Transformers One (PG)

Orion Pax and best friend D-16 are mining robots in the city of Iacon, who proudly harvest Energon from the core of planet Cybertron to power their subterranean world and serve noble leader Sentinel Prime. A twist of fate propels Orion Pax and D-16 above ground in the company of robots Elita-1 and B-127. The plucky quartet stumbles upon ancient sage Alpha Trion (Laurence Fishburne), who bestows the Thirteen Primes' cogs to them so Orion Pax, D-16, Elita-1 and B-127 can finally transform.

LondonNet Film Review

Transformers One (PG) Film Review from LondonNet

Before Batman, there was millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. Before Wolverine, there was 19th-century Canadian outcast James Howlett. And before Bananaman, there was unassuming schoolboy Eric Wimp. Many fictional superheroes rise to greatness from humble or tragic origins and the same is true for the hardworking robots of Transformers One, which burrows deep beneath the surface of planet Cybertron to unearth the formative years of Autobot and Decepticon leaders Optimus Prime and Megatron…

Directed at a brisk pace by Josh Cooley, this slick and entertaining computer-animated prequel serves up a fizzy cocktail of turbo-charged action, humour and heartfelt emotion. Screenwriters Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari fire up the circuit boards of familiar characters from the long-running series including Bumblebee, Starscream, Soundwave and music-loving Jazz, fraying bonds of brotherhood until lifelong friends become sworn enemies and unresolved conflict neatly lays the groundwork for Transformers Two and Three.

A plot twist is clearly telegraphed and won’t surprise anyone old enough to recall the 1984 animated TV show which supported the launch of the original toy line. Digitally rendered visuals spark pangs of nostalgia for that bygone small screen incarnation. Keegan-Michael Key gleefully scene-steals as a motormouth automaton, who has created a trio of imaginary friends from scrap metal. He banters to delightful effect with an A-list voice cast spearheaded by Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and Scarlett Johansson.

Orion Pax (voiced by Hemsworth) and best friend D-16 (Henry) are mining robots in the city of Iacon, who proudly harvest Energon from the core of planet Cybertron to power their subterranean world and serve noble leader Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm). He is sole survivor of an epic battle between the first Transformers, the Thirteen Primes, and invading alien race the Quintessons. Since this cataclysmic skirmish, robots have lived beneath ground while diabolical victors rule the surface of the planet.

Flanked by loyal spider-like lieutenant Airachnid (Vanessa Liguori), who transforms into a jet, Sentinel Prime leads expeditions on the surface to locate a fabled artefact called The Matrix Of Leadership and tip the balance of power back in favour of robots. A twist of fate propels Orion Pax and D-16 above ground in the company of robots Elita-1 (Johansson) and B-127 (Key). The plucky quartet stumbles upon ancient sage Alpha Trion (Laurence Fishburne), who bestows the Thirteen Primes’ cogs to them so Orion Pax, D-16, Elita-1 and B-127 can finally shapeshift.

Transformers One out-muscles every live-action outing of the robots in disguise except for 2018’s delightful coming-of-age story Bumblebee. Stakes feel satisfyingly high, even with the certainty that key characters must survive to preserve the franchise’s 40-year legacy. Cooley’s animated odyssey shifts smoothly through the gears, building to a thunderous final action sequence that would be prohibitively expensive as a live-action spectacle.

– Jo Planter