Holy Camaro! For a franchise that has been around for forty years, the toy-based movies and shows have given us quite a run for entertainment. However, I have not been entirely keen on the franchise nor the lore of the Transformers universe since I was younger. My dad, who is a big fan of Transformers, had seen the movies directed by Michael Bay. In all honesty, I was not at all invested initially, considering most fans complained that the movies mainly focused on the humans rather than the robots themselves.
This latest movie focuses on the origin story of two characters, Optimus Prime and his antagonist Megatron, who were once Orion Pax and D-16, respectively, and then goes into how their friendship slowly fell apart due to a corrupted system in their home. Once brothers, now enemies. Upon the movie’s release to theaters, fans proclaimed that the movie was pretty good, and social media held it in high regard.
For an animated movie that is rated for a PG audience, some mature undertones are not noticeable by younger audiences, but are recognized by adults who understand how society and human history work. In the fictional location of Lacon City, there is a hierarchy of different robots differentiating by one thing: the power to transform into vehicles. Other undertones include mistreatment of the lower class who lack abilities, which restrict them to perform one job for the rest of their lives. Within these circumstances, you see the friendship between Orion and D-16 slowly deteriorate as they discover the dark truth of their society and its leaders.
It’s honestly heartbreaking to see it all fall apart between Orion and D-16 as their characters develop. It goes from one always breaking protocol while the other sticks to it, to the roles reversing with Orion learning about responsibility and D-16 slowly starting to break his moral code in the name of justice. And honestly, the portrayal of their brother-like friendship turned into enemies is emotionally difficult to watch.
Aside from the two characters, there were others who played a part in the journey, such as the antagonist Sentinel Prime, who, in my opinion, was portrayed as a very despicable villain and began the domino effect for the events leading to the Civil War between Optimus and Megatron. And then, others like Elita One and B-127, also known as Bumblebee, are team players that help Orion and D-16 find the legendary Matrix of Leadership.
Overall, the animation is very detailed, from the tiniest details on the transformers, to details of the different settings and the colors. And despite the poor marketing from how the trailer misguides people that the movie is just a silly comedy for kids, long-time fans have praised it through social media. As a result, more people have gone to theaters, which helped the movie have a box office success. As for me, this movie allowed me to get invested in the lore behind it, and I highly recommend it if you like the franchise or are just plain curious.
Best to say, this movie is more than meets the eye.