Movie · 2024 · Animation, Science Fiction, Adventure, Family · 1h 44m · PG · English
Curator score: 6.9/10 (386.7K ratings)
Witness the origin.
Overview
The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.9/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.84/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 65
TMDB: 8.0/10
Director
Josh Cooley
Production
Paramount Animation, di Bonaventura Pictures, DeSanto/Murphy Productions, Bay Films, New Republic Pictures, Hasbro Entertainment
Cast
Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, Vanessa Liguori, Jon Bailey, Jason Konopisos-Alvarez, Evan Michael Lee, James Remar, Isaac C. Singleton, Jr., Steve Blum, Jinny Chung, Josh Cooley, Dillon Bryan
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A surprisingly heartfelt origin story that treats the robot spectacle like a genuine friendship-turned-rivalry drama. It balances big action, strong worldbuilding, and emotional payoff better than most franchise prequels, making it an easy recommendation for animation fans and even skeptics of the brand.
Best for
fans of animated sci-fi adventure
viewers who like origin stories and tragic rivalries
families looking for a cleaner blockbuster with emotional stakes
audiences who want action with sincere character work
Skip if
you want live-action spectacle over animation
you dislike franchise lore and mythmaking
you prefer broad comedy to earnest drama
you are only interested in the older toyline nostalgia
Overview
Transformers One works because it understands that the most interesting thing about this universe is not the machinery, but the bond that breaks. By centering Optimus Prime and Megatron as friends first, the film gives the eventual split real weight, turning familiar mythology into a tragedy with momentum. The animation is sleek and expressive, and the action has a clarity that makes the set pieces feel genuinely exciting rather than noisy.
Worth noting
What stands out most is the film’s patience. It lets the relationship breathe, and that makes the emotional turns land harder than you might expect from a brand-name prequel. The humor is lighter than in many recent family blockbusters, which helps the movie feel more focused and less desperate to entertain every second.
Bottom line
It is still a studio franchise movie, so it occasionally leans on familiar beats and broad heroics. But the craft is strong, the pacing is confident, and the final stretch has the kind of lift that can win over both longtime fans and newcomers. It is one of the better modern entries in the series because it remembers that origin stories need feeling as much as lore.
Top Letterboxd reviews
timtamtitus (4★) · 8135 likes
minus one star because this one doesn't have megan fox in a crop top leaning over the hood of a car
Joe (4.5★) · 6806 likes
Almost levitated off my seat in the last 30 minutes
Buddy O (3.5★) · 5975 likes
Ok but they forgot to play What I've Done by Linkin Park at the end.
ColbySanders07 (4.5★) · 4039 likes
BADASSATRON 🗣️🗣️
Robert Anderson (5★) · 4001 likes
So this is where doomed yaoi between Optimus and Megatron began