Transformers One, 2024.
Directed by Josh Cooley.
Featuring the voice talents of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Hamm, Vanessa Liguori, Jon Bailey, Jason Konopisos-Alvarez, Evan Michael Lee, James Remar, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Steve Blum, Jinny Chung, Josh Cooley, and Dillon Bryan.
SYNOPSIS:
The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
More than an animated origin story about the unraveling of friendship between Autobot Optimus Prime and Decepticon Megatron (or, as they are known here, Orion Pax and D-16, voiced by Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry), director Josh Cooley’s (formerly of Pixar, working alongside the screenwriting team of Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, and Eric Pearson) Transformers One has a refreshing approach to telling a story in this universe and one that allows it to actually be about something beyond the usual destruction we have come to expect, regardless of visual medium.
For one, the Transformers here are missing their transformation cogs, seen as subhuman (or submachine, I suppose), depicted as overworked miners searching for chunks of an energy source that the ruling Sentinel Prime (voiced by Jon Hamm) uses to keep his pocket of Cybertron functional. It is still a far cry from what we are accustomed to visually (despite the towering buildings and sky transit systems, it’s not exactly a glamorous place to live) while also starting the Transformers off in a more relatable human position before fully arriving into their heroic (and villainous) personas.
Orion Pax is a dreamer with fantasies of locating a device called “The Matrix of Leadership.” (with an appropriately naïve voiceover turn from Chris Hemsworth that starts from a place of goofy optimism before transitioning into something more mature) that would solve this energy crisis. Apparently, The Matrix grants someone godly power and doubles as an energy source. It was once held by one of the ancient Primes, yet mysteriously went missing some time ago, which explains the rough state of the planet (the film also takes us to other areas that come across as wastelands.) As for D-16, he is a “trust the process and do your work without complaining” kind of robot who would rather comply than rock the boat, which gets him and Orion Pax into some playful arguments for as much as they are loyal to one another working the mines.
A case in point is an annual race across Iacon that Orion Pax wants to participate in despite having no transformation cog. In what sometimes feels like a pro-disabled (these mining Transformers are referred to as defective, only working that job because it has been deemed their only purpose for society) story, Orion Pax believes that if they crash the race (which appears to be against various types of machines in service to Sentinel Prime) and finish in a respectable place, they will prove that there is “more than meets the eye” to them. Of course, it’s also plain fun and breathtaking (complete with a track that materializes as competitors speed across it) watching them crash the race and doing their damnedest to win against all odds.
As one can probably tell, this narrative takes Transformers, humanizes them (even the character models are smaller in stature with emotionally expressive faces), and places them in a dynamic similar to real-world issues with overworking and unfair labor practices. To say that the first act of Transformers One defies all sense of traditional storytelling for the universe would be an understatement; this is a seriously imaginative and substantially thoughtful take on the world and characters.
From there, the more action-centric plot kicks into motion (the Transformers inevitably get their cogs after a startling discovery and find some ancient remains that lead to some familiar exposition) with villains hidden in plain sight and others working away from civilization. A band of Cybertron warriors working in the shadows also come into play. Meanwhile, Orion Pax and D-16 rope co-workers into their impromptu wild adventure. Scarlett Johansson voices the no-nonsense Elita -1 (ticked off that these two are always inadvertently getting her in trouble with upper management that doesn’t care about her well-being anyway) and a familiar take on Bumblebee, here known as the endlessly talkative and bumbling B-127 (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key.)
Smartly, the filmmakers also aren’t creating an individual origin storyline for each of these characters but rather sticking to that core narrative arc of defective robots standing up against corruption and workplace abuse, with or without their transformation cogs (which, of course, come with various superpowered abilities and weapons.) As a result, the pacing is lightning fast, blistering even through exposition sequences to get to the next thrilling set piece. This is also bolstered by astonishing art design, vivid colors, and emotion within expressions and voices (in particular, Brian Tyree Henry delivers an impassioned, angry monologue fueled by betrayal, proving once again that anything he does is extraordinary.)
Granted, that pacing does mean that some of the character transformations (pun intended) are rushed, especially D-16’s path toward embracing hate and becoming the villainous Megatron. This turn should be gradual, yet it is presented here more along the lines of flipping a switch from good to evil. Thankfully, the voiceover work is terrific enough to overlook some of that jarring shift.
This is also a family-friendly animated feature, as evidenced by its silly approach to humor that is often clever or irreverent enough to make adults laugh (Keegan-Michael Key is an amusing cross between himself and Bumblebee, sure to either have viewers laughing or irritated with knowing between.) However, it also means that the plat beats are fairly predictable, albeit still executed satisfyingly.
Transformers One starts as something much more creative than the more familiar, gorgeously animated spectacle it eventually becomes, but it remains a sugar rush of excitement that doesn’t entirely lose grasp of its themes. It’s an origin story that’s fixated on doing something original with those origins, which pays off and shows that there is more than meets the eye to this franchise.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
Originally published September 12, 2024. Updated September 13, 2024.
