REVIEW: ‘Transformers One’ is fun, but has small screen vibe

After making the jump to live action in 2007, the “Transformers” series has gone back to its roots, once again going to the big screen in animated style.

Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) are two best friend robots living in the mechanical world of Cybertron. The duo are at the bottom of the robotic hierarchy on the planet, working in the mines to collect energy resources vital to the population’s survival, after depletion due to a war.

They get a chance to prove themselves to Cybertronian leadership, though, when they discover a potential solution to the planet’s energy problems. What they and friends Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) and B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) find, though, changes their destinies forever.

After years of a live action “Transformers” series that was regularly in a state of decline, this animated feature was a refreshing change of pace. There’s a much greater sense of adventure and it’s nice to see a movie that’s really centered on the bots, rather than human characters that can wildly vary in quality.

The premise of watching the humble beginnings of Optimus Prime and Megatron (starting here as Pax and D-16 respectively) is a good one, especially considering they were good friends. In a way, it’s reminiscent of 2011’s “X-Men: First Class” which showed the origins of Professor Xavier and Magneto.

Like that film, there’s good intrigue from watching the groundwork of these characters be built. Knowing the direction Optimus and Megatron go adds anticipation and lends a twist to the usual Autobots Vs. Decepticons war. One just wishes the execution in key areas was stronger.

A major issue is the film’s second half where the character arcs for the two main characters feel like they’re pushed into overdrive. There’s a point where Megatron makes a face-heel turn that can give a viewer whiplash. There’s something of a similar situation with Optimus, who is also thrust into the benevolent leader role that fans all know.

However, there’s no doubt that Megatron’s transition is more jarring, ultimately. There is an interesting factor in that Megatron starts out as the one who’s a rule-follower and Optimus is more rebellious, but it’s not enough to salvage arcs that feel like they were rushed.

Another problem with the flick is that a lot of it feels like an extended pilot episode to an animated TV series, rather than a standalone major motion picture. Perhaps it’s the way it ended by setting up more adventures or maybe it’s because we as the audience know where this story goes, but it just lacks the cinematic feel other animated action films, such as “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” boasted.

With that said, the film is still fairly enjoyable, featuring some enjoyable animated action set pieces. There are quite a few good bits of sci-fi battle and adventure that capture one’s attention.

However, while the animation largely looks good, I can’t help but feel like the lips on the robots looked odd, giving off some uncanny valley vibes. Honestly, the mouths in the “Beast Wars” CG cartoon from the 90s looked better.

The voice cast and characters were somewhat hit and miss. Hemsworth brings a natural optimism and hopefulness which works with Optimus, while Henry makes Megatron properly strong-willed and uncompromising. Though it was kind of funny when Hemsworth was doing a near impression of Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus.

Scarlett Johansson, though, stands out as a “celebrity” voice pick, not really standing out as an individual character. Keegan-Michael Key, meanwhile, is OK as Bumblebee, but the writing made him too much of a comic relief figure, without enough sidekick personality.

“Transformers One” is a flick with its ups and down. The two main characters are voiced well but their arcs are rushed. The animation looks mostly solid and lends to some good action, but there are some bits that look a bit off. Finally, the pacing and resolution makes the movie come across like something more suited for the small screen. However, it remains an enjoyable animated adventure at the end of the day. 3.2 out of 5.