Transformers One Review: More then meets the eye or stay in disguise?

 

Its a proven case that we have seen a lot of products and items that started as another medium get their chance to prove their worth and eventually become popular over the years that they evolve into a franchise of products in film and TV with many including comics like the MCU and DCEU (and eventual rebooted DCU), Adaptations to Video Games like Sonic, Tomb Raider and Resident Evil and even to some starting as comics, toys and interesting concepts like Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and GI Joe, but there is one that since their inception in the 80s has seen quite the array of choice when it came to franchising that have done it all and that is the robots in disguise of Transformers and its mainly on the side of the films in focus as the characters have been a focus of pop culture for so many, for better or for worse, since to many would say 2007 with the live action films from Michael Bay that started off with a mixed but decent first outing, messy follow up, much darker but guilty pleasure favourite to many and then the focus with Marky Mark and his funky Bunch (still annoyed by their false overpromise of the Dinobots and they only appear in the last 15 mins of that long 4th one). There was some sense of hope and revival in the form of the 80s set Bumblebee film and the recent attempt at Beast Wars with Rise of the Beasts (I say attempt as most of the Maximals are really more pushed to the 2nd half and even then most don't get much development). 

But it has been seen that one side that has been somewhat just reserved to the realm of TV and streaming was the Animation format and hasn't had a film since the original back in the mid80s, but that changed today as after being dominated in the live action realm for a bit and still having an element with this style but more in a unique animation form, we are heading back to where it all started, before the wars, before the rivalry of good and evil and before all of those movies were a thing as we go to the origins of 2 robots that while in the future become bitter enemies and leaders of the different sides to an endless war, were once close to the point of like brothers as today we are talking about the new film of Transformers One and I'll ask the question of if this movie is more then meets the eye or should stay in disguise? Well thankfully it is more of the latter and a welcome change in the realm of Transformers and one of the best film takes of the franchise, with some slight mixed results of some elements that could've been better or fixed but I will get to that as we delve into the review.

A story of bond and an eventual war

In the basis when it comes to the likes of Transformers Lore in its simplest terms and forms, it often comes down to the likes of a world deep in the far reaches of space known as Cybertron and the ongoing war between 2 factions of the Autobots and the Deceptacons fighting over the source of the world known as Energon (essentially like a form of Water or much stronger material going off what I have seen of some of the classic cartoon series) with each having their reasons for fighting and you get the idea and it has been the blueprint for many stories since their inception in 1984 and while it is a case that yes there is an element of this narrative in this films story, the whole concept of said war is more of what it will build to and rather be a focus of the origin of how these groups came to be and when the war began and it is told in the form of this specific plot for the film.

"Once upon a time, Optimus Prime and Megatron were friends bonded like brothers who managed to change the fate of the Cybertron planet forever. This is the untold true original origin story, of how these two went from brothers in arms to bitter rivals from a journey and discovery on their home planet"

So in all fairness for an origin film that does not have use established deep into the fighting or explaining that the robots have been a part of history since the Moon Landing, King Arthur's court or even the dinosaurs, it actually felt like a breath of fresh air of something a little different that feels like its own thing and helps better appeal to establish the bonds that were severed between these 2 to go to war against one another. While I would say it is great, I do not think it is overly perfect as there is an elements I would say feels by the end a fair amount of said plot threads feel abruptly rushed to be wrapped up or some changes feel a bit too sudden and needed just that little longer runtime to better establish the focus on some things that kind of affect some parts that feel like everything was going well structure wise and felt they focused a little on some things a bit too long and didn't leave room for some other bits that some could've been kept for an eventual sequel to avoid a bloated sudden resolutions for a few things or felt they were setting up to one of them (which is expected, hopefully). But besides that aspect, I think for what they establish of the turn for the eventual conflict and known lore for this series, I think it stick itself well for the most part with just needing to space out some resolutions to make it perfect.

Story: 7.5-8

The leading Bots in service

So of course besides the lore of this universe of stories, there is also the case of the ones fighting for the justice and opinions of some of the factions on this world or whatever other world will find themselves in the conflict and there is a select few that this film will focus on with characters that you probably recognize in design but not much by name. I am sure f a case I decide to do some form of follow up to this or get some insight from people that know a lot more about Transformers then I do, I would say they would give a better background to some of these (and maybe some possible bias for some characters but hard to say) but may get to that in the future but for now let me give my own insight to these characters.

Orion Pax / Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth)

So we start with the figure that many would know the most from the series besides the villain and a certain yellow bot and that is the one that will become the leader of the Autobots and that is with Optimus Prime or as he is known in this as Orion Pax. It is interesting to watch the character that is known as being the focused level headed leader of the Autobots being a bit of a cocky rebel when this all started out as I think the Michael Bay films have just had me so adjusted to the likes of hearing him sound so serious, rugged or willing to kill everything or someone is going to die instead is such a weird thin go of getting used to (and will probably change by the next film that will sound the same as last time) but I do like this change of tone and pace to show that not every character starting off in the beginning s focused and has this leader stuff figured out but I do love seeing the development over the course of this movie of him growing into that role (with a slight quick resolution by the end in some regards). TO me the best aspect and I think it works the best overall is with the dynamic of him and D-16 as it feels like the most fleshed out element that it felt believable between the 2 that there was a bond and them losing that in the end was something that really felt earned in its development and the performances are done well with it being a decently good fit for Chris Hemsworth in the role of this leader and would not mind seeing this version of the character in the future and get a bit more development. Overall I think he is one of the 2 best performances in this film and balances that well with the next character.

D-16 / Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry)

And that is of course with the character who will eventual go down the dark path and become the ruler of the opposing side of the Deceptacons and has gotten tired of taking orders and that is the character of Megatron or as he is known in this film as D-16. I think if I had to choose from the 2 leads of who I feel gives the better performance, I would have to go with D-16 as Brian Tyree Henry really gives that sense of a character that gets used, placed into predicaments that gets their ideas taken by others and feel they get often overlooked by those above or even some of his peers to bring that sense of one that is tired of taking the fall or the blame and is taking the control into his own hands and done taking orders from people and you can feel it from his vocal performance and see it descend down the path as the film goes on (even if some of the sudden change near the end feels a bit pushed on quick in the last 10 mins imo). As I already mentioned the dynamic between Orion and D in the film does however feel very developed and fleshed out that you would feel that as they drift apart and become enemies towards one another, that there is that element that maybe their is a hope they could patch things up if the brother like bond they had was strong for many years working together in the mines but maybe its an element that could also be brought up for a sequel. But as I mentioned, D-16 is probably the highlight performance of the 2 leads and them working well together is even more of an appealing factor and if this dynamic didn't work then it would've fallen apart and be a run of the mill kids film. Which going off the marketing that gave a bit of a focus to the next character, that could've nearly been the case. 

B-127 / Bumblebee (Keegan Michael Key)

And that is of course one of the last recognizable characters of the series and often the right hand man of Optimus is the small little golden boy of B-127 or to many knowing him as Bumblebee. So a lot of the time with the live action films, this particular character has been one that is often seen as mute with his method of communication by using radio waves to strong together words due to the likes of his voice modulator being destroyed or damaged by another deceptacon, but given this is the likes of a prequel tale, the character will be having his full voice and where the concern may come in at first. Now the character is voiced by comic actor Keegan Michael Key and a lot of the time, he does do some funny performances, but it was a concern that they might overdo it with this character in that area, especially in the marketing of the focus of a joke that does get brought up a fair bit in this movie but thankfully is not the one trick approach they are doing as they do reduce the zaniness shortly after and helps make him a more tolerable character. Sure I feel he does feel a little sidelined in this film with another member of this small team throughout the movie, but it is a case he'll provide some help (and some decent jokes here and there) as the narrative goes on and hopefully it gets developed more into a sequel as by the end I like the interpretation but felt it could use a little more in development, similar to the other member that ends up as part of the team.

Elita (Scarlet Johansson)

And this is with the focus to the one female led character of this film in the form of Elita that is played by Scarlet Johansson that end up being a part of this group above the surface of Cybertron. So most case to best describe her character I would see as a stern, hands on, leader character, that has no time for intolerance or stupidity and seems to be annoyed a fair bit from Orion's antics and a little with D-16 and a fair bit with getting herself stuck with that trio above the city. She does seem to grow on those characters and actually see there is a sense of character and leadership and is more to being open with those 2 that she would push aside as being initially seen as a nuisance but will see they have good intentions and just judged a bit too quickly. If there is anything I can say about the character is that I feel she does feel that little bit underdeveloped in the film as it is more of a focus to the Orion and D which makes more sense to establish the ordeal for how the conflict came to be, but I did hope we would get a little more of her and some amount of focus to the development by the end but I think what they do with her with this one is fine, but not overly great. Hopefully we can see this develop more in a possible sequel but I feel in most sense, at least they did provide some help or focus in the film in general.

Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm)

So let us talk on what would be the somewhat antagonist for this movie in particular and that is the leader for the robots of Cybertron and that is with the Blue and Gold leader of Sentinel Prime. So the likes of this character I feel is one that is a bit of a few and far between in presence as we get introduced a little in some lore backstory, then meet the character himself a few minutes in of him heading off on another expedition to find a certain item for helping to improve the lives of the citizens of the city and setting up a bit sport event for the next day. Once it ended he becomes a bit more of a rare sight to see as a character until near the end of the 2nd act and more in the 3rd act set pieces as a villain for some of the reveals as to him not being trusted and would need to be taken down but I feel a little bit of that is missing from the overall narrative to really push him as the primary villain. Sure I can say when they give a focus to him being a more untrustworthy figure that it may give it a bit more of an added oomph and add more to the end conflicts but I feel as a placement villain for the film, it is fine but needs a lot more improvement that given more of showing him being evil or his power against the main heroes was given a little more in focus cause he doesn't really add much on the likes of a memorable villain that I am sure the likes that D-16 was building to creating in the film (that we'll see take that form in the follow up) but overall a villain that needs a lot more development and more to do to be memorable then forgettable.

Some other bits in action

To wrap it up on the characters for this film, there is mainly a focus to 3 characters that would not have much of a major focus to the overall narrative, but some some presence throughout the film and are at least distinct to those that may be just seen as some background characters with a recognizable face and I will give my thoughts to each of them here. 

So I will start with the character that has a bit of a presence compared to the other 2 and that is with the bot known as Airachnid. This character would be the leader of the battalion or the right hand man for Sentinel Prime and has the sense of being a more presence of a villain then with sentinel mainly on the presence of her look and power. I think her whole spider like design and her power level in the film and actually getting a bit more in depth with the fight in the film gives a little more of a presence but its a case they would also have a bit of a underuse to them as they would often be put with the main villain and as I mentioned of them being absent for a good chunk, it is a same here with Airachnid, though I will give her the slight higher appeal as she does do a bit more in the narrative then with Prime and maybe could come back but will see how sequels come about. 

Now we go on the character that is often the catalyst for rebellion and will be the same for a future story but we have the leader of the High Guard of Starscream. Now in this case he does not have much of a presence in this film, appearing at the end of the 2nd act and a small presence in the 3rd, but in fairness I do like that they include him as besides Megatron, he is often one of the more known Decepticons and I think they do his design and focus well and Steve Buschemi is a decently good choice of the role for the few lines that he has. I am sure in most case that they will give him more to do in a follow up and he does have some little action set pieces in this film but hopefully will get more to do in the follow up but for what its worth, he works fine enough as a cameo. 

As for the last of the side characters focus I can give something of a talk on is with the remaining members of the lost group of Primes from the past and that is with the character of Alpha Trion. This character does not appear much besides a single scene in the mid point of where the group is heading to from a distress beacon sent for help where he would give some insight and lore for the narrative to continue and give them the element that will provide them the ability to transform properly and while he does not have much of a major presence compared to other figures, I think for the brief amount Laurence Fishburne does a decently good performance that I would see be a role they would've given to previous Transformer voice actor of the late Leonard Nimoy and he does have a decent amount of screen presence for a cameo. I am sure it would be cool to see the likes of Trion and the other primes work as a group and see them at their peak form but maybe as a prequel to this prequel would work for it but for the amount shown, it is decent enough as it is.

Overall I find with these characters in this film as decently good, with a bit of a flawfor some that bring it down just a little bit. I think the dynamic and the characterization of the 2 leaders that will go on to lead the 2 warring sides is the most important element to it all that if it was messed up or not done right it would've fallen apart instantly but it works the best overall. The likes of the other characters with a more focused element to it all can work as well but feel a little lacking in some regards like they were underused or pushed a little too much on one side with overdoing it with something like a bit of humour or action (mainly the former but to a certain extent) and a villain for this title that needed a little more of a presence to be an overall great villain but I think that the characters work as best they can with the focus of the narrative that I am sure if more adventures happen with these iterations of the characters that we can see more development with them to make them great but overall they do the job well enough.

Characters: 8-8.5 

Transforming the world of Cybertron

So going on from the story origins and the early beginnings to the characters tale, we will move onto what brings them together and that is with the presentation of the world being presented and some elements of design and some technical aspects in there too. So to start the aspect that I often praise with this type of film style is in the basis of animation and it is to say that I am impressed for the most part with one issue that I will get to in that next section. The world of Cybertron both in the giant city setting, the deep underground mines that grow bigger by the day for energon sources and the planet above the surface are all very visually pleasing and aesthetically feel larger in scope then from some of the visual seen in the film and was done well by the longtime industry veterans of Industrial Light and Magic that bring this shiny metallic world to life with a fair bit feeling a mix balance of class systems from the cramped locker departments of the miner bots to the more shiny gold look of the living arrangements for Sentinel Prime and his personal guard. As for the surface above the city, it has the array of feeling like one of those visual animated backdrops for a lofi or music compilation of the neon vaporwave aesthetic and seeing it in motion with the palette and lighting and everything works very well and its a case I can give great props to the animators and developers of this project as they really put a lot of heart and soul into the design and I can't complain too much on this element aesthetic at all. Sure it may not be the style that redefines the element of animation with something new like Spider-verse or Puss in Boots 2, but I think they work it well with its own style that helps make it stand out and be recognized more compared to looking similar to other projects and overall have done a fine job with it.

This also comes to the likes of the designs to the characters and the focus of being an approach of looking to the classic Gen 1 designs in being the more bulky robotic look compared to designs of later gens that have more angles, aspects and elements mixed in and as someone that may be 20 years past the original series origins and more born in the era of the more heavily detailed designs from the Bay films, I always have the appeal of the classic gen style and look that helps to make them distinguished between one another and I appreciate them keeping it to that and I would say they are perfect in design, except for one aspect that is still a little mixed in that aesthetic and that is the aspect of if it needed to be a human looking faces onto the characters. I know the likes of this aspect was something that was present back then and more of a common thing with the recent films, but it is a case that seeing it more in a detailed way in this one was kind of a bit unnerving to me, but it is probably just a me issue critique. There is an element where I see it appeal that little more and feel a callback to the old style near the end when Optimus is given his title and has the whole mouth piece and everything that with that it makes it fit more and feels close to his look and like with that you can still cast the sense of emotion that way and find unique methods to express it more is what I like and hope to see more of stuff like that. Again this is probably just a me thing and was hoping I would get used to it by the films release but it just gives off a weird vibe of the humanoid faces, but I am sure with more rewatches to the film it will grow on me but I guess we will see on that regards down the line.

The last area of the focus of this is going down to some bits on pacing and the runtime and in general I think for the length that it came out to be is a solid length of the 1 hr 45 mins works well with the film as well as the pacing, just up to the mentioned element that affects it and that is with some bits near the end that feel like everything was just throw in at once that could've been paced out a little or some kep to be resolved for a sequel that it makes it a thing of feeling it may have needed to be just that slight bit longer to fix some slight issues cause I mentioned some of the plot threads were all just wrapped up very quickly within the last 10 mins and make some pacing feel a little clunky in the end but I were to look past that for the rest of the film, I think it is still solid enough that with a little tidy would be the perfect length in its approach or resolve some of them earlier and some for future stories but it happens and in general, it works well with some bits near the end that could've been fixed.

Presentation: 9 

Writing the Primal lore can have some mixed elements

So this next section is one that I am not going to be too lengthy in discussing in general and that is with the likes of the overall writing for the film. Its a case that I can't be overly harsh on this title as I think the writing itself is not too bad and is solid enough for a film that helps make a narrative flow well, there is not much of an issue to the overall scope and I think it handles the connection and respect to the world of the Transformers well that does come with some small issues in 2 areas: one to do with some element of humour and one when it comes to the lore and world of this franchise. As I mentioned in characters is that there is a sense of humour being a concern with the likes of B-127 that it was going to be the likes of loud equals funny or the repeating of the same joke was all that was going to be the approach to this narrative but thankfully it was not all of that and there was a mix of some other jokes or line deliveries that did provide some laughs throughout (the first joke with Orion's fake out transformation is one that still provides me a laugh when I see it) and even when the likes of the same joke is used a fair amount, its not the only thing they give a focus too after a while and will throw in some new stuff here and there so it saves itself from overusing the same jokes and try their best with some other material. As for the other aspect, this is mainly down to the average viewer who may know a little on transformers but is not too caught up in the extensive lore of the Transformers like some more die hard fans that some bit may get a bit confusing to some and overtime may be something that will be a lot to take in at once. Thankfully I knew a bit on some aspects from previous films and some knowledge I have heard in the past but there was some bits I was still a little confused with but it will come around in better understand some bits in future installments to give a better idea to the lore and world or give more in depth discussion to it, but for what they have it provides some mass appeal to the fans and makes some more general audience look into it and understand things better in their own time but a little more in explaining some things may help in the long run.

Writing: 7-7.5 

The music that works for battle

This last section before the wrap up on stuff is another part that I will be making a brief discussion on and that is with the focus to the music of the film which in all honesty is not bad and is a decent bit of a score from Brian Tyler that helps to bring the sense of appeal of a techno, heroic mixed score into the overarching narrative from the more industrial sound of working deep underground to the sense of wonder dread and discovery of the surface above to the more techno element and side of things when it comes to things getting more heavier and action packed in some battle scenes and they work well in their regards as does the original song composed for the film by Tyler and performed by Quavo and Ty Dollar Sign that is not a bad track in general. If I had to give any focus of critique, there is an element that I would want some of the classic themes and tracks present in the film as well to call back to the classic era of the series with the gen 1 series tone to really give it that sense of callback while having an updated mix to it but I get it would feel weird to blend with the more modern sound but I am sure with the composer that it would have some well adjusted mix to it that would work and maybe for a sequel that could be fixed. But in general overall, it works well enough as a score to a film that could benefit with something from the classic era.

Music: 7.5-8

Some assembly is needed

Now as I have brought up in the previous categories, there is a few bits and pieces that I find from each category a bit of a critique that brings down the project just that little bit that I feel with some slight fixing to it or to the likes of improved with a follow up that we would get a proper strong movie all its own, but it is a case that that no movie is ever perfect and has its shortcomings and here is some I had from this film.

Story: This is mainly on the basis that connects a little to the issues of Presentation and that is mainly with some of the plot threads feeling like they are wrapped up suddenly in the last few minutes when it needed just a little longer to be resolved or could've been wrapped up in a later adventure as I feel that its structure for most of it is solid and then every loose thread needed to be resolved supposedly in the last 10 mins from the rise of Megatron to stopping the bad guy, their beginning of the rivalry and many other bits that felt it was all happening at once and could've been spaced out or improved with a slight extension of the runtime, but besides that everything else works well as an origin and as a film narrative.

Characters: This comes down mainly to the likes of some of the characters in the film feeling underused or under developed with it mainly pointing to 2 of the main group and the villain for the film feeling like they are not much of a presence. I am sure with the likes of the other 2 will have a chance to develop as characters if there is another film on the way or a series but just felt they could've gotten a little more to do with these characters.

Presentation: As I mentioned earlier, a part connects to the story in the likes of everything being wrapped up in the last 10 mins and felt a little rushed, which comes in the element of its pacing and runtime needing to be just that little bit longer to improve some of that element. The other aspect and this one may be a personal issue but may not be alone in the opinion but its to do with the human looking faces on the bots that it looks a little distracting and like it is more of humans in costume then with robots when the rest of the design looks really great and close to the looks of Gen 1. I am sure if they bring this version back in a follow up that I may get used to the look overtime but it is the case of being less overly detailed in the face and make it more robot looking then human looking in the face.

Writing: This mainly came down to the likes of some of the humor being overused on similar types of jokes or some not really landing as much and the other aspect is that some of the lore may be a lot for those that are not caught up or know the full extent to the whole lore and universe of the series but I am sure with giving a better breakdown explanation for some of the contents as the story goes on it may help that little bit in clearing up some confusion that some may experience.

Music: I mention that the score and soundtrack to the film is decent and has a strong sound to the backing tracks for the different setting and set pieces in the film, with my own personal issue would be that it would be nice to have a little more of the classic tracks from the original series or iconic tracks from the films and shows in their as a slight nod or reference for the fans or respect to the originals but I get it would clash in the tone and sound but maybe it can have some element to it in the future.

But those are some of the small issues and critiques that I had from the film itself. Sure it may be a different issue for some other people and may not be much of a issue for others but I just wanted to give my own insight into the project overall and lets see how it comes together overall.

More then meets they eyes or stay in disguise?

So at the end of the day, we have seen a lot of media involving these robots in disguise and is a case that some are better then others, I think I can personally say that this newest film of Transformers One is one of the more entertaining and better films to come out of this series and is really more then meets the eye, which I will say is a damn shame that this film did unfortunately underperformed at the box office as the likes of some Transformers fatigue was probably making its presence known or from the likes of some very messy marketing that was not overly appeal to many (its the common complaint I have seen online that the films first trailer was a mess) and that it was also going up against another film about a robot (that personally I think is the superior of the 2 and is part of this planned duology of robot movies) but I will say that even so, I would think that it is very much worth a watch if you are a fan of Transformers or were interested and never had the chance to catch it in the cinemas and is a strong film to watch around the holidays and beyond and I feel you may find something that you will enjoy and be entertained by the Robots in disguise and if it is successful for another film to follow this then I would not shy away from seeing it and hopefully it gets a fighting chance to do so.

Final scores

Story: 7.5-8

Characters: 8-8.5

Presentation: 9

Writing: 7-7.5

Music: 7.5-8

Final Score: 39-41 / 50 or 78-82% (B-B+)

Now with all of that this brings me to the end of another review and the first of a double bill of reviews focused on the funny robots and as always to remind people that this is just my own review and that your opinions of some of these may differ to mine and am always open to welcoming discussion down below in the comments. But with that said I would like to know your own thoughts on the film down below if you have seen it and what your thoughts on it are, did you love it, hate it, surprised, disappointed or indifferent about it or even do you think some of my points were wrong and you can say why in the comments below and we can have a civil discussion down below about it all in the comments. Anyways I shall leave it there, so I thank you all for your time out for reading  this review and I hope to see you again and as always I hope you all stay being wonderful people and have a great day everyday and I will see you all in the next review. :)

Take Care, Keep being you, Signing off

Sam H :)