Transformers One - Review: More Mature Than Meets The Eye

 

Since the 1980s, there’s been one major toy line showing more than meets the eye. “Transformers” has always existed somewhere in pop-culture, whether in comic books, video games, the aforementioned toys, or the numerous television series or films. Now, after almost two decades of live-action films, these robots in disguise return to their original medium of animation for an origin story and their best film in decades. 

Set before they became arch-enemies, the film follows Orion Pax, voiced by Chris Hemsworth (“Thor,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”), and D-16, voiced by Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta,” “Bullet Train”), two bots working in the Energon mines in the city of Iacon on the planet of Cybertron. Their leader, Sentinel Prime, voiced by Jon Hamm (“Mad Men,” “Top Gun: Maverick”), is out searching for the lost Matrix of Leadership which will help bring their planet to prosperity. Determined to make a difference and help their planet, Pax and D-16, along with Elita-1, voiced by Scarlett Johansson (“Black Widow,” “Marriage Story”), and B-127, voiced by Keegan Michael-Key (“Wonka,” “Schmigadoon!”), leave their city to try and find the Matrix themselves. 

Despite initially feeling like typical Hollywood celebrity stunt casting, the entire vocal cast ends up being remarkably fantastic, getting better as the film goes on. Hemsworth and Henry not only have fantastic chemistry with each other, but their own voices slowly shift as the film goes on, eventually ending up closer to the original vocal types of Optimus and Megatron. Michael-Key makes B-127 just as much of a hyperactive character as he’s been in the past, but he doesn’t feel annoying or overstay his welcome. And Johansson has a surprising level of restraint given how the film positions Elita-1's character in the overarching storyline. Hamm also makes for a great hero with more going on under the surface as Sentinel Prime, using his charming “good guy” sounding voice to expert effect. 

With someone who’s worked in animation as long as Josh Cooley (“Inside Out,” “Toy Story 4”) has directing, the film not only manages to excel with a fantastic sense of fullness and a gorgeously animated style, but it eventually shakes off some creaky opening points to really come into its own in a surprisingly mature way. The first ten-to-fifteen minutes really is the film’s weakest part, mostly because it's when the film most clearly engages in plenty of “kid’s movie” cliches. It doesn’t at all mean that the opening is bad, but it slowly morphs into a more engaging, mature, and even darker version of this story. Writers Eric Pearson (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “Godzilla vs. Kong”), Andrew Barrer (“Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “No Exit (2022)”), and Gabriel Ferrari (“Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “No Exit (2022)”) weave tons of fanservice and deep-cut lore into a tale that embraces decades of Transformers material without ever disrespecting it or requiring that knowledge to enjoy it. They also manage to zero in on the most fundamental tragic idea of this tale and, with the help of Hemsworth and Henry’s performances, absolutely nail the brother versus brother tragedy that evolves from it. 

It cannot be understated how truly gorgeous the film looks. After decades of detailed but complicated designs, the visual aesthetic of the film is clean and retro, without sacrificing the robotic building blocks. Even the environment of this interpretation of Cybertron takes inspiration from the franchise’s 80s origins, with a sun and horizon that looks ripped from decades old VHS tapes and retro-wave stylings. Brian Tyler (“Furious 7,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron”) crafts a score that helps bolster the look of this world, bringing in big orchestral moments coupled with the electronic. It's clearly inspired by the likes of Vangelis, but it's hard to care too much when it compliments everything this well. 

Given how long the Transformers films have somewhat ignored the implications of the war and battles between these robotic people, it's refreshing to have this film treat the material with a surprising level of maturity. The film’s third act, while not devoid of silly one-liners and still entirely aimed at the twelve-year-old crowd, also manages to effectively nail the inevitable betrayal at the center of these two leads’ long lives. When it really matters, Cooley and his writers know that these kids know that there’s more than meets the eye and they treat them with the respect that they deserve. 

“Transformers One” isn’t perfect, but it is pretty great and it’s easily the best a “Transformers” movie has been for decades. A strong visual style, voice cast, and sense of maturity by the end help to smooth over its initial struggles. Once the film gets out of its own way, it barrels down the highway of fun, action, and intense stakes, amounting to an adventure and tale of brotherhood that anyone can enjoy, whether they know the difference between a Deception or an Autobot or not. 4/5