Often during film festival season, an anticipated film will receive a long applause time, normally well past five minutes. “Transformers One” was yet another example of this since the theater erupted in a sizable applause when the movie finished, a shocking event to occur at a Regal of all places.
“Transformers One” works for both fans of the franchise and the everyday person. While the film does have a lot of references for fans, the film is able to explain and help newcomers into the complex lore of the Transformers world. By having the two main characters Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) as fanboys, the exposition does not seem heavy-handed and out of place, but instead similar to how fans may talk about certain characters they adore from different franchises. This also helps make the leads more relatable since they seem like everyday people who just want to be noticed.
The film works as a prequel to the new-live action films but also as a soft reboot since it showcases the origins of fan favorites like Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron. The film expects people watching to know that Orion Pax will eventually become Optimus Prime and D-16 will turn into the franchise’s villain Megatron. Due to this, the movie does not try to make D-16’s change into a major twist which works in the film’s favor. However, due to the filmmakers having that expectation, D-16’s turn does feel a bit forced at first. When D-16 first starts to show his villainous side, it seems out of character which is why the film essentially tries to repeat the same scene twice.
However, after those two scenes, D-16’s turn towards his eventual path and Orion Pax’s character development feel natural and well-deserved. These moments are also where Hemsworth and Henry’s voice acting shines. While the internet was originally negative towards the voice casting, both leads start to modify their voices as their characters progress, creating a unique yet similar voice for fans of the franchise. By the end of the film, both leads did not sound like their actors which is ideal for an animated role.
Hemsworth has recently been on a new trajectory, trying to do more roles that allow him to differentiate himself from his character as Thor in the Marvel films. After his acclaimed performance as the villain in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and now “Transformers One,” Hemsworth is truly trying to expand past his typecasting. Hemsworth brings a leading presence to the film. First acting as someone who wants to prove himself to others as a natural leader with a dominating voice, allowing Hemsworth to use his deeper voice register.
Henry, famously known for “Atlanta” and “The Eternals,” also plays against his usual roles and works wonderfully both before and after D-16’s turn towards the dark side. He brings a lot more heart and also a serious level that helps the film. The end of the film showcased a substantial amount of potential for sequels, and the post-credit scene showcased how cool and scary D-16 will be going forward in the franchise.
Keegan-Michael Key plays Bumblebee, who in this film is a fast-talking bot that lacks social cues due to his previous job. Since Key provides most of the film’s jokes, it also means that Key provides both the funniest jokes like “Bad-ass-a-tron” as well as some jokes that completely fell flat. However, this is expected in a comedy film, and the jokes that do not land do not sour the film due to the film’s fast pace.
“Transformers One” is definitely a must-watch on the big screen with friends. The film’s animation is unique and beautiful to look at. The film is a wonderful stepping point for people who are either casual fans or those who barely know anything about the franchise.