Welcome back stinkers! I have recently gotten the chance to watch Transformers One a week early, and boy I have a lot to say! This is the Transformers movie that fans have been waiting for a long time to see. It was funny, and heartfelt, but also action packed, and had some great serious moments. Our core four characters were amazing! Bumblebee, I mean BADASSATRON, is going to be everybody’s favorite. He sure is mine. I will start off with my non-spoiler review, and then dive into some spoilers.
Transformers One Non-Spoiler Review
Now, I’m just going to state the obvious. This is the best Transformers movie ever, and certainly one of the best of the year. The characters were absolutely wonderful! I didn’t expect the story to be so compelling, along with the characters. The voice cast puts on some amazing performances. The main thing that this planned trilogy is focusing on is that relationship between Optimus and Megatron. Those two are referred to as Orion Pax and D-16. This film really focuses on what they’re friendship was like, and it ends with their breaking point. Just experiencing that in the theater was absolutely beautiful. I never exactly cried, but I did get a little teary eyed. Of course, I thought the animation and action was great as well.
Now not a lot of people are going to like the type of humor this film has, but I absolutely loved it. My theater was packed with fans and everyone loved B-127 (Bumblebee). The amount of times my theater laughed out loud was great. The way they used the humor was amazing! BADASSATRON just kept getting funnier and funnier. I thought Keegan-Michael Key created magic, and he’s a great voice actor. That goes for the rest of the cast! Chris Hemsworth as Orion Pax was a gradual build up, and by the end of the movie, I loved his performance. I don’t think it’s as good as the great Peter Cullen’s, but it sure is a contender. Then we have D-17 (Megatron), who was quite the standout. I wasn’t expecting much from Brian Tyree Henry as the voice of Megatron, but he was awesome! Especially when you get to that third act, D-17 was awesome!
Transformers One Spoiler Review
So, with my Transformers One non-spoiler review out of the way, it is time to get into some spoilers. This is where I dive more in depth about the film, and talk about my full spoiler thoughts. Now I know the movie is still coming out in a week, I just couldn’t wait to talk about this. So, again. From now on I will be diving into full spoilers. So, if you haven’t seen the movie, click off this review. I beg you to go see this when it comes out.
Cybertron and Iacon City
Now what went to show the great animation of Transformers One has to be the world of Cybertron. Iacon city looked great, and the outer world of Cybertron looked even better. The world was full of life, and interesting details! Now when the original trailer and footage started to roll out, I thought that the animation was going to have to get some getting used to. I was hooked almost immediately. It was a gradual build up, but it just kept getting better and better.
It was also something fresh for the Transformers franchise. The little we were shown of Cybertron in the other movies just showed the war and a completely abandoned Cybertron. Again, this Cybertron was full of life. So, I just thought it was great to see a new fresh take on the world. Now that I got that out of this movie, I can’t wait to see how they depict the war in the next couple movies.
Alpha Trion and The Primes (Mythology)
Now another one of the many cool parts was the Primes. Of course, Alpha Trion was a big part of that, and he also had quite the perfect casting in Laurence Fishburne. He was inspirational before Orion, and he was just so cool. Of course, he’s how our core characters get their cogs. He also acted like a bit of a plot device in a way. He’s the one that delivered that critical exposition to not only the audience, but also the characters. You could also argue that he’s a part of the roots of the breaking point of D and Orion’s relationship. If he didn’t reveal Sentinel’s true intentions, Orion and D wouldn’t have their different view points. So, I just thought that was pretty interesting.
Of course, there’s also the introduction of The Primes. We learn the origin of Cybertron, and it was great. Now a lot of people are going to say that this movie might be a bit inside baseball, but I think you could also argue that this is a great introduction to Transformers. For someone that isn’t the most knowledgeable (still a big fan) of Transformers, I learned a lot of new things about the franchise. So, even if I’m not the most knowledgeable, I still really appreciated the mythology of the Transformers world. This is after all a Transformers movie.
Starscream and the High Guard
Now Starsream was a great character! I just have to say, Steve Buscemi was perfect for Starcream. Starscream and the High Guard, was a very cool and interesting part of the movie. This was a cool way of introducing another factor in the story, a third party. Of course, by the end they merge and become Decepticons. That’s something I’ll talk about later. I mentioned that they made a great introductory factor of the film. They delivered more of that exposition, and it was awesome! I can’t wait to see the future for these characters.
You know, another one of the great jokes was when the High Guard captured our characters. Elita notices that they put a gag on B even though they were knocked out. Shockwave was like, “He wouldn’t stop talking”, then Elita says, “Even when he was knocked out?” “ESPECIALLY WHEN HE WAS KNOCKED OUT,” replies Shockwave.
Sentinel Prime
Now for a character that took me by surprise was Sentinel Prime. Jon Hamm puts up a great performance! He plays that classic charming character that turns into the villain. He played a great villain. It was really that reveal that he was working with the bad guys was where the movie picked up speed. It’s also where Orion and D start to discover their different viewpoints. I think he might be a top tier Transformers villain after this.
Elita-1
Now I hate to say it, but Elita-1 is the weakest character in the movie. However, she was still another great character. If you think about it, she might’ve shaped Orion’s character a bit. She was Orion and D’s boss in the mines, and she wasn’t a big fan of those two. However, it was sweet to see her start to warm up to Orion. She still has that banter between Orion, and it’s still great. That being said, she was a bit of a forgettable character. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed her character, but she wasn’t given a whole lot to do. I do have to mention Scarlet Johansson was another great addition to the cast. Elita is another character that I’m excited to see the future of.
B-127 (Bumblebee)
Now for everyone’s favorite character, BADASSATRON! Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee was a chef’s kiss. Now, I know Bumblebee is typically everyone’s favorite Transformer, but I haven’t seen Bumblebee get a pop like this. Yes, B-127 was there for more of a comical relief, but I viewed him as more than that. He has a bit of a sweet character arc as he connects with Orion and he makes new friends along the way. The events of the third act broke me in pieces, and a tiny part of that was B. Now he never did anything wrong, but when I saw him holding Elita back when IT happened, it was a bit sad for me. I think it’s a safe bet that he will be a wonderful character that we will see grow in character across this supposed trilogy. “This is the best day of my life! I get to work for the government!”
D-16 (Megatron)
Now a big standout of the movie was Megatron. Who’s known as D-16 throughout the movie. Brian Tyree Henry surprised me with his performance! It was really a performance that had a lot of emotion behind it. Yes, he becomes quite the villain, but it was written so well where you understand where the character is coming from. I think that goes to show how strong the writing is. They’re able to establish the friendship between Orion and D so great, they were able to break your hearts by the end when the two go from brothers to enemies. What’s even better is that most people knew what was going to happen!
Now I still know what the future of the story could hold, but I’m also clueless at the same time. I believe I know the general direction with the war and everything, but I’m so excited to find out where it goes. There’s also that post credit scene, where Megatron establishes the Decepticons. Of course, the High Guard joins him and I can’t wait to see where that dynamic takes us.
Orion Pax (Optimus Prime)
Now for the man of the hour, Orion Pax! Now I know there were a lot of people hesitant about Chris Hemsworth as the voice for the character. I at least think that he did a great job. What’s great about it too is that he gives Optimus a new voice. He isn’t trying to mimic the voice of the great Peter Cullen. Don’t get me wrong, I think Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime is one of the greatest voice castings of all time, but it wouldn’t have been good in this movie. This is a young, Orion, that still has a lot to learn. Then Chris Hemsworth has that casual build up throughout the movie, and when he becomes Optimus Prime, he has the voice of a leader.
Now I gotta talk about the needle drop moment. When Megatron blasted Optimus, and then proceeded to let him fall, my jaw was on the floor. When Megatron breaks the bond between the two, it absolutely breaks my heart. Then what happens sits with you as Orion falls through the depths of Cybertron. Then when the Primes gave him the Matrix of Leadership, it gave me hope. It was so cool to see him rise from the ashes! He then bans Megatron from Iacon city, I was like, “is he allowed to do that?” But at this point I just didn’t care.
The Future of the Transformers Franchise
Now the last thing that I wanted to talk about was what the future of Transformers could hold. Of course, we already know of a Transformers x G.I. Joe movie. The production of that film isn’t looking too sweet right now. We still have to wait to see how well Transformers One does at the box office. I personally think that after weeks of great word of mouth, this movie could have an Elemental effect. I’m not saying that it’s going to open that way, but it’s also not going to be the biggest film of the year. I still have a lot of confidence that Paramount will follow through with a Transformers animated trilogy.
Now what could a trilogy look like? Transformers One showed the breaking point of Optimus Prime and Megatron. I think that Transformers Two would show the start of the Cybertronian War. Just based on this first movie, I would only assume the action would be even better, and the stakes would be higher, and it could possibly be even more emotional. Of course, it’s way too early to tell. This was just me speculating.
Transformers One Review Wrap Up
That is going to do it for my review of Transformers One! This movie is going to be in my top 10 of the year, and I highly recommend you to check the movie out for yourself. You can actually check out my 2024 Ranked list on Letterboxd! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read another one of my reviews! Make sure you check out The Big Stinker Blog for more reviews, breakdowns, and coverage on movies, TV, gaming, and more. So, until next time stinkers! Bye bye.