There have been a number of stories from all times in history where people just accept their situation in life, like India’s caste system, where each person is basically stuck in the category of society they are born into and can only move up in their next life. There are also many examples of where those that work hard stay determined achieve their dreams and fulfill their destiny, and that part of the stories told could be argued to be an example used in Transformers One.
Directed by Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4) and featuring a voice cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Brian Tyree Henry, and Keegan-Michael Key, this is the origin story of the Autobots and Decepticons that we all have known for over forty years. Orion Pax (Hemsworth) works in the mine with his best friend D-16 (Henry) along with their boss in Elita-1 (Johansson). When Orion Pax finds some information he thinks can help himself and all of his friends get out of living in the inner planet, the end up on an adventure with B-127 (Key) that will change all of them and more.
Visually, Transformers One is fine with the quality level you expect for this type of film although it is not as vibrant as some other high-end animated films I have seen, but its overall dark and action-filled plot that makes sense. The voice cast is also very good with Johansson doing so well that I was not able to recognize it was her and even thought it was someone else. Henry and Hemsworth are also incredible with the style and characteristics by both actors changing as the story goes on based on their individual journeys to get to where we all know them to land. There are also a couple of surprises here that I don’t want to put out there if you don’t know yet that I enjoyed
The script itself is where I am a bit conflicted. At just over one-hundred minutes, it felt a bit long, and while the main story works for me, it does get complicated and could be hard to follow by the younger kids (this could be why it is rated “PG” alongside some pretty intense action and animated violence). If you are not a huge Transformers fan (like myself) it may be a little tough to understand some of the underlying plot points, but I did not love or hate it. I do believe that Transformers One should be seen in a theater setting, so I will only recommend it as the cheapest way possible like in a second-run theater.
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