This animated prequel to the beloved Hasbro toy line shows how Optimus Prime (the voice of Chris Hemsworth) and Megatron (the voice of Brian Tyree Henry) became mortal enemies. They start off as the best of friends, working lowly mining jobs with Optimus generally causing trouble and Megatron having to bail him out. Eventually, the duo learns that their leader, Sentinel Prime (the voice of Jon Hamm) has been lying to them and giving the planet’s resources to evil alien invaders. With the help of Alpha Trion (the voice of Laurence Fishburne), they are able to unlock their transformation powers to save the planet.
At first, it’s a little odd hearing the Transformers voiced by big Hollywood stars instead of the familiar voices from the old cartoon and live action films. It also takes some time to get used to their new baby-faced appearance. The good news is that feeling evaporates rather quickly as the script is witty, smart, and surprisingly heartfelt.
Plus, the animation is terrific. It looks so good that it makes you wish Paramount would let the live action franchise finally die off so they could make this the main series. (Fat chance since this was not a hit.) The scenes set in the Transformer home planet look like a robot version of the city in The Fifth Element, and the action sequences are a blast too. (The big race sequence is reminiscent of the pod race from The Phantom Menace.)
The biggest surprise is that the characters (even though they are younger and brasher than the versions we grew up with) really pull you into the world. The friendship between Optimus and Megatron is engaging, and when there is a rift between them, you genuinely feel it. Megatron’s slow… ahem… transformation from cocky best friend to brooding villain is fully fleshed out and realized. These kind of simple, yet effective characterizations are sorely lacking in the other incarnations of the franchise and seem downright Shakespearean compared to the live action movies.
I’m actually shocked how much I enjoyed this. It might even be better than Bumblebee. It just goes to show there’s more to Transformers One than meets the eye.
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