Transformers movies have been widely known for being action-packed, but, honestly, not that great. Many have criticized them for being repetitive, monotonous, childish, and way too long. The latest movie, however, is actually good for once.
The seven previous Transformers movies have all been live action and loosely connected in an attempt to be a cinematic universe like the MCU. Many people will claim nostalgia for the first one, with many loving the fact that Bumblebee takes form of a Chevrolet Camaro, as well as Megan Fox’s character: Mikaela Banes. The rest of them, however, have no such saving graces. Transformers One, however, disconnects itself from the live action universe, and flows more along the lines of the animated TV shows, which were all universally loved.
Michael Bay, who directed the live action movies, seemed to lose his motivation as the series went on, and the quality of his films showed it. For the latest one, though, he took a step back from the director’s chair, and chose to be a producer instead, providing quite a bit of funding for the most recent Transformers One. This allowed him to keep his precious Transformers alive, but also have someone new come in who has a good, coherent vision that he can properly convey to the actors and animators.
Humor is also a massive point as to why this film is far better than the rest. Previous works have been criticized for being too full of toilet humor, which is often not a good selling point, especially to parents who don’t want their children developing that sense of humor. Now, Transformers One has its fair share of that kind of humor, but it’s at a frequency that’s on or below average for what you would expect to see in any movie you watch. When I watched it in August, one particular joke toward the beginning of the movie stood out to me, where one character attempts to flip off another, but is promptly punched before the audience actually gets to see it.
Overall, Transformers One is a good watch. The overall plot is better, the director had actual motivation, and it was consistently funny. I would rate it a solid 8 out of 10, would recommend.
