When I was a kid, I loved Transformers. There were several generations’ worth of toys and action figures around, animated shows packed with heart and pulpy sincerity, and even the promise of a live-action film on the horizon. “Gee whiz!” I thought, “A Transformers movie sounds great!” But then, for the next twenty years, I was gradually disillusioned. While there’s certainly a deranged, unabashedly indulgent level of entertainment and spectacle to be found in Michael Bay’s Transformers films, they don’t feel like the work of someone with deep reverence for the source material. The garish, mean-spirited, and often deeply narcissistic bots of Bay’s films felt entirely incongruous with those of the original animated series and even the 1986 animated film. Yet, they have become the default representation of these characters and stories for a whole new generation of fans around the world.
What Josh Cooley’s Transformers One proposes is: what if it didn’t have to be that way? Instead of the over-baked, under-developed cacophony of noise—both audio and visual—found in the Bay Transformers films, Transformers One is an emotionally grounded, deeply sincere, and thoroughly captivating distillation of the source material that actually works. Action-packed, exquisitely crafted, funny, incredibly thrilling, and emotionally resonant, Transformers One is the best Transformers film ever made.
TOP FIVE THINGS ABOUT “TRANSFORMERS ONE”
5. The Animation
One of the real joys of Transformers One is seeing characters from the source material translated to the big screen without obscuring or completely obliterating their original designs or their ability to emotionally connect with the audience. Unlike every previous live-action Transformers film, which included human characters for the bots to interact with, Transformers One features zero humans throughout its runtime. This creative choice allows the film to delve deeper into the internal lives, emotions, and motivations of its bot characters, offering much greater depth and nuance.
In prior films, the bots often had fragmented, jagged, and inhuman faces, making it difficult for them to express traditional emotions. In Transformers One, however, the bots have clean, well-defined faces, enabling the emotions of each scene to come through clearly. This design philosophy extends to every aspect of the film, and the animation style works brilliantly, greatly enhancing the film’s emotional resonance and overall impact.
4. The Story
There’s more coherent, cohesive, and compelling world-building done in the opening ten minutes of Transformers One than in the entirety of every live-action Transformers film combined. Not to throw too much shade at Michael Bay (anyone who made Ambulance deserves some genuine respect), but his Transformers films were essentially feature-length spectacles of giant robots crashing into one another repeatedly. They paid little attention to crafting a story or a world with any internal logic or cohesion.
In Transformers One, however, we’re dropped into a world that is genuinely awe-inspiring by comparison. Every element of the story feels meticulously thought out and developed alongside the characters. It’s refreshing to see such care in world-building (what a concept!), where everything is built to its logical conclusion.
This thoughtful approach leads to a film that really works. By juxtaposing the tragedy of a fractured friendship between the bots-who-would-be-kings with a story that explores how capitalist structures exploit class systems to cover up the horrific crimes of the elite, Transformers One delivers a far more powerful and impactful punch than I ever expected.
3. The Action
To call Transformers One action-packed would be an understatement. In its barely over one-hundred-minute runtime, there’s likely less than ten minutes of downtime between any two setpieces. The film is overflowing with story, character development, emotion, and action, all of which seamlessly fuel each setpiece. The contrast with the Bay films is stark—like night and day. In Bay’s films, the story would often grind to a halt for lengthy action sequences that neither developed the characters nor advanced the core themes. Transformers One, by contrast, delivers action sequences that are packed with progression, evolution, and even transformation, making each moment feel surprising and purposeful.
To top it all off, the action is fantastic. Each beat within the setpieces is memorable and visually dynamic, with editing that captures the full energy and momentum of the scenes. The climactic showdown, loaded with pathos, unfolds at a breakneck pace, escalating to thrilling heights in a short span of time while still allowing each moment its due emotional weight. The film manages to infuse its action with story-driven ideas, while retaining the kinetic, high-octane intensity of Bay’s best work—perhaps even surpassing it.
2. Josh Cooley’s Direction
I think Josh Cooley is really good at his job. He’s a credited writer on the original Inside Out (one of the greatest animated films of the last few decades), he directed Toy Story 4 (an exceptional film in every way), and now with Transformers One, he’s proven himself capable of handling immense scale, deep emotions, and grand scope. The way the film’s visual language reinforces its themes, while steadily progressing the diverging character arcs, is fantastic. The action sequences maintain impact and clarity, all while seamlessly weaving in humor that really works—it’s truly spectacular.
1. The Leading Duo Performances
I think Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry are two of the greatest performers of their generation. If you think Hemsworth is just another Hollywood “Chris,” I highly recommend watching his incredible, boundary-pushing performances in Bad Times at the El Royale and Furiosa. And if you only know Brian Tyree Henry for his scene-stealing roles in blockbusters, do yourself a favor and check out his immaculate work in Donald Glover’s Atlanta, where he blends heartbreaking honesty with subversive humor.
In Transformers One, both Hemsworth and Henry deliver phenomenal vocal performances. They each begin the film in a register audiences have never heard before, portraying their characters’ origins in sync with the film’s exploration of their roots. As the film progresses and the characters literally transform before our eyes, so do their performances, evolving closer to the iconic versions we know. By the end of Transformers One, Hemsworth and Henry have created distinct, heartfelt incarnations of these characters that feel uniquely their own.
Optimus Prime and Megatron have long been portrayed as immovable symbols of right and wrong throughout Transformers media. Seeing them undergo such comprehensive and large-scale arcs is genuinely surprising, and Hemsworth and Henry bring emotionally charged, powerhouse performances to both roles.
RGM GRADE
(B+)
Transformers One is an absolute delight. It engages earnestly with its source material while never feeling constrained by it. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of other genre-defining animated adaptations like Into the Spider-Verse or TMNT: Mutant Mayhem—a radical reimagining of a beloved property that breaks free from past interpretations and fully embraces the possibilities of animation. Josh Cooley and his creative team have paved a bold new path for the Transformers franchise, recapturing the sincerity, joy, and heartfelt emotion that has made the series resonate at its best.
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
