In what feels like a down year for film, “Transformers One” is one of the year’s biggest surprises and by far the best film in the franchise. 

The performances are great across the board with the strongest of the crew being Brian Tyree Henry as D-16/Megatron. His performance elevates the character and portrays a very sympathetic villain.

Chris Hemsworth casted as Orion Pax/Optimus Prime, on the other hand, felt bizarre, as it was hard to see how he could voice such an iconic character. After watching the film, I think he did a fantastic job and really sold me on this new incarnation of the character. Hemsworth was able to show the character’s growth, from a simple hot-headed underdog, to the strong and selfless leader we see at the end of the film. 

The action in the film is fantastic with the animation helping make the intense scenes pop. And since the characters can transform into different vehicles, the film really takes advantage of that for fighting, and allows a lot of creative sequences in the film. 

The story and characters were also very well written, showing the characters change throughout the film. It feels seamless and nothing ever felt rushed which made for a perfect combination. 

Although some characters like Bumblebee and Alita-One don’t have the biggest character arcs, considering the rest of the characters in the film, it wasn’t too much of a loss. 

My only real issue with the film was that not all the comedy in the film landed. You can tell it’s a film made for kids, so a decent amount of the humor is targeted towards them. Some of the jokes worked for me, with some laugh out loud moments earlier on in the film, but others just fell flat and at times it felt like it was throwing out too many jokes. However, the comedy was never placed in parts of the film that did not need it, with the most dramatic and heavy scenes being absent from them. 

Overall, “Transformers One” is a fantastic film and I cannot recommend it enough. It has something for everyone and is one of the most fun films of the year, so check it out when you get a chance!