process through which Orion Pax becomes Optimus Prime is not as engaging. He is kind, perceptive, humorous, and a loyal friend in the beginning but his metamorphosis to a leader seems a little artificial.
His main trait is that he has deep love for the people close to him, which is rather positive, but is far from explaining why the character of Optimus Prime can be referred to as iconic. Some of the subplot gaps are filled by using the viewer’s understanding of who Optimus Prime turns into in the future.
Amazing Voice Work and Stunning Animation
The voice acting in Transformers One is superb. Chris Hemsworth depicts Orion Pax well with both humor and intensity and Brian Tyree Henry is outstanding in his role as D-16. He provides D-16, the complexity to portray his annoyance with the system and his transformation to the villain. Some of the strongest cast members this time are: Keegan-Michael Key as B-127 or the one who becomes Bumblee; John Cena, revealing himself as an interesting actor this time as he is so good in the role of a rigorous soldier turned into a Buzz; and last but not the least is Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1 who is a character who undergoes a character transformation from a rule book soldier into a war commander From the looks of it, Transformers One is a spectacle to behold. In many ways, Industrial Light & Magic, the creators of the visual effects, have gone beyond their best. It almost feels like a Live-action movie but painted with the beautiful colors and sheen of an oil painting the action scenes are as rapid as any boisterous Hollywood action movie What sets this apart though are the romantic and slow moments that allow the viewer to feast on the unending beauty of Cybertron.
Conclusion
Overall, Transformers One does a superb work in reimagining the actual origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron. All in all, this movie is full of plot and could have done with some more time to work on finer nuances, but it brings the audience excitement, fantastic visuals as well as emotion. The seasoned Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee fans such as I will be able to afford a new approach to the characters on the screen, while newcomers will easily be plunged into the world of Cybertron. There’s much to enjoy in this tale, and with sequels on the way, the narrative is bound to expand, intensified by chaos. Transformers One shows that there is so much more to come out of this franchise than one might have initially expected.
Transformers One 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
Transformers One is rated PG by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for sci-fi violence and animated action throughout, and language.
Violence & Action: It is, however, mostly non-violent in the sense that the fighting is between robots and not humans. Here’s what to expect: The film has several fight scenes and most of them include use of explosion, lasers and physical fight among the Transformers. These few scenes are filled with fast-motion and action, however, there is no blood or heavy mechanical harm to the characters, as they are all robots. The violence depicted in the soap opera is simulated fighting in the form of slaps, punches, kicks as well as hugging and grappling. These fights are exaggerated and while sparks shower and sometimes mechanical parts are thrown, the fights are not really gross or violent. In the film, characters morph into cars and guns, which collide with one another or with objects. There will be average to high level of destruction of building, vehicles and landscape especially during scenes of combat. These scenes may be visually dramatic but they are not necessarily realistic and do not depict human losses or suffering. It deals with a conspiracy that in one way or the other relates to the demise of prominent leaders. While this element is important to the plot, its depiction is cartoonish and the show is less about murder than it is about politics.
Language: The foul language is at a minimum the movie is rated PG. However, there are occasional mild interjections and scatological expressions, particularly between villains or when the characters are annoyed or stressed. Look for mild ones such as ‘darn,’ ‘heck,’ or ‘stupid,’ but nothing worse or vulgar. Despite this, there is seldom any abusive language, and even if there is, it is mild to cater for young readers. It is also possible for some of the characters to say something sarcastic or snarky to someone else in comedic or dramatic scenes, but the lines said are not meant to be insulting in any way.
Substance Use: It should be noted there are no portrayals of drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc. in the movie. However, energon—that is the substance by which Transformers draw their power—is militantly involved in the story. It is depicted as a vital form of energy and it is not portrayed in a manner similar to an actual substance abuse of drugs or alcohol.
