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.
My views toward Michael Bay are complicated, to say the least. As a self-proclaimed cinephile, it’s almost my sworn duty to hate him, but he has a certain impact that I’ve never been able to resist. Michael Bay will never have a seat at the table occupied by the greatest filmmakers of cinema, but while his work is simple and sometimes even vapid, it packs an undeniable charm, and when it comes to mindless action flicks, nobody does it better than Bay. While it’s true that he’s had some full-blown misfires (“Pearl Harbor,” I’m looking at you), my reluctance in watching the latest two entries to the Bad Boys franchise has been due to Bay’s absence as a director, which has forced me to look inward and admit the respect I have for him and acknowledge that his style most certainly has a place in this medium, like it or not. This tidbit of information seems irrelevant, and I almost excluded given that Bay is not the director of “Transformers One”, but given the fact that it was Bay who launched the live-action Transformers universe and he is listed here as a Producer, it actually feels like it would be short-sighted not to mention him at all.
Because without him there would likely be no “Transformers One.”
In 2007, so many others and I went to the cinema to watch the first installment of the now multi-billion dollar franchise. It was loud, over-stuffed, filled to the brim with cheesy dialogue and scenarios, and probably too long for a movie based on children’s toys, clocking in at just under 2.5 hours. And I enjoyed every moment of it, much to my surprise, shutting off my brain for those 154 minutes, kicking back, and going along for the ride. That said, I felt like one iteration was enough, and other than catching a few questionable scenes from the second installation, I never felt compelled to return to the franchise and might not have even known of the existence of “Transformers One” had I not been asked to review it.
So, dear reader, I once again have found myself reluctantly sitting down for a movie I was sure to loathe because I was asked to do so, and I must confess I’ve found myself pleasantly surprised.
“Freedom and autonomy are the rights of all sentient beings.”
This is a line uttered in “Transformers One” which perfectly sums up the themes of this film and demonstrates how different it is from its predecessors, trading in intentional (?) cheese that still manages to entertain for a thought-provoking piece that, while made for children, is something that adults will have plenty to walk away with.
“Transformers One” opens with its hero, Orion Pax (voiced with perfection by Chris Hemsworth), who will, of course, become the famed Optimus Prime, something I would typically regard as a spoiler if the film itself wasn’t marketing itself with this very information. Unlike your common hero in a tale such as this, there is nothing reluctant about Orion. He is introduced from the start as a free-spirited rebel, seeking out answers that aren’t meant for him, often unwittingly including his friend D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), with no points for guessing who he will become. Orion and D-16 belong to a group of laborers forced to mine for Energons, the energy source for their home on Cybertron (the cheesiness here does not escape me). Missing a component that allows them to transform, they labor day in and day out while the real transformers, those possessing that very component, celebrate the good life above while looking down on the lesser bots. Sound familiar? Yes, classism is very much in focus here.
Through a series of events that sees our heroes rebelling by taking part in a race meant only for the top class, Orion and D-16 set out on an adventure with fellow miners Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) and B-127 (an astonishing B-127) to find the missing Matrix artifact, which they intend to bring back to the head of Cybertron, Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm) in hopes of falling back into his good graces.
What follows is a shockingly intelligent and focused tale of friendship, growth, and betrayal.
“Transformers One” is a Shakespearean tale simplified for a younger audience in a surprisingly impactful film. While obviously made for children, it seems as though it intends to introduce them to strong themes they’ll come to study later in life and learn to appreciate them at an early age, much like 1994’s “The Lion King” expertly adapted Hamlet in the same way. The themes of war, political intrigue, deception, and triumph that are regularly present in science fiction such as Star Trek, Star Wars, and this year’s Dune Part Two are all present and scaled down for its intended audience, leading to a fascinating adventure filled with twists and turns and a surprising amount of shock and grit for a PG film.
Visually, “Transformers One” is top tier, with breathtaking animation that completely immerses you in the world that’s been built here. Not a single frame is wasted, even if it’s only on screen for a matter of seconds. The quiet moments are as poignant as you’d expect from any great director, the action sequences are dazzling, and I dare say one sequence toward the end will likely go down as one of the most beautiful moments I’ve seen in cinema in 2024.
All said, “Transformers One” gives you characters to root for, moments to cheer for, and moments to dread as we see the old adage of “absolute power corrupts absolutely” unfold before our very eyes. I cared about these characters in ways I never would have expected from a Transformers movie. I cared about these situations in ways I never would have expected from a Transformers movie. I cared about this movie in ways I never would have expected from a Transformers movie.
If you have kids, take them to see this movie. If you don’t have kids, go anyway. I promise you, there’s something to love here for everybody, which shouldn’t be a surprise when you learn that a rising Pixar star helmed it.
I never expected to love this movie—not in a million years—but I can now confidently say that I would happily watch it again.
In Theaters Friday, September 20th
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