What’s that deafening noise? It’s the sound of massive machines grinding and crashing into view as Transformers One comes to the giant screens at Cineworld (from 11 October). Coming a year after the last film in the franchise, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, this instalment is a bit different to previous films. Not only is it an origin story, delving into how Optimus Prime and Megatron ended up being the fiercest of enemies, but it’s also computer animated. Judging by the trailer, though, Josh Cooley’s film promises to be every bit as good as its predecessors – not least because it features an absolutely amazing cast of voice actors.
In this article, we’ve compiled all the things we know about Transformers One, from what it’s about to who’s in it. By the time you get to the bottom of the page, you’ll be raring to book your tickets!
This isn’t the first animated blockbuster the director has made
Transformers One director Josh Cooley has only helmed four movies since starting his career in 2004, but one of those happened to be the 2019 Pixar blockbuster Toy Story 4 – aka the highest-grossing Toy Story movie to date. It’s almost a surprise that Cooley agreed to direct Transformers One, as his relationship with the franchise got off to a bad start. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker said of the original 1986 animated movie: “That one scarred me for life – and a whole generation.”
It features not one but two Avengers stars
Heading up the Transformers One voice cast are Hollywood icons Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson, perhaps best known as Thor and Black Widow in the Avengers film series. It won’t surprise you to learn that Hemsworth is voicing Optimus Prime, while Johansson plays Elita, leader of the female Autobots and Prime’s romantic interest. Those two are joined in the film by Bryan Tyree Henry (Megatron), Steve Buscemi (Starscream), Laurence Fishburne (Alpha Trion) and Jon Hamm (Sentinel Prime). Quite a cast, we’re sure you’ll agree.
The story predates all the other Transformers movies
As previously mentioned, Transformers One is an origin story, focusing on the early days of the Transformers on their native planet of Cybertron. In the beginning, Optimus Prime / Orion Pax and Megatron / D-16 are the closest of friends, but, of course, things don’t stay that way… “The thing that starts to drive a wedge between [D-16] and Orion Pax is that the world is not what they thought it was, and they then start to form two different views on how to solve the problem,” Cooley told Entertainment Weekly. “And these two versions just naturally butt heads against each other. They’re really trying not to get pulled apart, and that’s where the friction comes in during the second part of the movie where things get real and scary choices are made that really will affect everything.”
It was animated by Industrial Light & Magic
Transformers One looks absolutely amazing – and it’ll look even better on the giant screens at Cineworld. Credit for that should go to Industrial Light & Magic, who’ve been wowing cinema goers for decades – their CV includes such iconic movie franchises as Star Wars, Terminator and Jurassic Park. ILM also worked on the first six live-action Transformers instalments, before being replaced for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts by Moving Picture Company and Weta FX.
Audiences have been loving it
If you want to know how good the new Transformers movie is, just read what critics have been saying about it. Gizmodo's Germain Lussier gushed: "Wow. Transformers One is FREAKING AWESOME. Totally honours the legacy of the franchise while also expanding and elevating it. A powerful story of friendship gone wrong with Easter Eggs galore. This Transformers fan is very, very happy.” Hunter Bolding from That Hashtag Show enthused: “It’s vibrant, action-packed, and I was shocked at how entertaining it was.” And Collider’s Perri Nemiroff described the film as having a “great balance of CG vibrancy with texture and detail”. Sounds like a winner all round!
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