Ok, that’s more like it. “Transformers One” — in theaters Sept. 20 — is the first fully digitally animated “Transformers” film and the first animated feature in the enduring franchise about giant robots that convert into planes, trains, automobiles and the like in nearly four decades.
In the time since, we’ve been hit with a steady stream of live-action films from director Michael Bay and others — starting with Bays’ megahit “Transformers” in 2007 — that, while technically impressive, aren’t exactly cinematic gems. Engaging in a way the live-action offerings rarely are — and coherent in a way they almost never are — “Transformers One” serves up a fast-paced, humor-filled and untold origin of future rivals Optimus Prime and Megatron. What was apparent from the advanced footage of the Paramount Animation release was that “Transformers; One” was aimed less at those of use who grew up playing with the Hasbro toys and watching the original animated TV series — which led to the theatrical release “The Transformers: The Movie” in 1986 — and more toward the kids of today.
That’s certainly the case, but because it’s well-made, the film should be plenty entertaining to the old guard. Helmed by “Toy Story 4” director Josh Cooley, “One” introduces us to a couple of robots, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), who work in the dangerous Energon mines of the planet Cybertron. Although destined to become powerfu.