Review - Transformers One (2024)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Transformers One is a new animated film from Paramount Animation and Hasbro, and marks the first fully animated Transformers film since the '80s classic. The voice cast includes the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi, Jon Bailey, and Laurence Fishburne. 

        The movie is set on Cybertron, where the surface is mostly devoid of life after a war between the Primes and the Quintessons, and the Cybertronian race, led by Sentinel Prime, lives underground and unable to transform. Front and center in this movie are two mining bots named Orion Pax and D-16. One day, along with Elita-One and B-127, Orion Pax and D-16 learn a terrible truth about their leader, and are given a chance to save their race, and their world, from a devious traitor. 

        So, this movie is easily the best Transformers movie yet, as it focuses entirely on the Transformers themselves and not on human characters. And I liked seeing the gradual progression of Orion Pax and D-16 throughout the movie, and how they eventually embrace their iconic identities of Optimus Prime and Megatron. Speaking of which, Chris Hemsworth as Optimus and Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron were fantastic. I also enjoyed Scarlett Johansson as Elita-One and Keegan-Michael Key as B-127, who of course goes on to be known as Bumblebee. Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, who was the last Prime before Optimus, was fantastic, and Jon Hamm's role as Sentinel Prime was pretty good as well. 

       I also liked seeing how the trio of Starscream, Soundwave, and Shockwave, voiced respectively by Steve Buscemi, Jon Bailey, and Jason Konopisos-Alvarez, started off as as part of the Cybertronian High Guard before they became Megatron's lieutenants in the Decepticon army. There are plenty of other Transformers, who go on to eventually become Autobots, such as Jazz, Arcee, and so forth, who make minor appearances in the movie, and that's pretty cool. 

        The animation style is really slick and shiny, and the teams at Industrial Light & Magic, along with the team at Paramount Animation, did an excellent job in the art design, which felt very much inspired by the classic Gen-1 designs for the Transformers. The music score by Brian Tyler was fantastic, as well, and definitely gave the movie a sense on adventure and action. Speaking of which, there's a ton of action, and it's exactly what fans have been wanting to see: Transformers fighting each other, and being the focus of the movie. The movie also has lots of lore dives that long time fans of the franchise will easily get. 

          Big props to director Josh Cooley for making a movie for the fans of Transformers. So, it stands to reason that I'm giving Transformers One a rating of 5/5. Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.