Transformers One: Movie Review

Vocal cast: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne
Director: Josh Cooley

The latest Transformers film wants to be a Shakespearean tale of tragedy, with two best friends becoming the most bitter of enemies. But unfortunately, as is the way with the Transformers franchise, it ends up a blur of explosions and robots fighting - only this time it's not CGI, it's animation.

In fairness, a lot of what plays out prior to this is amiable fare that does much to remove the rot of the Michael Bay-helmed Transformers films that just feel like endless pompous exposition and clashing of the machines.

Initially Transformers: One leans into a great origin story for Optimus Prime, known as Orion Pax and voiced by Chris Hemsworth, and Megatron, known as D-16 and played by Tyree Henry. With the city of Iacon's de-facto leader Sentinel Prime (Hamm) out looking for the Matrix of Leadership (a MacGuffin), it falls to the rest of the inhabitants to keep civilisation going.

For Pax and D-16, given they don't have a cog of transformation (a MacGuffin that helps them transform), that means a life down the mines, digging for the energy source to keep Cybertron going. 

But Pax longs for more and when he compels D-16 to get involved in a race, the pair find themselves on an accidental mission above Iacon's surface to find the missing Matrix of Leadership - and their own destiny.

Much of the first half of Transformers One is an enjoyable outing for the robots - thanks largely to the Japanese Blade Runner-esque scenery and animation. While there are elements of the 80s Saturday morning Transformers cartoons, there's also a feeling that it's been updated for modern audiences and sensibilities. The world-building is second to none, with above the city elements feeling reminiscent of Horizon: Zero Dawn with the machines living in greenery.

And the narrative deals with social commentary, as well as matters of class, revenge and betrayal. Yet, it somehow ends up with Pax doling out the usual pompous language and speeches that have been a usual tentpole of the franchise; and Fishburne's character shows up halfway through to dish out screeds of exposition and lore, further muddying proceedings and bogging them down in the worst excesses of the series.

Hemsworth and Henry make for good bedfellows though - and Key manages to imbue his B-127 (Bumblebee in all but name) with the same level of annoying that you'd expect - the gang, along with Johansson's Elita-1, makes for a solid group out on a quest.

But far too many of the lines feel like jokes that have been thrown into the dialogue and there's a distinct feeling of set-up being dished out across the film in among the origin story of Prime and Megatron.

It's a solid reinvention of the franchise in many ways and passable enough fare, but there's not quite as much that meets the eye when its finale rolls around and it falls into familiar patterns - and the inevitable sequel beckons.