'Transformers One' Reviews: 'Transformers One breathes new life into the Transformers franchise in the most superb ways, while keeping it rooted in the canon that’s so beloved by fans everywhere"

         On September 20, 2024, Paramount Pictures releases 'Transformers One', which currently holds at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes after predominantly positive reviews from critics. In the film, "the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever." The ensemble cast includes Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, and Laurence Fishburne. But what did the critics say?

        Chauncey K. Robinson of People's World says, "The movie touches on several themes, like exploitation, corruption, and worker empowerment, in an engaging, entertaining, and fun way for the whole family. Viewers would be wrong to dismiss Transformers One as a “mindless’ cash-grab kids movie."

       Matt Fernandez of Geeks of Color notes, "Transformers One excels, especially in the context of the previous Transformers film canon, in its exploration and definition of its characters, humanizing them and underscoring the tragedy that led former brothers-in-arms to become deadly enemies." Adding, "Transformers One wisely limits itself to a handful of core characters and spends time developing their personalities’ nuances and the dynamics between them. There are still many minor side characters and cameos from recognizable bots for longtime fans to enjoy, but these are more like the cherry on top of the cake: a nice touch but not a distraction from the main dish."

       Swara Salih of But Why Tho? A Geek Community praises the film, stating, "Transformers One breathes new life into the Transformers franchise in the most superb ways, while keeping it rooted in the canon that’s so beloved by fans everywhere." Continuing, "Tyree Henry, already a prolific voice actor with his role as Miles Morales’ dad, Jefferson Davis, in the Spider-Verse films, brings incredible pathos, clarity, and resonance in his performance, making you sympathize with the miner bot, and worry for him and his decision-making."

Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

       Tom Jorgensen of IGN Movies writes, "Hemsworth does good work evolving his performance over the course of the 104-minute runtime to account for the gravitas and responsibility that come with his growing status. Starting off as a powerless Energon miner, Orion Pax’s good nature makes his ascension to Prime status somewhat gratifying, moreso as the big climactic battle approaches." Concluding, "Key’s B-127 scores a few laughs with his stir-crazy enthusiasm for his new gang, but B’s usefulness to the story is spent immediately, turning what could have been an effective cameo into a distraction from the more prominent bots. Most of Transformers One’s humor is pretty basic – broad enough for everyone to be in on the joke, but generally nothing that rises above quippy, robot-themed banter. The shortest end of the stick for characterization goes to Johansson’s Elita-1, for reasons that have little to do with her performance. The Black Widow star has turned in plenty of strong voice performances – Her and The Jungle Book immediately come to mind – but Elita is drawn here as a caricature of a girlboss devoid of any real personality traits other than “stern.” Playing one of the only two female Cybertronians in the movie (the other’s an angry spider lady) in the unenviable position of basically having to shout at the boys to stop getting them into trouble for the whole 104-minute runtime."