Transformers One
90
Feel like i'm just dishing out 4.5's recently but this is another one that just deserves it, perfectly sets up this franchise with the hope and power themes that I have no idea about but from whay I have seen it won't get better than this one.
What really shot this one into immediate masterpiece territory for me are those amazing themes of revenge and optimism. Showing perfectly the two sides of the same coin with D and Pax. Although they are sung so frequently, that "we have to be better than him" quotes just hit so hard for me, they send instant chills uttered by anyone and just reallly hit the power tones for me. To slowly watch this duo fall apart was clearly hinted at but when it finally happened it was heartbreaking. When it comes to the hope it hits almost just as hard, also containing some great dialogue and actions to pair, showing why Pax is superior to D.
Back to the main duo it's all just handled so masterfully, not seeing the previous movies but knowing of course that they are rivals I kept an extra close eye on D and it paid off, the directing is basically telling us he is gonna turn but still makes it so surprising when he does. Their conflict is so personal and entertaining to watch, with their eventual final battle being so long and stays super engaging throughout.
On that note I will get to the main group and they were super well and have great chemistry. B is the first time I found Keegan funny and biy was he, almost every joke hit and were timed so great, not to mention the loyal role he played in the group, always a necessity. I love how they all played off of each other with very apparent personality differences, with nobody lacking, even Elita won me over pretty quickly and was so much more than just a love interest.
The fights reallt shined too in this movie, such unique ideas for all the autobot battles and such creativity displayed. Also a good time to mention how the animation plays into it all, although it's ultra-realism I think it really enhances the world we are in, so futuristic and shiny, yet dirty in it's values and function.
I'll also take a minute to mention the scale and sci-fi aspects of this world, while science fiction is really not my cup of tea this world was great and the plot it housed, and the huge scale of this rivalry with the aliens made these scenes easier and more grand to comprehend.
Finally the score was actually pretty good, took a major backseat but was powerful when it hit, matched the themes of hope and scale to a tee and made for some even crazier body chills to take place, wow.
All around, while I haven't heard great things about the rest of this franchise I can say this one is great, and may I say deserves a sequel but it makes sense why there isn't one.