Transformers One

A refreshingly new breed of Autobot adventure -- one that has been notably souped-up in the brains department.

The screenplay from Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari is wildly ambitious, and includes the kind of next-level detail you wouldn't expect in a Spielbergian epic, let alone an angry android movie.

It's got lots of smashy-bashy action, satisfyingly crunchy silly machine Transformation, it's got a not-so-subtle message about power corrupting, and it's even got a couple of jokes that I actually laughed at.

Transformers One does not belong to a franchise that could ever be accused of subtlety, but these stylistic choices make Josh Cooley’s film far more thoughtful and ingenious than the average reboot.

[A] lot of people are going to have a grand time watching Transformers One. Sadly, I am not one of them.

This animated prequel is a refreshing entry to the Transformers franchise.

This clear-eyed assessment of the dynamics of fighting for good against evil is sharper than it might appear. “Transformers One” has much to offer for adults, too.

It benefits from a fast pace and detailed animation.

While the youngest members of the household will enjoy a good dose of uplifting stories and fun for all audiences, adults will find a veiled sociopolitical backdrop, filled with class struggles and a robotic proletarian-Marxist revolution.

Uwe Boll could make a Transformers film for a buck fifty and employ only sock puppets and it would be praised to the high heavens simply for not being directed by Michael Bay. That’s the takeaway one gets after watching Bumblebee and now Transformers One.