Transformers One (Christian Movie Review)
With thrilling action, beautiful animation, plenty of humor, and a ton of heart, Transformers One is easily the best Transformers movie in decades and one of the most enjoyable films of the year.
About the Film
“What defines a Transformer is not the cog in its chest but the spark in its core.” This sage counsel, given by a wise mentor to a young Optimus Prime, is a lesson Michael Bay’s live-action Transformers films never grasped. For all their noisy spectacle and transforming action, the films were hollow and lacked heart. The stink of those lackluster films still lingers, so I was skeptical about revisiting the franchise, even with the intriguing promise of seeing the characters return to their animated roots. Fortunately, with thrilling action, beautiful animation, plenty of humor, and a ton of heart, Transformers One is easily the best Transformers movie in decades and one of the most enjoyable films of the year.
The film functions as an origin story for the iconic Transformers, exploring the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron, best friends turned arch enemies. Admittedly, it’s a familiar narrative path, evoking Professor X and Magneto from the X-Men franchise or Anakin and Obi-Wan from the Star Wars prequels. The story may not be full of surprises, but it is executed to perfection. As a prequel, the destination isn’t a surprise but the journey is a total delight. The decision to strip the story of humans and let the transformers take center stage is absolutely for the best. Even for viewers not heaped in decades of Transformers lore (as I am not), the movie unfolds as an easily accessible Hero’s Journey, with positive and wholesome themes instilling a sense of purpose into the briskly paced action and captivating spectacle.
As with most animated films these days, there is no shortage of noteworthy actors lending their voices to the project, including Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, and others. They all do a fine job, even if none stand out. One quality Transformers One possesses that many recent films have lacked is excellent writing. From the overall narrative arc to the individual scenes and clever dialogue, the film is crafted with love and attention from start to finish.
The movie has great pacing, weaving together emotional drama and character-building moments with thrilling action spectacle in a way that never loses momentum. It (thankfully) also does away with the juvenile gags that largely defined the live-action films, instead offering plenty of clever jokes and hilarious one-liners that will land well with older and younger viewers alike.
Transformers One is a nice-looking film, with better visuals than the trailers led me to expect. While the film doesn’t “wow” audiences the way the Spider-Verse films do or follow the recent trend of inventively fusing various animation styles together, the visuals effectively immerse viewers into the world. Even so, Transformers One is not about visuals; it’s about the characters and story. Simply put, the film is a ton of fun. A high-octane race sequence that twists and turns throughout a futuristic city, the exciting first moments during which the heroes unlock their transforming powers, and a third-act battle that utilizes each of the transformers’ unique abilities in creative ways are thrilling to watch.
Thus far, this review has been gushingly positive (and deservingly so). But if there is anything that might damper enthusiasm (at least for parents of younger children), it’s the tone. The marketing material showcased bright colors and goofy humor, but Transformers One pushes the limits of its PG rating. While the film clearly wants to attract a young audience, it was not made for kids. Its more mature tone also leads to content some parents might not appreciate. For example, there is an unnecessary amount of profanity (see section below) and some darker thematic moments. Anecdotally, while I didn’t appreciate the language, my own nine-year-old boys absolutely loved this film and did not find any of the story too intense or mature. As a PG film, it’s certainly accessible for young viewers. But it is perhaps closer in tone to a Marvel film than to other animated fare like Despicable Me or Kung Fu Panda.
Overall, Transformers One is the biggest surprise of the year so far. As someone who personally found the live-action Transformers films unenjoyable and borderline unwatchable, Transformers One manages to infuse new life into the franchise. It is a rare example of an animated film that all ages can enjoy. The unfortunate inclusion of profanity is the only element that prevents me from giving it an unreserved recommendation. Nevertheless, with a fun story, enjoyable characters, immersive worldbuilding, and exciting action, this film is a triumph that puts the Transformers back on the pop culture map. Whenever it’s time for the Autobots to roll out again, I’ll be more than happy to get carried along wherever this promising series goes next.
For Consideration
Language: A transformer refers to himself five to six times by the self-given nickname of “Bada–atron.” There are also two uses of “h—” and one use of “God.” A character also begins to give the middle finger to another but is interrupted.
Violence: All the violence is of the PG-rated variety and, in a film without humans, exclusively “bot-on-bot.” Transformers are killed in a variety of ways (stabbed with blades, blasted with guns, ripped in half, etc.), but nothing is gratuitous or graphic.
Sexuality: None.
Other: A character makes a remark about “false prophets,” and Cybertron—the sentient being that created the original transformers and now serves as the planet they live on—is spoken of almost as a deity-like figure, although the film does not explore spirituality in any depth.
Engage The Film
Inner v. Outer Strength
The central thematic tension in Transformers One is the contrast between inner and outer strength and the freedom to make choices that have a positive or negative impact on the world. Through the characters of Optimus Prime and Metatron, the film traces the consequences of good and bad choices.
Optimus Prime strives to prove that he is capable of much more than being a lowly miner without transformation abilities. Initially, his lack of a “cog” (the device that enables transformation power) appears to put an end to such aspirations. A turning point comes when a wise mentor instructs him, “What defines a Transformer is not the cog in its chest but the spark in its core.” He cannot control his circumstances, and he may lack impressive outward abilities, but he still can choose to demonstrate a noble inner character and strength. Throughout the rest of the film, he shows that he was always worthy and capable of being a hero.
Conversely, Megatron takes the opposite path. When he discovers that the transformers have been lied to by those he trusted, he is infuriated. Both he and Optimus have been mistreated and betrayed, but they respond differently. Megatron chooses to fight fire with fire, using his newfound abilities and powers to act just like the power-hungry and controlling villains he confronts. Optimus Prime faces the bad guys too, but he demonstrates mercy and a desire to demonstrate a better way. He condemns his former friend’s actions: “We were given the power to change our world, and you used it to destroy it!”
We cannot control our circumstances, but God has gifted us with a free will to choose how we respond. Jesus called his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:43-48). Life is difficult, and the pain of betrayal and broken trust is real. Yet God has given people the free will to respond with love rather than anger. During a time when it has become in vogue to meet anger with anger and hate with hate, the film’s themes are timely for viewers of all ages.
