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A good origin story can shed light on the history of our favorite franchises. Transformers One aims to lay out how Optimus Prime and Megatron went from brothers-in-arms to two of the most iconic enemies in animation history. The film’s first trailer, which debuted after a craft was floated to the farthest reaches of Earth’s atmosphere, shows the future Autobot and Decepticon leaders before they were robots in disguise.

There is an irreverence to this trailer that is somewhat jarring, considering the epic story the animated movie is trying to tell. Orion Pax, who would eventually become the heroic Optimus Prime, is carefree and happy-go-lucky, with Thor’s Chris Hemsworth doing a reasonable impersonation of Peter Cullen in the role. Brian Tyree Henry plays Megatron’s earlier incarnation, D-16, as a somewhat cynical foil to Orion’s playfulness.

The idea of these two enemies once being friends is a fun twist on Transformers lore and there is some gorgeous animation on display in the trailer. Robots are flying and driving and fighting their way through the nearly three-minute-long trailer, along with Elita-1, played by Scarlet Johansson, and B-127, played by Keegan-Michael Key.

The film looks like it might serve as a more kid-friendly counterpart to the serious and gritty live-action Transformers franchise, though we get the sense that Transformers One might err a bit on the wacky side for some fans. The trailer packs a lot of visual gags into its short runtime, plus a handful of references to the original series shoehorned in for good measure. The moment Orion Pax says "Time to show them we're more than meets the eye" is especially egregious but a throwback like that expected in a prequel like this.

Transformers One hits cinemas on September 20, 2024.

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