I’m a man who was born in 1983 (but consider myself a ‘90s kid), so I have to be a huge fan of Transformers, right? Well…not exactly.
Thundercats? You betcha. G.I. Joe? You know it! And don’t even get me started on the Ninja Turtles, because I’ve probably written more about them than anything else on this website. But, when it comes to Transformers, I’ve never really been that big of a fan, even after seeing every single Transformers movie (which, now that I think about it, might be the reason why I’m not that big of a fan, given how the films have had such lopsided quality).
However, after recently watching Transformers One, I think they’ve finally made me into a bona fide believer, and I have a few reasons why.
Oh, and minor spoilers up ahead for Transformers One.
The Idea Of Transformers Not Being Able To Transform Strangely Humanized Them For Me
What do Transformers do? They transform! Duh. But, like, what if they didn’t? That’s the question posed in Transformers One, and it kind of blew my mind when I first learned that that’s where this movie was heading.
Because that’s what really jumpstarts the whole narrative. The bots are living underground on Cybertron, and they’re being fed false lies about their heroes. Not only that, but some of the bots can transform, while others – those who toil in the mines for Energon – can’t. This creates a tale about class hardships that I definitely wasn’t expecting from a Transformers story.
It’s also one of many reasons why this film is just as awesome for kids as it is for adults. The fact that this is a story about the haves and the have-nots (for at least a part of the movie, anyway) is beyond fascinating to me.
Personally, Transformers has always kind of just seemed like this dumb franchise that only existed to sell toys. And while yes, most cartoons from the ‘80s were created for that sole purpose, this seemed like the most (Optimus) prime example of that.
However, the idea of a segment of them being KEPT from transforming (on purpose!) just incredibly humanized them for me. So, when Orion Pax eventually becomes Optimus Prime, and D-16 becomes Megatron, it just hit differently this time around, and in the best sort of way!
Also, Making This A Story About A Friendship Falling Apart Was The Right Call
Forgive me if this is common knowledge, but were Megatron and Optimus Prime ever friends? Because that’s what we get here in this story, which I think is a good call.
Friends-to-enemies is a trope that I much prefer to enemies-to-friends, and I love that Megatron once had Optimus Prime’s back until he learned that he’d been duped by somebody that he once admired.
I love that about this movie. The most I’ve ever been invested in Transformers was with the bitching Beast Wars cartoon (which was partly the basis for the recent movie, Rise of the Beasts, which our very own Mike Reyes reviewed as being quite good). In that cartoon, Optimus Primal and Megatron were sworn enemies, and there was never the hint of any friendship involved.
In fact, if there’s anything I do know about these characters, it’s that Megatron hates Optimus Prime, and that Optimus leads the Autobots.
That said, we don’t really get that narrative here until about the last half hour or so. The rest of the film is primarily about the disintegration of Megatron’s friendship with Optimus, and how they’ve actually come to be those characters in the first place.
It’s a riveting story, and definitely one that felt unfamiliar to me as a 41-year-old man who has known Transformers for pretty much his entire life.
I Also Like That There Wasn’t A Single Human In The Entire Story
I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t want to see any human characters anywhere near one of these movies ever again. That might be why I liked Beast Wars so much, since it was just the Transformers.
1986’s The Transformers: The Movie, is another good example. Yes, there were a few human characters in that animated film, but the primary characters were the ones in the title (not Megan Fox, and definitely not Shia LaBeouf).
Which is why I think I really loved Transformers One, since I believe human characters really sap the energy out of the other films. This is a story where we don’t see a single human character for the entire 1 hour and 44 minute run-time, which is awesome.
Paradoxically, seeing humans interact with them has always made these narratives feel less realistic for me. But, with a story focused entirely on Transformers, I feel like I can finally be invested in these characters who, quite frankly, have always felt more fully-fleshed out than most of the human characters we’ve gotten thus far in the live-action films.
The Action Was Way More Exciting Than I’ve Ever Seen In A Transformers Story
Another thing that has kind of always bugged me about Transformers is the action. As massive robots, they’ve always seemed so clunky to me.
And, I’m a man who loves his Godzilla. I’ve also always loved when the Power Rangers would take down enemies in their Megazord. Not only that, but I’m also a pretty big fan of Voltron. All of this is to say that I like big monsters and big robots fighting each other, but I’ve never liked Transformers fighting each other. It’s just never been satisfying for me.
That is, of course, untilTransformers One, where the action is intense and awesome. I think a huge part of that is just how they move in this movie, since they don’t feel heavy at all, but rather, sleek and mobile.
This might seem like a problem if you’re used to the Transformers being these big, lumbering hunks of metal like in the live-action movies. But, I’ve never been fond of that, and I’m happy that they’re able to really move and fight in this movie, as it makes everything look so much more epic. I just wish they always fought this way!
Lastly, It Makes Me Re-Evaluate Everything That I’ve Ever Known About The Transformers
You know what’s weird? I’ve felt like I’ve been on the fringes of knowing about the Transformers for pretty much my entire life. Sure, I’ve heard of things like Energon, or their home planet, Cybertron. I’ve known about characters like Starscream, Jazz, and Soundwave. All of this I know.
Yet, it wasn’t until I watched Transformers One that I felt like I really didn’t know anything at all. Because when I watched this movie, I finally learned that Cybertron is not only the Transformers home planet, but also the BODY of what is essentially their god, Primus. I also didn’t understand the lore behind any of these characters, or about the Matrix of Leadership before I saw this film.
In the 1986 movie, they kept talking about “The Matrix,” but I had no idea what they were talking about (to be fair, I was pretty young when I first watched it). Now, all of this seems a whole lot more interesting because of the way the characters in this film respond to these things.
In every way, Transformers One has gotten me to re-evaluate this universe as a whole, which is pretty unbelievable to me since I feel like I’ve been watching the characters my entire life and am now just starting to fully understand them. It only took a 2024 movie to get me to that place.
That’s why I now love the Transformers! Have you seen this movie yet? If you’re even casually into the brand, then you should definitely check it out. You won’t be disappointed.