[Rating: Solid Rock Fist Up]
The latest film in the Transformers cinematic universe isn’t a live action, big-budgeted CGI spectacle. Instead, this latest franchise entry, Transformers One, which also happens to be an origin story of some familiar robots, is a big-budgeted animated spectacle. Packed with action, humor and robots that flip others off (which had me laughing), this story of two best-friend robots who have to save their world is the latest fun animated flick from filmmaker and director Josh Cooley.
The planet of Cybertron has long been a planet of robots that flowed with the energy of its creator. Now, with the energy drying up, miners are installed to find energy deep into the grounds. Those who are simple worker bots respect the legends of Primes, robots who saved the world from Quintessons, evil robots bent on destroying the robots. One minor, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) sneaks into private archives to find any hint at where the Primes disappeared to and where the mysterious Matrix of Leadership has gone to. With the Matrix of Leadership, one could help save the world even more and lead the robots to total safety. Along with his friend D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), Pax enters them in a race versus Transformers to prove to everybody, including the head of Cybertron, Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm), that miners are just as valued as Transformers. Soon, Pax and D-16 are thrown into the sub basements for their entry into the race and meet B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) who accidentally holds the key to finding where the Primes went.
Soon, the three journey to the surface of Cybertron, accidently bringing along Elita (Scarlett Johansson), who Pax accidentally got fired while working the mines together. On the surface, the group discovers the Primes, and one, Alpha Trion (Laurence Fisburne) who is still functioning. Trion tells the group about the events that lead to the Primes disappearance and information that could change the fate of Cybertron forever.
Wow! That’s a lot of information to pack into a movie. I haven’t even scratched the surface of more of the plot details, but we’ll save that for later. The Transformers series has been one wild ride. The first film is a technically advanced film for the ages. Everything after that (and with the exception of Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) the series has had some really rough roads.
I’m honestly glad that the origin story is animated. The animation is very unique to anything this year and works well to the world building of Cybertron. Fans already know a bit about that world from the movies and just years of being exposed to these stories, but somebody not as familiar with the lore like me, got to see this world and how it works. The story of Pax and D-16 and how their relationship ebbs and flows with right and wrong was also very powerful in who they both would turn out to be. I also very much liked the voice cast in general.
I am glad at the direction that Transformers One took. I told my friends who saw this with me that I wanted a sequel as soon as possible to get us to the point of the live-action films. My friend also brought her 6-year-old son who said he liked it a lot. That’s a high mark for a kiddo! Transformers can be fun when they need to be fun and still have the high energy and action pack thrills of a live-action film!
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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