Transformers One Review: True Friends, Truer Enemies
Ashley Suvarna (Instagram | Twitter)
Before Transformers became a big screen phenomenon, before it even turned into a household name, there was a cartoon I used to watch named Transformers Armada. The characters in it were not as sophisticated as Michael Bay’s incredibly detailed models with thousands of moving parts. More like a bunch of coloured blocks piled on top of each other. But unlike the Bay movies, they had very well-written arcs, and somehow I grew to love that bulky, blocky art style.
That’s one of three reasons why I decided to give Transformers One a go. It stays faithful to the trademark design style, but at the same time makes good use of our current animation tech to get rid of the clunkiness that comes along with it. What you have in the end are fluid, almost beautiful transformations that might tempt you to hit the replay button a few times.
The second reason is the characters. I think most of the fanbase has already had enough of Optimus as the fearless, stoic leader, and Megatron as the villain with a constipated expression. This movie serves as a prequel to the Autobot-Decepticon feud, to a time when Optimus and Megatron were not yet Optimus and Megatron, but two working class rookies. Two friends who always looked out for each other and would even risk their lives to that end.
Most of the movie takes place in Iacon, a thriving underground city under the leadership of Sentinel Prime. The city is divided into two groups, the powerful, larger Transformers who hold positions of power, and Miners, lower class beings who were born without a Conversion Cog (the device within a Transformer that gives him the ability to transform). The Miners have one job – to constantly mine Energon from the deep so that everyone in the city can be fed. Orion Pax is a mischievous Miner bot with a rebellious streak and dreams of a higher purpose. While his friend D-16 is the reserved one, who believes in playing by the rules and acts as the counterweight keeping Orion in check. They both want to be useful to their kind in their own way, which is both the driving force behind their friendship and the reason why they eventually turned against each other. It was refreshing to see them exhibit a completely different persona to the one we are used to.
The third reason is because the trailer promised something the Transformers franchise seriously lacks – a sense of humour. In Transformers One, it takes the form of B-127 (who would later be known as Bumblebee), another Miner bot and a much welcome addition to the story. B-127 acts as the comic relief and elevates almost every scene he is in. The humour is mostly slapstick, but never forced, and never too much.
Iacon is beautiful, complete with shiny, brightly lit spires, Hot Wheels style driving tracks, and healthy doses of neon everywhere. Watching the city, the characters, the entire visual storytelling, reminded me of the War for Cybertron duology, two horribly underrated video games that chronicle the final era of the Autobot-Decepticon war and the ultimate tragedy of planet Cybertron. In fact, you could probably play those games right after watching this movie and it would almost seem like a straight continuation.
It’s not a perfect 10/10 story though. There are a couple of things I found that seemed a bit off. We’re going into spoiler territory now, so if you haven’t watched Transformers One yet, perhaps you should skip this paragraph. The first is D-16’s descent into madness. It felt jarring, a bit too abrupt. Until the point where he gets a Conversion Cog, D-16 exhibited zero personality issues or cues that would foreshadow his later change. Even if you consider the fact that he felt hurt and betrayed by Sentinel, plus got tortured a bit, there is still no way he goes from a chill, lighthearted, and grounded fellow to a murderous loon ready to forsake his only friend in such a short time. Almost as if he was being slowly corrupted by the Cog itself. The other strange thing I noticed was that at the end, Optimus Prime goes, “This message is a warning to all Quintessons. If you dare return to Cybertron, the Autobots will be waiting”. When did the Quintessons leave? They had retaken Iacon from Sentinel, but the Quintessons still controlled the world on the surface, right? Unless we’re supposed to believe that the Energon flow somehow made the Quintessons leave (which in itself is a ludicrous assumption), I don’t see how that dialogue makes any sense at all. Perhaps it’ll be explained in a later movie? I don’t know.
What I do know, is that getting Brian Tyler to compose the score was a fantastic idea. Tyler has already created music for other Transformers properties, like Predacon Rising and Transformers: Prime, and even been nominated for some. His score breathes life into the story, particularly the chases and action sequences, which, in my honest opinion, are some of the most fluid, thrilling examples of action choreography found in any Transformers film. And for God’s sake, please give the guy who did the camerawork a medal already.
To say that the movie satisfied all my expectations would be an understatement. It may be a simple, straightforward story of discovery, betrayal, and conflicting ideals, but the execution is nothing short of excellent. It does not necessarily follow the plot of the live action films, or the animated shows before them. I mean, Transformers has a dozen different TV shows and movies already, and every new one retcons some of the story elements established in the previous one. It’s quite a common practice in the TF universe. What’s important is that in a time when many beloved franchises are being ruined by poorly thought-out content, when making personal statements often seems to be a bigger priority than being loyal to the universe, Transformers One stays true to the essence of what it means to be a Transformers story. Not only does it serve up a platter of colourful, enjoyable characters, it complements it with breathtaking cinematography and action. And of course, a story that has heart. I’m honestly surprised that a film with so much going for it isn’t being talked about enough. At this point, all I can do is regret the fact that I had the chance to watch it on a larger screen, but didn’t.
Rating: 4 on 5 stars. You can rent Transformers One on Prime Video.
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