Transformers One

Transformers is a franchise I've stuck with, mainly because it was such a staple for me growing up, especially the Beast Wars spin-off. I most likely had all the Beast Wars toys and vividly remember when I first watched that series.

Michael Bay brought his flare to the Transformers universe in 2007 with some pretty entertaining movies (though not the greatest stories). They were consistent in what they delivered and made for great theater experiences. I have to say, they're my guilty pleasure movies. Now we have Josh Cooley, notably known for his work with Pixar Animation Studios, bringing a new story and style to Transformers.

Transformers One takes us back to the beginning on Cybertron and follows Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) as best friends who are miners obtaining energy (or energon) for Cybertron. Their friendship is a key part of this story as they share their dreams of being more than just lonely minors and want to build a better future.

Orion Is on a mission to get the attention of Sentinal Prime (Jon Hamm) so that he and D-16 can get out of the mines, obtain their cores, and do something bigger for their home. Their rebellious nature eventually leads them to a level of Cyberton they didn't know about which is run by B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) aka Bumblebee. Soon joined by Elita-1 (Scarlett Johannson), these 4 embark on a journey that leads them to learn the truth behind Sentinal Prime and the real story of what happened to the former Primes. This knowledge splits Orion and D-16 as we see these once friends become the enemies that we know of. Cooley does a great job at disconnecting from the cinematic universe we know and brings us to a story that is simple enough to maintain the lore of Transformers. The actors seem to have a ton of fun with these characters, bringing their charisma to each, and the action sequences at the end will keep you glued to the screen. Beyond missing the original voices, there isn't much I found to nitpick with this origin story. If you grew up with Transformers and are looking for a way to introduce your kids, this is the way to go. Rating: 4/5