My introduction to transformers was the TV show transformers prime. I hadn’t seen any epic sci-fi series or movie before. I watched one episode of the show and I was hooked. I was so hooked that I would argue with anyone who wanted to watch anything else. This show and Ben 10 practically made me fall in love with the Sci-fi genre.
The live action transformers movies lacked, dare I say, composure; they always felt insane. There are some good moments in the movies, and I enjoy watching them for the huge action set pieces and the transforming scenes. I don’t know why, but the transforming scenes are really satisfying to watch. However, storytelling was always secondary in those movies. The focus was more on the action scenes and the explosions.
The story in Transformers One is solid. It is not very complex, and it doesn’t need to be. It is a classic tale of two brothers-in-arms falling out because of their moral differences—or in this case one turning evil obscenely fast. And I believe, it is a movie for the Transformers fans, although its enjoyment is not so much rooted in fan service. This movie is highly enjoyable on its own. And this is where its simple but strong story and relatable characters shine. Characters are not complex, but they serve to the story well enough to make you feel for these animated characters. Speaking of the animation, it is really good. The movie looks really shiny and vibrant. The fight scenes are electric, fun and fast. In fact, the whole movie is really fast paced. There are hardly any dull moments in the film.
And also, this movie is funny. It is very funny in the beginning and as the movie progresses it slowly gets serious. This is such a relief, because so many blockbuster movies now have so many jokes scattered throughout—even in the end—that those movies have no actual impact on you. So, this movie actually feels like a blockbuster with high stakes.
The voice acting from everyone was really good. Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime was really good, though I wish he hadn’t tried to mimic Peter Cullen, especially towards the end. I wanted him to do his own thing. Brian as Megatron was really good. I didn’t even realize that Elita was voiced by Scarlett, so that was good. And Keegan as Bumblebee was amazing. Bumblebee really elevated the movie’s energy. Sometimes he was kind of on the verge of being annoying, and that’s when I was scared for him the most, knowing the story of how he lost his voice.
There are two things in this movie I wish were different. First one is Megatron’s journey into the dark side is rather quick. I know he had lost all hope at that point, but still choosing to kill your best friend, possibly your only family that quick is still a stretch in my opinion.
The second one is that I wanted the division into two groups, one supporting Optimus and the other supporting Megatron, to be a bit more fleshed out. That moment comes and goes fast. I wish they let that moment breathe a little. Both of the above moments deserved a little time. But these are just minor nitpicks. This movie deserves to be successful because it is that good.
The problem is that the movie’s first mark on audiences’ mind wasn’t deep enough to stick. It was kind of a generic trailer. So, it is kind of concerning that it might not be able to recover its budget. Well, I hope it does well, so we get a sequel.
Thank you for reading.
