Transformers One (2024)

Transformers One (2024)

4/10

Starring          

Chris Hemsworth

Brian Tyree Henry

Scarlett Johansson

Keegan-Michael Key

 

Directed by Josh Cooley

 

I have to say this movie was underwhelming. I had some hope, considering it was an animation, and animation usually allows for boundless creativity. However, by the end, I was disappointed. The biggest issue was how the story developed. I’m not particularly deep into the Transformer franchise, so this was my first time experiencing this origin story of the rivalry between Optimus Prime and Megatron. The hate between them always seemed rooted in their roles as Autobots and Decepticons, but the film made it much more personal with a betrayal that had nothing to do with them directly. I felt that this plot twist was a missed opportunity and could have been handled better.

The animation itself wasn’t as impressive as I had hoped. While animation offers the chance for stunning visuals, the movie didn’t utilize that potential in a way that felt groundbreaking or particularly engaging. The plot was another weak point, and I believe this movie won’t attract many new fans or help the franchise grow. That being said, the voice acting was solid, and I think that was the movie’s strongest aspect.

The story centers on two friends, Orion Pax and D-16, who work in the mines of Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers. Cybertron is a planet of transforming robots, and the two friends are born without the necessary cogs to transform. It turns out that many Transformers are born this way and are forced into labor jobs like mining Energon, the planet’s key energy source.

Orion Pax dreams of more than just being a miner, and he is fixated on finding the Matrix of Leadership. The leader of Cybertron, Sentinel Prime, is the only remaining Prime after the others were killed by alien invaders. Sentinel has been searching for the Matrix for a long time, hoping it would give him the power to lead Cybertron and defend against the invaders, but he hasn’t had any success.

Pax’s actions, especially a stunt that draws attention to him and D-16, give the workers in the mines a renewed sense of hope, that they can be more than just miners, transformers without a cog. This is where the story gets interesting, as it brings conflict with their mine leader, Darkwing. Darkwing, displeased with their behavior, reassigns them to garbage disposal duty. It’s while working here that they encounter B-127, a new character who will play an important role in their journey.

Soon after, Pax uncovers a message from one of the dead Primes, and, determined to uncover its meaning, he convinces D-16 and B-127 to venture to the surface of Cybertron. There, they discover another Prime who reveals shocking information: to them. All Transformers should have cogs, and the fact that they don’t mean something is amiss in Cybertron’s society. This leads the group to the realization that there is a larger conspiracy at play. While this might seem like an exciting revelation, I didn’t feel the film built on this intrigue as effectively as it could have.

From this point, it’s clear that Orion Pax will eventually become Optimus Prime, and D-16 will become Megatron. The hate felt for one another felt forced and didn’t pack the emotional punch that such a transformation deserves. As I mentioned before, I didn’t feel as invested in this animation as I thought I would be, and it’s no surprise that it didn’t perform well at the box office and received average ratings.