Transformers One is an animated movie that stars Chris Hemsworth as Orion Pax/Optimus Prime, Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1, Keegan-Michael Key as B-127/Bumblebee, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime, Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, Steve Buscemi as Starscream & Brian Tyree Henry as D-16/Megatron.
Plot[]
Cybertron is a technological world inhabited by sentient robots called Cybertronians fueled by a substance called Energon, many of whom have cogs that allow them to transform into vehicles. In the underground city of Iacon, Orion Pax, a mining robot without a cog, sneaks into an archive to watch a documentary on the Primes, the first Cybertronians made by their creator Primus. Security guards catch Orion, but his best friend, D-16, helps him elude them. Later, a cave-in occurs in the Energon mine where the two work, trapping fellow miner Jazz. While Orion and D-16 save him, their callous overseer, Darkwing, blames the incident on their superior, Elita-1, and demotes her.
Cybertron's leader, Sentinel Prime, returns from an expedition to the planet's surface to find the lost Matrix of Leadership, the absence of which caused Energon to stop flowing—thus forcing the miners to extract it. Though unable to find it, he reprieves the population with a race. To prove themselves as more than miners, Orion illicitly enters himself and D-16 using jet packs, but they narrowly lose. While Sentinel promises to reward them for boosting mining morale, an enraged Darkwing drags them to garbage incineration for upstaging him in the race, where they meet the eccentric B-127. Among the garbage, they discover a distress message from Alpha Trion, one of the Primes, with a set of coordinates on the surface. Orion convinces D-16 and B-127 to travel with him to the coordinates; they also persuade a begrudging Elita to join when she catches them sneaking out of Iacon.
Eventually, the group finds a deactivated Alpha Trion in a cave, alongside the corpses of the other Primes. Upon reactivation, he reveals that Sentinel betrayed the Primes to steal the Matrix, only for it to disappear due to Primus deeming him unworthy. In truth, Sentinel has been giving Energon to Cybertron's enemies, the Quintessons, in exchange for letting him rule the planet. He also explains that all Cybertronians are born with cogs, but Sentinel removed the miners' before activation to subjugate them. Trion gives the group the fallen Primes' cogs, allowing them to transform, and a chip carrying evidence of Sentinel's treason. Sentinel's forces then arrive, capturing Trion and bringing him to their leader, who executes him.
Evading their pursuers, the group travels back to Iacon but is captured en route by the Primes' former army, the Cybertronian High Guard, who are rebelling against Sentinel. While D-16 wins the High Guard's loyalty by defeating their leader, Starscream, Orion grows concerned over his friend's increasing aggression since learning the truth. Sentinel's forces find them, and in the ensuing battle, the evidence chip is destroyed while D-16, B-127, and Starscream are captured, along with half of the High Guard. Taken before Sentinel, D-16 learns he stole the cog of his idol, Megatronus Prime, before being mockingly branded with the latter's face.
Orion, encouraged by Elita, rallies remaining High Guard captains Soundwave and Shockwave and returns to Iacon to rescue their comrades. Once there, Orion convinces the miners to revolt and frees the captives, while Elita exposes Sentinel by broadcasting memory recordings of his lieutenant, Airachnid, throughout the city. D-16 subdues Sentinel but argues with Orion over whether to execute him, resulting in D-16 accidentally shooting Orion before ultimately letting his friend fall to his death. D-16 then kills Sentinel, takes Megatronus' cog, renames himself Megatron, and starts destroying Iacon with the High Guard.
Deeming Orion worthy, Primus and the spirits of the Primes bestow him with the Matrix, reviving him as Optimus Prime, who proceeds to defeat Megatron before exiling him alongside the High Guard. As the Matrix restores the miners' cogs and makes Energon flow again, Optimus becomes Cybertron's new leader, christens his followers as Autobots, and sends a message to the Quintessons, warning them to stay away.
In a post-credit scene, Megatron reforms the High Guard into the Decepticons, using Megatronus' face as their insignia, and declares war on the Autobots.
Cast[]
Transformers references[]
- Primus' design invokes his Cybertron appearance, but with the origins of his Aligned counterpart.
- Elita-1 calls Orion, D-16 and B-127 a bunch of GoBots
- When discussing about meeting Sentinel, Elita says Orion wouldn't have the "Touch" nor the "Power". This is gonna be a long list...
- Sentinel Prime's color scheme draws influence from his Animated counterpart, while his cape-like wing arrangement and double-sided blade homage the Dark of the Moon version. In his battle mode, his battle mask and heavily armed appearance appear to be inspired by Sentinel's appearance in the IDW comics, specifically his Apex Armor-clad form in Megatron Origin issue 4.
- It is obvious that all the Racers are based on designs from their previous incarnations G1 and G2, with only a few exceptions.
- Chromia, Mirage, Silverbolt, Deadend, Slingshot, Clampdown, Cliffjumper, Powerglide, Afterburner, Dragstrip, Swerve, Windblade, Blurr, Fireflight, Cordon, Tailwind, Strafe (spelled "Streak" in one version of the English subtitles), Swindle, Staxx, Tailgate, Lightspeed, Spinout, Breakdown, Scattershot, Inferno, Motormaster, Hot Rod & Skyfire based on G1 design. However, Lightspeed is clearly based on version Technobot, especially when you consider the fact that Scattershot, Strafe and Afterburner are also present in the race.
- Blowout, High Beam, Double Clutch, Meanstreak, Motormouth, Speedstream, Road Rocket and Jolt based on G2 design.
- Also mentioned Override, Greasepit (G2 Go-Bot) or Greasepit (Micromaster), Jetstorm, Tankor and new characters Thunderglide and Behemoth.
- Override based on version Cybertron from Trilogy Unicron, only here she is not a Velocitronian.
- Greasepit only mentioned but he presupably based on version G2 Go-Bot.
- Jetstorm possible based on version Vehicon from Beast Machines.
- Tankor based on version Vehicon from Beast Machines.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
Trivia[]
- Voicing Starscream in this movie, Steve Buscemi previously voiced Daytrader in Transformers: The Last Knight.
- This film was originally planned and designed as a prequel film for the Transformers Live Action Series.
- In an interview, Lorenzo di Bonaventura clarifies that One doesn't directly connect to the live-action films, and describes them as "two universes" that will be "[kept] separate". However, he notes that One will likely have an influence on future live-action projects. The film's review embargo is also lifted, and the film debuts with an 100% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- There are errors left in this movie:
- During when Darkwing makes his first appearance, Elita-1 and Orion Pax are appeared to be frozen
- During the Iacon 5000 scene, we see that the other racers were passing through the magnet tunnel, but when Orion Pax and D-16 make their entrance through it, the racers (who were trapped in the tunnel) mysteriously disappears
- When Elita and Orion are grouping some of the High Guard, in one scene, Shockwave is front of Thundercracker, but when Elita tells the High Guard to listen to Orion, Thundercracker is replaced with Skywarp