Summary

• Transformers One breaks away from the traditional live-action films by exploring the origin stories of Optimus Prime and Megatron in a refreshing animated format.
• The movie features a more light-hearted and humorous take on the characters, contrasting with the stoic and serious portrayals in Michael Bay's films.
• Transformers One focuses solely on Cybertron and its resident species, staying true to the original cartoons by humanizing the Transformers characters without any human presence.

Michael Bay's movies of the franchise in one clever way. Scheduled to be released on September 20, 2024, Transformers One is an exciting addition to the overarching toy movie franchise. What makes it significantly different from all the other Transformers films, especially the ones helmed by Michael Bay, is that it goes back in time and walks through the origin stories of Optimus Prime and Megatron instead of featuring an all-out battle between the two Cybertronians.

As Michael Bay's Transformers movies, Transformers One is also embracing the animation medium for storytelling instead of featuring another live-action take on the original cartoons. While only time will tell whether Transformers One will be as commercially successful as Michael Bay's films, it is hard not to appreciate how it is defying several conventions set by the first few live-action movies.

Unlike Bay's Movies, Transformers One Does Not Take Optimus Prime Too Seriously

Orion Pax Is The Opposite Of How Michael Bay's Transformers Portrayed Optimus Prime

Almost throughout Transformers One's trailer, Orion Pax (Young Optimus) and D-16 (Young Megatron) are easygoing allies who do not miss the opportunity to engage in playful banter and crack jokes. This contrasts how the Michael Bay movies portray the two characters. While Optimus Prime is a stoic and calloused Autobot leader in live-action films, Megatron is a ruthless Decepticon who wishes to eradicate all Autobots from the face of the universe. In one scene, Transformers One also literally and metaphorically raises a middle finger to Michael Bay's Transformers movies.

The kind of slapstick, juvenile humor that Orion Pax brings to the table in this scene could have never been a part of the Michael Bay films because of how seriously they took Optimus Prime.

When Darkwing confronts Orion Pax and looks down on him and D-16 for not having the ability to transform, Pax hilariously makes transformation noises while raising his middle finger. The kind of slapstick, juvenile humor that Orion Pax brings to the table in this scene could have never been a part of the Michael Bay films because of how seriously they took Optimus Prime. While Orion Pax, too, will eventually grow up and become the stoic Autobot leader from the Bay films, Transformers One's portrayal of his carefree youth feels refreshing.

Transformers One Is Still Interesting Without Human Characters

Transformers One Understands What Made The Original Cartoons Appealing

Transformers One also goes against many of its live-action predecessors by not featuring any human characters. As its trailer and story confirm, it unfolds entirely on Cybertron, focusing solely on the planet's resident species. While the human stories in the live-action Transformers movies are interesting, the franchise was never supposed to center on humans. Like the original Transformers cartoons and comic books, it was supposed to humanize the Transformers characters.

2018's Bumblebee is perhaps the only live-action film in the franchise that makes its central Autobot character the main hero instead of merely using him as a narrative device to drive its action. However, unlike Bumblebee, Transformers One is taking a no-holds-barred approach towards fully exploring the rich lore of the Cybertronians and their planet without bringing any human characters into the picture. If all works out well for Transformers One, and it earns good numbers at the global box office, it could prove that not all Transformers movies have to follow Michael Bay's recipe to succeed.