With an impressive Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 90%, Transformers One is all set to become one of the highest acclaimed installments in the overarching franchise. This proves that, even though many previous live-action Transformers movies were commercially successful, the franchise needed to change in three significant ways. Only time will tell whether these changes will ultimately be implemented. However, from the looks of it, the Transformers franchise could greatly benefit from learning three lessons from Transformers One‘s critical acclaim.
Instead of unfolding as another all-out war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Transformers One goes back in time and focuses on Optimus Prime and Megatron’s Cybertronian origin stories. It highlights how the two were friends before things turned ugly between them. Despite being a far cry from the live-action movies of the franchise, Transformers One has largely received positive reviews from critics, which underscores what the franchise desperately needs to change moving forward.
Transformers One’s Critical Success Proves The Franchise Needs Fewer Human Characters
The Animated Film Features No Human Characters
When Steven Spielberg first envisioned a Transformers live-action movie, he wanted it to be about the relationship between a boy and his car. However, the live-action movies went in a wholly different direction. Instead of humanizing the titular Transformers characters, the movies focused more on humans and the consequences of their encounters with the Cybertronians. Recent live-action movies, like Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, have tried to change this trend by focusing more on the relationships between humans and Transformers.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Transformers (2007) |
57% |
85% |
|
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
20% |
57% |
|
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
35% |
55% |
|
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) |
18% |
50% |
|
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) |
16% |
43% |
|
Bumblebee (2018) |
90% |
75% |
|
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) |
52% |
91% |
|
Transformers One (2024) |
90% |
— |
However, unlike the original animated series, which unfolded several narratives focusing primarily on the Transformers characters, none of the live-action films have risked eradicating human characters from their narrative. Given the cost of CGI to have all Cybertronian characters in one movie would be monumentally high, it is understandable why human stories are emphasized in all live-action films. But Transformers One and Bumblebee’s critical success proves that the live-action Transformers movies need to be less about humans and more about the central alien beings.
Transformers One’s Positive Reception Confirms The Franchise Must Target Younger Audiences
The Movie Is Benefiting From Its PG Rating
All live-action movies in the Transformers franchise have a PG-13 rating, which makes them less suitable for the younger audiences the original animated series targeted. Instead of treading the same path as the live-action movies, Transformers One is changing the franchise trend with its PG rating. This marks a significant change in the franchise because it aims to recapture the original essence of the franchise. Since Transformers One‘s is critically performing well, it proves that the franchise does not have to portray too much violence or profanity to be successful.
Transformers One
‘s PG rating allows the franchise to move in a new direction where it not only makes it more appealing to a wide audience but also allows it to garner a whole new younger generation of fans.
Transformers One underscores that the franchise has the potential to succeed even if it is created to be more family-friendly. Initially, the Transformers live-action movies were immensely successful. However, with each new installment, the films offered diminishing returns, proving that the franchise’s storytelling formula was gradually stagnating. Transformers One‘s PG rating allows the franchise to move in a new direction, not only making it more appealing to a wider audience but also allowing it to grab the attention of a whole new younger generation of fans.
Transformers One Establishes The Franchise’s Action Should Unfold Beyond Earth
Transformers One Takes Place On Cybertron
All Transformers live-action movies have unfolded on Earth. Transformers: Rise of the Beast takes things a little beyond the planet by introducing the planet-eating Unicron but avoids stepping too far from the familiar setting. Transformers One dares to change this as well by unraveling its entire story on Cybertron. While there is nothing inherently wrong with a movie presenting an Earth-centric narrative, the Transformers franchise’s original lore is too vast and dense to be confined to just the human planet.
While the live-action movies have only introduced Cybertron and Earth so far, there are more than 80 planets in the franchise’s original lore. Each planet has its own unique characteristics and history, contributing to the broader tapestry of Transformers‘ universe in one way or another. Owing to their limited runtimes, the movies, of course, cannot accommodate all of these planets in their narratives. However, after Transformers One‘s success, the live-action films can finally take a leap of faith and present storylines that take place far beyond Earth.
What Future Live-Action Transformers Movies Can Learn From Transformers One
Transformers One Paves The Way For Several Changes In The Franchise
Since a Transformers/G.I. Joe live-action crossover is already in the talks, future movies cannot completely avoid having human characters. However, now that Transformers One has established that the franchise can also be driven purely by the titular robotic beings, the Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover must focus on striking a balance between developing its G.I. Joe and Transformers characters. Unlike the Michael Bay movies, the crossover should avoid using the Transformers as mere narrative devices to highlight human heroes or their stories.
Megatron’s name in
Transformers One
is D-16, which is a reference to the Japanese serial number of the original Generation 1 Megatron toy. In D-16, the D stands for Destron, which is what the Decepticons were originally called.
Since Transformers One has already taken the first step towards making the overarching franchise more family-friendly, future live-action movies can follow its lead and try to achieve a PG rating. While movie franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe have recently benefited from pushing boundaries with their R-rated content, the Transformers movies would be better off sticking to PG or PG-13 ratings since the franchise’s original stories and toys were always meant for younger audiences.
Since
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
has already introduced the possibility of inter-planet and interdimensional travel through the Transwarp Key, future movies could capitalize on this by expanding their scope far beyond Earth.
Apart from striving for a PG rating and focusing more on the titular characters, future live-action films in the Transformers franchise should also finally look beyond Earth’s exosphere and deliver intergalactic stories. Since Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has already introduced the possibility of inter-planet and interdimensional travel through the Transwarp Key, future movies could capitalize on this by expanding their scope far beyond Earth. Hopefully, the upcoming live-action films in the franchise will learn from Transformers One‘s critical success and embrace the elements that have made it successful.