‘Transformers One’ Review Roundup: Critics Applaud The Storytelling, But Not As Enthused For The Visuals
This weekend, Paramount debuts Transformers One, the first fully-animated film in the franchise in nearly 40 years. The Paramount Animation-produced film was directed by Pixar veteran Josh Cooley, who last helmed the Academy Award-winning Toy Story 4. It’s launching wide in 3,978 theaters.
Critics are reacting favorably to the film, a relatively rare occurrence for the Transformers franchise, with 88% approving of it on Rotten Tomatoes (as of publication). Many reviewers say that this origin story for Optimus Prime and Megatron, aimed at younger audiences, is dramatically satisfying even for those who are unfamiliar with franchise lore. However, convincing viewers to give the film a chance could be a challenge, especially with the visually claustrophobic and off-putting universe depicted in the trailer, and many reviewers offered various negative critiques of the film’s aesthetics.
Here’s a choice sentence or two on the pic from various reviewers:
“Cooley pulled off the unlikely feat of finding new things to say about very familiar franchise characters in Toy Story 4. He accomplishes the same here, devising an elaborate backstory for characters who, despite their considerable appeal, were never known for a rich sense of history and psychological depth.” – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“Yet, what grounds the story amid the pileup of sci-fi terms and lore is the convincingly intense bond that these male protagonists have nurtured. There’s a gravitas to their relationship that makes the heartbreak of their eventual separation feel earned.” – Carlos Aguilar, LA Times
“Actual transforming is quite limited in the origin story, but Cooley keeps the endeavor moving along, eventually reaching a final act that’s loaded with all things Transformers, sold on an operatic scale at times, which is welcome.” – Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com
“The gorgeous 3d-style computer animation is a wonder to behold throughout, from the character designs (these seem the most expressive Transformers yet) to the elaborate action sequences (the race is a highlight) to the varied settings that make the environments seem fully lived-in.” – Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
“The camera is constantly swiveling and the violence — assault-weapon lasers, booming cannons, light torture, martial arts crunching moves, beating a rival with their own amputated limb and ceaseless pounding — is nauseating.” – Mark Kennedy, AP News
“That philosophy may explain the film’s confounding computer-generated style — one that can have a rich Cybertron universe but also can revert to what feels like a B-rate children’s TV spinoff. The result is a blockbuster animation film that somehow reads both very expensive and inexplicably cheap.” – Brandon Yu, New York Times
“At a time when many cg-animated films are boldly experimenting, the odd mix of natural lighting and realistic textures here feels uncanny more often than not. The glossy realism clashes with the intentionally blocky, toyetic character designs.” – Kambole Campbell, Empire
“[W]hile still delivering the fun and excitement expected of Hasbro’s metamorphosizing robots, Transformers One approaches the well-known characters with a degree of nuance and complexity (as well as violent finality, in a few cases) that marks the most sophisticated onscreen portrait of them to date.” – Todd Gilchrist, Variety
