With Halloween just around the corner, there are plenty of spooky flicks hitting the 2024 movie calendar right now, but families need not be concerned, because there are also plenty of upcoming kids movies. In fact, it looks like there might be some pretty good options headed our way, including Transformers One, which arrives in theaters September 20. First reactions to the animated action film starring Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry were overwhelmingly positive, and now critics have gotten to expound on those original thoughts.
From what we know about Transformers One, this prequel will show how Chris Hemsworth’s Orion Pax and Brian Tyree Henry’s D-16 go from being brothers to the archenemies we’ve come to know as Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gives it 3 out of 4 stars, saying that just like with Toy Story 4, director Josh Cooley finds new things to say about decades-old characters, bringing a freshness and innocence to characters who have historically not been known for their depth. The critic says:
The big set pieces are all shaped and executed with a sense of rhythm and humor that prevents the film from becoming repetitious or settling into rote fan service. There are villains, too, but they’re not particularly important. It’s a relationship movie. The main reason to see and appreciate the movie—beyond its ability to thread that needle between giving fans something new and giving them the thing they will always want regardless—is the way it develops the relationship between Orion Pax and D-16.
Chris Bumbray of JoBlo declares Transformers One “the franchise’s best film to date (by a long shot),” praising the voice performances, a strong story and beautiful animation that all honor the works that came before it. Bumbray rates it a “Great” 8 out of 10, writing:
The voice work by Hemsworth and Tyree Henry certainly helps it. While many may have issues with Peter Cullen no longer voicing Optimus, Hemsworth works in many vocal references to his predecessor, paying homage to his iconic performance as the film goes on. Likewise, Tyree Henry’s vocal performance once he becomes Megatron begins to change, and he imbues the character with a surprising amount of pathos. It also doesn’t hurt that the film is gorgeous to look at. The animation style is fresh-feeling, and it makes an effort to be distinctive while also paying tribute to the old cartoon show and 1986 film.
Kambole Campbell of Empire gives it 3 out of 5 stars, writing that the animation doesn’t completely work for him, but that Josh Cooley is successful in delivering some effective humor and making something new out of classic IP. Campbell continues:
There’s slightly more than meets the eye with Transformers One. While the art style is sometimes off-putting, its ideas are interesting enough to make it a decent addition to the franchise.
Jeff Spry of Space, meanwhile, doesn’t take issue with the animation, calling the work done by Industrial Light & Magic, “a visual banquet of next-generation CGI.” Spry goes on to call Transformers One one of the best movies of the year, predicting that many fans will rank it as their favorite Transformers movie of all time. The critic says:
This electrifying family-friendly project four years in the making is an exhilarating ride that immediately elevates Transformers back to the pinnacle of modern Hollywood’s elite IPs with a heartfelt story, spot-on vocal performances, mesmerizing visuals, smart humor, a stirring Brian Tyler score, and engaging themes of friendship, trust, loyalty, and regret.
Not every critic is quite so high on the prequel. Tom Jorgensen of IGN gives the movie a “Mediocre” 5 out of 10. While Jorgensen enjoys the relationship between the central autobots — and particularly Brian Tyree Henry’s performance — the lackluster comedy and overall scale of the world don’t work, he says, writing:
Transformers One’s core duo of Orion Pax and D-16 and the fallout of their broken friendship provide an occasional spark, but despite the efforts of its impressive voice cast and a standout performance from Brian Tyree Henry, this animated origin story rarely shows anything more than meets the eye. Its G1-inspired aesthetic is cool in small doses, but Transformers One regularly fumbles trying to follow its transforming robots through the action. Though the tragedy of Optimus Prime and Megatron’s storied rivalry could have felt larger than life, Transformers One is mostly content with half-hearted puns and barely legible Cybertronian battles that could have used some major transforming before rolling out.
The majority of critics seem to be excited about Transformers One, as it has garnered 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Will you be rolling out to see the friends-to-enemies lore of these robots in disguise? The movie will be on the big screen starting Friday, September 20, and there are several past Transformers projects available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.