Any connection between the animated adventure “Transformers One” (Paramount) and the great Catholic historian Lord Acton may seem unlikely. Yet director Josh Cooley’s film is a cautionary tale that fully vindicates the Victorian scholar’s famous observation that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
We’re introduced to that theme via the story of two downtrodden miners on the planet Cybertron, best friends Orion Pax (voice of Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (voice of Brian Tyree Henry). Fueled by the former’s optimistic drive, the duo embarks on a quest that could liberate them from their life of toil.
A legendary artifact, the Matrix of Leadership, once made energy abundant and freely available on Cybertron. But it was lost during a long-ago war. Now, the duo sets out to retrieve the Matrix and present it triumphantly to the idolized leader of their community, Sentinel Prime (voice of Jon Hamm).
The journey that ensues, on which the pals are joined by quirky co-worker B-127 (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) and their initially antagonistic supervisor from the mines, Elita-1 (voice of Scarlett Johansson), leads to surprising revelations about Sentinel Prime. It also eventually puts a strain on the central pair’s long-standing friendship.
All four travelers lack the cogs that would enable them to shape-shift, as the idle, snobby elite of their society do. So another idea implicitly advanced in the script – penned by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari – concerns the ability of characters to overcome prejudice and achieve their full potential.
Like the warning about ambition, however, this motif is almost wholly subsumed under a tidal wave of noisy, colorful action.
Together with a bit of off-color dialogue, the dangers inherent in the struggles Orion Pax and D-16 face in this addition to a franchise based on a line of Hasbro toys make it unsuitable fare for little kids. Older ones, by contrast, may be diverted by this origin story for two of the principal characters in the series.
The film contains perilous situations, a brief scene of torture, about a half-dozen crass terms, at least one mild oath and an implied obscene gesture. The OSV News classification is A-II – adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG – parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
