As a franchise that has endured for 40 years, Transformers has seen its ups and downs. The never-ending battle between the Autobots and Decepticons proved so popular with children in the ‘80s that it was inevitable they would make the leap from the small screen to the big screen. What they did not anticipate with 1986’s Transformers: The Movie, however, was the huge creative swing it took with its dark storytelling, risking the franchise’s popularity by killing off fan favorites.

Two decades later, the live-action Transformers movie under Michael Bay’s direction resulted in massive box office returns and toys flying off the shelves. But with each sequel that followed, the quality diminished. The Spielberg-esque storytelling of the first installment took a backseat to hyper-active human characters, dorky humor, and controverisal shots of Megan Fox. Josh Cooley’s animated prequel Transformers One puts the Autobots and Decepticons back in the front seat where they always belonged.

‘Transformers One’ Explores the Early Friendship Between Optimus Prime And Megatron
Image via Paramount Pictures

Taking inspiration from the animated series from 1984-1987, Transformers One is primarily set on Cybertron years before the planet fell, leading to the Autobots/Decepticons conflict on Earth. With few exceptions, the original characters are incapable of transforming as they live as mining robots working under their remaining leader, Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm), to extract Energon cubes for power. While the live-action movies explained the backstory of Cybertron’s fall, they often convoluted the narrative with ties to human history, such as the Moon landing of 1969 and the folk legend of King Arthur’s Excalibur. The focus specifically on the overworked inhabitants of Cybertron under Sentinel Prime’s leadership helps to explain why the Autobots become compassionate to the human race, while the Decepticons see them as a threat to their survival.

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Unlike the live-action films, there’s no Sam Whitwicky, Colonel Lennox, or Cade Yager present to drive the narrative from the human perspective. Transformers One’s direction as a 3D animated movie allows for the characters to have relatable personalities as they did in the ’80s cartoons instead of larger-than-life CGI designs in the real world devoid of expressions. The heart of the story is the early friendship of Orion Pax/Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16/Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry). Neither character has reached leadership status as the two share the belief that they are destined to be more than mining robots without cogs to transform. Their dynamic is that of a brotherhood akin to young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, where one lets their emotions affect their judgment while the other curbs them from their worst instincts.

‘Transformers One’ Takes Dark Turns Rarely Seen Since the 1986 Movie

Oftentimes, critics like Leonard Maltin slammed the Transformers movies in his Movie & Video Guide book as nothing more than expensive commercials for Hasbro to sell toys. The live-action films in particular often added a secondary villain to Megatron that would be underwritten and quickly disposable by the third act. In the case of Sentinel Prime, he lacked depth as an Autobot traitor working for the Decepticons to “save” Cybertron in the third installment, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. In Transformers One, however, Sentinel’s motives are far worse as he deals Energon with the Quintessons in exchange for his dominance. To that end, Sentinel represents many controversial leaders in world history who deceived their citizens with false hopes and promises to enslave them for personal gain.

Though the 1986 animated movie delivered the same kid-friendly action and humor of its small screen counterpart, it managed to tell a compelling story about an aging leader’s ultimate sacrifice and how the next generation picks up the baton. Transformers One shares a similar morality tale to Cooley’s Toy Story 4 where the hero has a journey of self-discovery. Additionally, the story does not hesitate to reach dark places like the 1986 film despite the marketing campaign suggesting a fun kids’ movie similar to the recent animated hit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

Upon learning of Sentinel’s violent betrayal of the Primes, Orion wants to expose the truth to all of Cybertron so they can rise in the name of freedom. On the other hand, D-16 believes in an eye for an eye with a mission to kill Sentinel. Even when he, along with Orion, B-127/Bumblebee (Keegan-Michael Key), and Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) encounter the High Guard led by Starscream (Steve Buscemi), D-16’s killer instinct is on full display when he nearly blows away his future right-hand henchman in a nod to his eventual demise from the 1986 movie. This goes into an entirely heightened level of drama by the time D-16 fully embraces his new identity as Megatron in the final act. He’s willing to kill his best friend Orion and destroy the city for no other reason than to take Sentinel’s place rather than avenge the fallen Primes. Transformers One is a true Shakespearean tragedy and is way more than what meets the eye. Surpassing the live-action installments that came before it, the movie finds humanity within the iconic characters in ways that elevate the franchise to the heights of critical acclaim rather than mindless toy commercials.

Transformers One is available to watch on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Watch on Paramount+

Transformers One explores the origins of the iconic Autobots and Decepticons on their home planet of Cybertron. Set against a complex backdrop of alliances and betrayals, the film delves into the formative events and key figures that shaped these legendary factions, leading to their epic conflict.Release Date September 20, 2024 Director Josh Cooley Cast Chris Hemsworth , Brian Tyree Henry , Scarlett Johansson , keegan-michael key , Steve Buscemi , Laurence Fishburne , Jon Hamm , Vanessa Liguori , Jon Bailey , Jason Konopisos-Alvarez , Evan Michael Lee , James Remar , Isaac C. Singleton Jr. , Steve Blum , Jinny Chung , Josh Cooley , Dillon Bryan Runtime 104 Minutes Writers Andrew Barrer , Steve Desmond , Gabriel Ferrari Expand