Optimus Prime.
Megatron.
Anyone who knows the lore of the Transformers recognizes those two names. They’re the most powerful of the powerful, archenemies in a constant struggle of robotic right and wrong.
But did you know that many, many, many years ago, back when they were young bots, these two were meager laborers? Oh, yes. At that point, 50 cycles after the great war and the deaths of the Prime heroes, the inhabitants of planet Cybertron were struggling.
The planet’s denizens were divided between the haves, robots with cogs that allowed them to transform, and the cog-less have nots. And those lesser-than bots labored day after day as miners, dredging up the energy crystals needed for the community to survive.
Back then, the two future greats were known as Orion Pax and D-16. And both were thought of as fairly “useless” laborers by the robotic elites in the Cybertronian world. What they really were was … troublemakers! Not bad guys though. They were, uh, nice troublemakers.
Ater a bit of tug and pull, however, that disruptive pair became friends. And these buds had a common goal: to show the elites that the labor bots may not have cogs, but they can have dreams. They can have goals. They can make a difference.
What this pair of robos didn’t realize, however, was that their dreams were as small as a single tooth on a tiny gear. There was so much more cranking and rotating about in Cybertron. There was Prime betrayal afoot. Alien Quintessons had their metal claws in the mechanism of the hierarchy.
Oh, and there were hidden things of power waiting to be discovered … things that would change a pair of troublemakers and … transform Cybertron completely.
Orion Pax is driven to find a Matrix of Leadership that was lost during the great war. He believes the missing matrix will better the lives of all on Cybertron. D-16 eventually joins him on that self-sacrificial quest. Their search leads them to vital information and a source of great power.
A wise robot suggests that the pair should use whatever power they gain to save all Transformers. “What defines a Transformer is not the cog in its chest, but the spark in its core,” this robot declares—suggesting that the goodness in your heart is more important than power or ability.
Ultimately Orion Pax is willing to put his own metallic body at risk to protect a villain from execution. (Though D-16 is more than happy to kill and, in turn, become evil himself.) Orion can’t save everyone, but his courage to do what he believes to be just, earns him the highly valued Matrix of Leadership.
There’s nothing biblical or specifically faith-focused here, but the film does wrestle with concepts of right and wrong, as well as the value of all life.
There are seemingly both male and female bots here—the female robots sporting a feminine voice and a more svelte robotic form. But there’s no sexuality in the story.
There are quite a few perilous moments in the movie mix.
Early on, for instance, Orion Pax and D-16 force their way into a Transformer race even though they don’t have the cogs to transform. This results in them being thumped and bashed around, causing explosions in the course of the race. They barely escape being crushed by collapsing structures.
Later, they have to face off with powerful Transformers and aliens, again barely escaping destruction. We also see some bots crushed by large objects and others being ripped in half by large foes. A robotic deer gets zapped and destroyed by an alien craft. Orion and D-16 discover a graveyard of fallen Prime robots who were betrayed, attacked, impaled, ripped open and left to rust.
We see a reenergized Prime robot torn open by a large blade. The killer rips out his core. A spider-like Transformer attacks and tears up foes. There are large battles between armies of bots that smash, blast and crush each other. These attacks and evidence of great betrayal cause D-16 to rise up in anger, determined to kill a particular Transformer.
Ultimately the newly dubbed Optimus Prime (Orion Pax) and Megatron (D-16) enter into a zapping and bashing battle that causes a great deal of damage throughout the robotic city.
One bot proclaims himself a “bad-a–atron” some five or six times. There’s also one use of “h—” in the dialogue and a misuse of God’s name.
None.
Orion illegally breaks into an official information archive, then runs to elude authorities. A robot displays an offensive hand gesture. An important Prime Transformer is revealed as a liar who betrayed and intentionally enslaved his fellow bots.
Megatron’s destructive and deadly turn by movie’s end causes a complete rift between former friends. “We were given the power to change our world,” Optimus Prime tells his former bestie. “And you used it to destroy it!”
When you hear about a new Transformers movie, your mind probably jumps to images of bombastic set pieces, top-shelf CGI and slam-bam action sequences. After all, that’s where the past seven live-action films associated with this Hasbro toy franchise have excelled.
One of the areas that those past pics were a bit creaky and clanky, however, is the whole dramatic story side of things. You know, all that touchy, feely human stuff. Big bots and ‘splosions have ruled this movie roost.
Well, the lastest film in the franchise. Transformers One takes place, oh, about a billion years before the bots ever landed on Earth. There ain’t a solitary human in the whole animated tale. And yet it probably has the most “human” narrative of all of them.
This story focuses on a pair of friends who get in trouble together, face common struggles together, fight together, laugh together and become as close as brothers. Then they grow strong. And they can’t agree on how to deal with the evil they face. One wants empathy the other destruction.
It’s a story we’ve seen before. (Think, Professor X and Magneto in the X-Men films.) And all of that helps the movie’s human audience connect with and cheer for the best big bot bout outcome.
There’s also not too much here that will keep young humans from enjoying their time on the planet of Cybertron—especially when compared to the live-action film franchise, which sports plenty of PG-13 problems. This animated PG origin story feels closer to the heart of the original ‘80s animated show—albeit with better animation and a deeper storyline.
That said, a touch of coarse language here is a bit disappointing. And there’s lots of slam-bam-boom action, but nothing too perilous or scary. (Betrayal and smashed robots are the worst of it.). Still, by 2024 standards, the content concerns here should be pretty navigable for tweens on up.
All in all, Transformers One is a fun, fast-paced, and lightly funny action film that families and, yes, even fanboys can enjoy in equal measure.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
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