While my childhood wasn’t impacted by the 80’s Transformers animated TV show or the accompanying toys, I was still culturally aware of their existence which was further solidified by the launch of the blockbuster epic series with 2007’s Transformers. Since then, each instalment has been slightly more lackluster than the last while still offering great, popcorn chewing cinema. While hitting its comic timing with ease makes for an entertaining trip to the cinema, Transformers One finds it challenging to narratively raise the stakes when we all know how the story eventually pans out.

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Transformers One is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. On the alien-robot world of Cybertron, miners without the ability to transform serve as workers for those who can. Close friends Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) discover something that could upset that social order.

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Prequels tend to be tricky beasts. While an origin story fills in the missing parts of the tale, adding depth to the characters, it really is a challenge to raise the stakes. For us as the audience to be filled with trepidation at the predicaments our protagonists face is difficult because we’ve already seen the sequel to this instalment. To make it truly magnificent, we’ve got to see something new.

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And in Transformers One, even with very little knowledge of Transformers lore, I didn’t really see or learn anything new about the characters. That’s not to say spending more time with Optimus Prime and Megatron on Cybertron wasn’t enjoyable or the world building wasn’t beautifully crafted with some great comic timing as well. 

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While hitting its comic timing with ease makes for an entertaining trip to the cinema, Transformers One finds it challenging to narratively raise the stakes when we all know how the story eventually pans out.