Movie Review: 'Transformers One'
A delightful animated movie has not only lived up to the expectations of long-time fans but is also a great introduction of the Transformers franchise to the new generation.
"Transformers One" chronicles the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron before their bitter rivalry.
Everything about "Transformers One" will make any fan of the franchise feel nostalgic due to its overall aesthetics. Its fandom will be reminded of the 1986 "Transformers: The Movie" due to its fluid animation and ensemble of voice acting cast. Similarly, the 1986 and 2024 films revolve around the Matrix of Leadership. Its rather mature tone may have been too much to handle for kids back in the 80s. Perhaps Academy Award-winning director Josh Cooley took note of the latter to craft a fully CGI-animated Transformers film suitable for all ages.
Despite its dark hues, Cooley managed to make it brighter by adding fun and humor, thanks to Keegan-Michael Key's performance as B-127, providing much-needed comic relief in the film. B-127 who funnily tried yet failed to convince Orion Pax and D-16 to call him "Badassatron" will always be one of its highlights.
Eagle-eyed Transformers fans will find a lot of easter eggs and references in the film, like the cameo appearance of Arcee, and a mention of the GoBots, the toyline released in 1983 by Tonka.
Chris Hemsworth may have found a new calling as a voice actor. There will always be comparisons between him and the legendary Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime. Despite that, Hemsworth's performance as Orion Pax/Optimus Prime in "Transformers One" would surely make Cullen proud.
To be clear though, Peter Cullen isn't retired yet and is still the undisputed voice of the Autobot leader, despite his advanced age.
The voice of D-16/Megatron provided by Brian Tyree Henry also didn't disappoint. He brought to life D-16's emotional journey of sorts, from being a loyal friend to Orion Pax to transitioning to become the revenge-fueled and villainous Megatron.
No doubt, Scarlett Johansson's voice work as Elita-1 gave color to her strong yet uber-competitive personality. Laurence Fishburne's role as Alpha Trion may have been short-lived in the film but he played an important part in adding more depth and character development of both Orion Pax and D-16. Additionally, Jon Hamm was brilliant as the cunning antagonist Sentinel Prime, and bringing Steve Buscemi into the fold as Starscream was a great casting choice.
"Transformers One" is a fun and exciting animated film guaranteed to entertain audiences of all ages. Whether you're a long-time fan of the franchise or not, this is a must-see movie.
Noob Geek rating: 10/10
