The Media Man Reviews: Transformers One

It's about time we FINALLY got a new Transformers movie that's animated for a change! Seriously, why have we not had one since the 80's? Animated Transformers movies should be way more common than this!

Anyhow, Transformers One is certainly an interesting topic for today's blog post. When the project was first announced a year or so back, I was like "Ooooh, an ANIMATED Transformers movie? This I've gotta see!" And then the trailers came out and I was...put off to put it mildly. Seriously, those trailers really didn't do the movie any favours at all. It gave me the impression that it was going to be a generic goofy silly kid's cartoon instead of a Transformers movie, and I wanted none of that. I'm already fed up with the franchise's recent media being overly kid-friendly as is. But then the reviews came out and they pointed out how the trailers misrepresented the movie and it's actually NOT as goofy as it looks. Hell, critics and audiences are outright calling this thing the BEST Transformers movie ever made! So with that in mind, I was like "Now I've definitely got to see it!" I did hope that the actual movie wasn't as silly as the trailers made it look, so I'm glad reviews confirmed that it wasn't.

Before we begin, you may be curious on how I feel about Transformers movies in general. Honestly, with the exception of Bumblebee and technically Predacons Rising if we count that as a movie (I don't, I classify it as an extended series finale episode), I hate every Transformers movie out there. The G1 movie is trash, the Michael Bay movies are all trash and Rise of the Beasts felt like a step backwards rather than forwards after Bumblebee. Yeah...not a good experience with Transformers from the movie side of things. ^^;

So with that in mind, is Transformers One THE one movie that stands tall above the rest? Or will this movie make even the Michael Bay movies look good by comparison? Let's transform and roll out...

Section 1: The Story

I'm so glad to see a cinematic Transformers movie actually adapting the current backstory of Cybertron and the Transformers themselves that first started in the Aligned continuity. Seeing this aspect of the franchise on the big screen is quite a treat for us fans. The fact we FINALLY get a Transformers movie with no humans in it whatsoever is even better. Took them long enough...

Anyhow, the story is about a miner named Orion Pax and his friend D-16 who wish to reach their true potential. In their desire to save Cybertron and fix the Energon problem, they go to the surface of the planet in order to track down the Matrix of Leadership. However, they discover a truth bigger than they could've realized and the friendship between Orion and D-16 is due to undergo the most unpleasant transformation of all time...

On the surface, the story is predictable as all hell. I mean come on, we all know how this'll go, right? Orion and D-16 will become enemies and they will become Optimus {rime and Megatron respectively, so why be invested? Simple: just because we know the outcome of the story, doesn't mean it's not interesting to check out. And believe me when I say, this was quite a watch. As foregone as the conclusion to this story is, it's still engaging to see how these two friends become enemies and how they become the famous characters we all known and love from the Transformers franchise. It presents itself as an origin story and that's what we get, the origin of Cybertron and the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Other iterations of the franchise have either talked about it or detailed it in the franchise backstory and some have depicted it like the Transformers Exodus novel that serves as a prequel to the Aligned continuity. This movie however is ALL about that origin and it was so cool to see the actual origins of the war on Cybertron depicted here and a story devoted to it instead of just talking about it in exposition. Even Transformers: Prime never actually showed us the origins of Cybertron and the great war, yet here we are for this movie.

As an origin story for Transformers, I think this can easily be hailed as the definitive origin. Everything about it is so perfect from how Orion and D-16 become Optimus and Megatron, what life on Cybertron was like before the great war, how the Autobot and Decepticon factions are formed and the events of the story that lead to the overall story of the franchise as we know it. While it does take cues from the Aligned continuity for its story, it does provide its own spin on things, so it doesn't feel like they're rehashing the story from a previous continuity or copying previous iterations without providing anything new. I especially like how in this movie, it's a big revelation that shakes Orion and D-16 and how they both respond to that shocking truth. It just worked so perfectly as a means to explain how these two different characters become the faction leaders as we know it. Because of this, I find the movie to be one of those movies that's accessible to newcomers of the franchise too. Seriously, if you want to get into Transformers, this movie is a GREAT jumping on point for it introduces us into the world of Cybertron and shows us how the Autobot and Decepticon factions became what they are today. There are a lot of references and in-jokes that only die-hard fans would get, yes, but otherwise anyone new to Transformers will have an easy time following this movie and won't be lost. It's the right kind of movie in where fans will love it and newcomers can get into it just as easily.

The story is also much darker than the trailers suggested. Yes, there is still some goofy comedy here and there, but it's not that excessive. Most of the humour is in the first act of the movie and then from the second act onwards, they tone down the comedy and things become more serious. D-16's eventual transformation into Megatron and the moment he and Orion truly become enemies was especially done beautifully with no humour to be found and as played as seriously as it should've been. The film isn't afraid to show some surprisingly violent moments too, especially with one moment where Megatron literally rips another character in half AND WE SEE HIM DO IT! So yeah, don't let the trailers fool you, this movie isn't a dumb, silly kid's comedy, it's actually WAY more nuanced than the trailers made it seem!

This is especially in regard to the themes of the movie. Transformers One tackles some pretty complex themes for what you'd expect from a movie like this with topics such as classism, political corruption, existentialism and more providing the meat of this story. They add more layers to the story that makes for a more engaging and interesting watch than you'd expect, and also makes these characters feel more human (in spite of being robots) as a result. They're also pretty relevant themes too as some of the stuff this movie tackles are still a problem in today's world, thus making the movie very topical and timely as a result. Not what you'd expect from a Transformers movie, am I right? Goes to show what happens when you don't have Michael Bay making these movies, you get a more mature nuanced story that tackles relevant themes and makes the characters worth giving a damn about.

But of course, the highlight of the film's story is the complex relationship between Orion Pax and D-16. While yes, we know how this story will end, let me tell you, it STILL hurt to see them become enemies in the end. They executed this aspect of the story so well that even if you know how it'll go, it still feels tragic to watch. Many people have compared the movie to DreamWorks's The Prince of Egypt, and I can see why. Orion and D-16 are essentially Moses and Rameses in this case and just like in that movie, it's a pretty tragic fall to see these two friends who are like brothers to each other become the opposing faction leaders as we know them. There are even reports of audiences going dead silent at the part where D-16 lets Orion plummet to his seeming demise. You know a story is good when you still feel shocked despite knowing the outcome...

Are there any faults in the story? Meh, not a lot from what I could see. Aside from some jokes not being that great and Sentinel Prime being the bad guy being a pretty obvious twist, I don't really have a lot to fault with the story here. It was well-paced, well-executed and engaging to watch, even knowing what was coming. This movie has what is easily the best story ever told in ANY Transformers movie...

Section 2: The Characters

This movie shows that when you actually focus on the Transformers themselves instead of annoying human characters, you get a much better movie as a result. Granted, not every human companion in the franchise is bad, but this movie really does prove that Transformers media is just better without any humans in it. This movie gives us some of the best depictions of these iconic characters you'll ever see with more depth and personality that was ever shown in any of the previous films.

Starting off with our leads, we have Orion Pax (voiced by Chris Hemsworth). Orion is an idealistic miner who knows he has potential and will try to reach it by any means necessary. This is before he became the stoic but benevolent Autobot leader, so this take on Optimus Prime shows him as more vulnerable, naïve, immature and flawed as a person, but he ultimately has a good spark and is able to inspire hope in others. I love the way they handled him in this movie and he more than earned his transformation into Optimus Prime at the end.

And then we have our other main lead, D-16 (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry). Like Orion, he too starts off as a nobody miner slaving away in the mines and he acts as the straight man to Orion's antics. But as the movie goes on and the truth about Sentinel is revealed, he becomes a machine full of rage and hatred and eventually it culminates in his eventual transformation into Megatron. D-16 was such a tragic fall to villainy with how he could've been a great guy alongside Orion and maybe even became a great leader. But his life being ruined by deception and lies twisted him into becoming the very monster he views Sentinel as and it's such a gut-punch to see him become this. He's like Darth Vader in that regard and it's why he's such a great depiction of Megatron. He's sympathetic, he's tragic and as sad as his fall is, we can't say we blame him for it either.

The two are accompanied by Elita-1 (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and B-127 (voiced by Keegan Michael-Key). Elita-1 is the straight woman to the more comedic antics of Orion and Bee and takes their job the most seriously. But as the movie goes in, she loosens up and becomes a friendlier person who forms a genuine friendship with Orion and Bee. And considering Optimus and Elita are lovers in some continuities, I wonder if these versions of the characters will become a couple in this continuity. B-127 is the weakest of the four protagonists here. He's not that funny with his chatterbox nature and how he has the lamest jokes and unlike Orion, D-16 and Elita, he doesn't really have an arc or any development. He's just the bumbling comic relief who's not that funny. I'm not saying he's hateable or anything, just that he's the least interesting of the four.

And then there's our villain of the movie, Sentinel Prime (voiced by Jon Hamm). Yep, just like in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Sentinel Prime is evil in this continuity and sadly, they make it pretty obvious too. This version of Sentinel is nothing more than a glory hound who wants to rule over Cybertron and he leads through lies and deception in order to keep everybody under his thumb. He's a pretty loathsome villain who I guarantee nobody will shed a tear for when he meets his demise at the end...

We got a lot of cameos of other Transformers characters throughout the movie and for fans like me, it was pretty fun trying to spot as many as we could. The only other Transformers who are worth noting here include Starscream (voiced by Steve Buscemi) in where he's the leader of a group of Transformers who secretly sabotage Sentinel's efforts behind his back, Alpha Trion (voiced by Laurence Fishburne) who informs our heroes of the truth and Airachnid (voiced by Vanessa Ligouri) who is essentially Sentinel Prime's lackey. Their roles aren't as big as the main four, but they do play some kind of significant role regardless.

All Transformers media should follow this movie as an example of how to write these iconic characters, ESPECIALLY in regards to Optimus and Megatron. I am all too happy to accept that these are the definitive versions of the famous faction leaders...

Section 3: The Animation

When the movie was first announced, I was most curious about how the visuals would look. I thought "So what will the animation be like and what will the Transformers look like?" To my delight, they look AMAZING!!!

Rather fittingly, the animation was provided by Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), the same special effects company that did the CGI for the first six live-action Transformers movies. Talk about coming full circle, eh? They did the CGI and special effects for the live-action movies, and now here they are animating an entire Transformers movie. And I couldn't applaud them enough for the absolutely stellar work on display here. The animation is the best animation ever shown in a Transformers project, bar none with so much detail everywhere, fluid movements, creative designs and a colour palette that stays true to how the franchise literally has a colourful cast of characters. I'm having a hard time deciding where to start because the animation's so good!

OK, how about we start with the designs? The character designs have this suitably retro looking design that harkens back to their G1 inspired roots while also having a sleeker and more modern update to them to make the characters look more detailed and streamlined in appearance. The characters are all instantly recognizable with many of their trademarks on display here from Optimus's red-and-blue colour scheme to Megatron's silver body and bucket head to Elita One's iconic head design to Starscream's silver, red and blue colours and much, much more. Even if they've been redesigned to look more modern, they still evoke their classic designs very well here while also looking new at the same time. A lot of that comes down to the gorgeous textures and lighting effects. The way the light shines on them looks beautiful and fully sells the illusion that these are real living robots actually made of metal. The characters are also rendered with details that make it easy to tell which bots are in which caste system on Cybertron with those living in the mines looking more grimy, dirty and scuffed up while those living up high like Sentinel Prime and his lackeys are clean, shiny and lacking any visible damage on them, not so much as a scratch to be seen anywhere. Little details like this enhance the world-building to stupendous levels and really sells that these are characters living very different lives and have been doing so for quite a long time.

Speaking of details, one of my favourite aspects of the movie is how D-16's fall to villainy is depicted through the colour of his optics. When we see him in the first half, they're yellow, and then come the midway point when the truth is revealed, they turn amber to reflect how he's becoming angrier, more aggressive and more hateful. Then when he fully turns from D-16 to Megatron, his optics become red, symbolizing that he's truly fallen and become a being of rage, hatred and brutality. That was such a beautiful detail, and I loved it.

And of course, being fully animated and with designs that are more simplistic compared to the live-action movies, the Cybertronians have very expressive faces that make it easy to tell how each character feels at a given moment. It helps that they're given faces that are easy to read, save for characters like Darkwing, Soundwave and Shockwave where they just have a visor and a mouth plate or a single optic. Those characters are expressive via their body language and their voice acting instead. In the live-action movies, they never looked particularly that expressive because of how over-detailed the characters were, so I'm glad that's not an issue in this movie.

But that's just the character designs and animation. The details don't stop there as Cybertron itself is this lush, highly detailed planet that has a lot to look at and it looks sensational. I love seeing how TF media depicts Cybertron and this version of the iconic planet is one of the best looking yet with so much creative architecture and cool designs everywhere. The floating roads are especially one of my favourite details in the movie and they lead to some neat and creative action scenes. While Cybertron is depicted as this metal world that's home to a race of robots, we later seen that the world has more to it with organic features on the surface like grass that our characters are (understandably) confused by and we also see rocks everywhere, some of which are able to shift and move. We even see other lifeforms on Cybertron which further enhances what a big world it is that has more occupying it than just the Cybertronians. The Quintessons are a notable example with their utterly alien designs and how they look nothing like the Cybertronians.

And of course, Transformers isn't what it is without cool action scenes, and this movie delivers in spades. There are so many cool action scenes in this movie from the race in Iacon to the erupting earth that threatens our heroes as they come to the surface to the final battle against Sentinel and his forces. I especially found it so cool that the animators took advantage of the character designs and let them get creative with how they fight with a lot of the Transformers using their vehicle parts as a means to fight the enemy. And I'm glad that despite being tamer than the live-action movies and a movie aimed for families rather than just the older demographic, they're not afraid to get violent. These are robots after all, so we can get more brutal in the action scenes without things getting gruesome. Being fully animated, the action scenes really make the most of what they can do with these characters and unlike the Michael Bay movies where they keep focusing on the human actors instead of the robots fighting when they happen, they're focused ENTIRELY on the robots fighting so we get to see it all in all its glory. The fact the character designs are less over-detailed and easier to identify makes them easier to follow too.

What else can I say? This a visually gorgeous movie and is a fantastic look for the Transformers. Beautifully detailed, creatively designed and depicted and full of awesome action scenes, Transformers has never looked better in my eyes...

Conclusion

Transformers One is the best Transformers movie ever made, bar none. The story is excellently told and is surprisingly deep, the relationship between the main characters is tragic and complex, the action scenes are awesome, the world-building is intriguing, and it proves to still be an emotional gut punch in spite of its foregone conclusion. Michael Bay is looking at this and WISHING his movies were anywhere near the level of this one! If you want an actual good Transformers movie, then watch this one, you won't be disappointed and may even gain a newfound appreciation for the franchise. This is what Transformers is all about and I hope we'll get more movies like this in the future. This is a movie that DEFINITELY needs a sequel or two...

And that's it for this review. I hope you enjoyed it and I invite you all to share your comments down below. Did you like Transformers One? Do you agree it's the best Transformers movie or not? Do tell me.

Next week, I'm reviewing another movie starring robots as I dive into DreamWorks's new movie, The Wild Robot. See you then media fans!