Review: Transformers One – One shall stand
Directed by Josh Cooley
Voices by Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key
Legend has it that forty years ago, Marvel comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter plonked a pile of Japanese toys on Bob Budiansky’s desk and asked him to make up some story to help sell them to US audiences. Besides, Shooter claimed he’d already done the hard part by naming the two factions—Autobots and Decepticons.
Since the ‘80s, Transformers have become an evergreen toyline for Hasbro and Takara Tomy. It has been a beloved franchise across generations of pop culture geeks, spawning dozens of series and a horde of films. The latest outing marks the first animated Transformers film to make it to the silver screen since Transformers: The Movie back in 1986. This time Transformers One takes us back to Cybertron, back to where it all began.
On Cybertron, Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm) continues his quest to seek the Matrix of Leadership, a powerful item lost during the war with the alien Quintessons. With the loss of the Matrix, the Transformers are now reliant on mining energon to make up the shortfall in energy. One such lowly miner, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth), might just hold the key to finding this artefact, and with the help of his friends D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key), and Elitia-1 (Scarlett Johansson), he sets out on a quest to recover it.
Drawing from the G1 cartoon (“War Dawn”), the IDW comics, and numerous other sources of Transformers lore, Transformers One creates a compelling prequel to the Autobot and Decepticon war. We are given a backstory to Optimus Prime and Megatron (or, as they are known in this era, Orion Pax and D-16), seeing them in a doomed friendship that will be torn apart by political and martial rivalry.
Transformers One pitches this tragedy perfectly, straddling the line between the older existing fan base and the younger potential fans drawn to the animated property. Key’s B-127 (Bumblebee) is as usual the younger audience’s surrogate, giving a comedically energetic performance. While Hemsworth and Henry fall into this in the earlier half of the film, they manage to shift to a more dramatic reading as events evolve.
Add to this some breathtaking artwork, a plethora of references, a hint of class consciousness, and competently directed action sequences, and you have yourself an exceptional Transformers film. Cybertron is lovingly conveyed in stunning detail, from the gravity-defying architecture of Iacon City to the alien beauty of its plains. Likewise, the action sequence actually gives you a good sense of events rather than the repetitive slow-mo clash of car parts that is typical of most of the live action fare.
If there is a flaw, it’s that perhaps Megatron’s face heel turn is rushed. Henry does well in portraying disillusionment festering into hatred, but there’s just not enough time to explore the character’s soured noble intentions before he morphs into the homicidal tyrant we’re familiar with. In fairness, this is probably not the vehicle for that exploration, but one can dream.
A great return to animation for Transformer films, and one that’s sure to inspire another generation of fans, Transformers One definitely has the touch…it’s got the poweerrr.
DAVID O’CONNELL