Transformers One Highlights The REAL Issue With The Franchise’s Live-Action Movies

Transformers One is not only an exciting addition to the franchise but also a solid reminder of one major issue with the live-action films. Serving as a Cybertronian origin story, Transformers One is the first animated feature in the franchise since 1986’s highly acclaimed Transformers: The Movie. It has an ensemble voice cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm, promising it will be a memorable addition to the franchise.

Transformers One is adopting a unique storyline that is a far cry from everything its predecessors have explored. Instead of being about gruesome showdowns between the Autobots and the Decepticons, it is harkening back to the humble beginnings of Optimus Prime and Megatron, shedding light on how the two were once close friends. Although all Transformers movies, so far, have had comical undertones, Transformers One even seems to be taking the comedy up a notch. The film is also adopting another intriguing storytelling device that makes it hard not to notice where most Transformers live-action films went wrong.

Transformers One Presents The Perfect Blueprint For A Transformers Movie

Transformers One Is Honoring What Makes The Franchise Appealing

All live-action Transformers movies have primarily revolved around human characters and have treated the titular Transformers as supporting ones. This approach seems strange because, when it comes to the original cartoons and comic books, they focused more on centering their narratives around the Autobots, Decepticons, and other races in Transformers‘ lore. Even the toy side of the Transformers franchise capitalizes on the diverse abilities, transformations, and designs of the titular beings. Transformers One is finally embracing what the franchise should be about instead of distracting audiences with human stories.

While the primary characters in all live-action Transformers movies are humans, Transformers One is shifting the paradigm by spotlighting Orion Pax and D-16. The animated movie’s emphasis on highlighting Optimus Prime and Megatron’s origin stories and walking through their journeys from being brothers to becoming enemies proves that it is staying true to the essence of the original Transformers lore. By doing so, Transformers One is creating the perfect blueprint for future live-action films. Unfortunately, following Transformers One‘s path may not be as simple as it sounds on paper.

Live-Action Movies Cannot Emulate Transformers One’s Storytelling Formula

Budgetary Constraints Hold The Live-Action Movies Back

Although it would be great to see the live-action films focus more on their Autobot and Decepticon characters, it may not be practical for filmmakers to accomplish this feat. Solely relying on practical effects for creating intricate designs and transformations for the titular characters would be both financially and technically challenging. CGI is an integral part of the live-action Transformers movies, allowing them to capture the little details in the designs of the larger-than-life characters. However, if a film solely focused on the Autobots and Decepticons, the cost of CGI would be monumental.

Considering how the Transformers live-action films are already seeing diminishing returns in their box office numbers and struggling to break even, higher budgets would make them even less profitable. Owing to this, it makes sense that the live-action Transformers movies cannot be all about the titular race and have to include human characters. There is also nothing inherently wrong with having human characters as leads since many story arcs in the original cartoons also revolved around humans. However, the Transformers movies keep repeating the same mistakes with their human story arcs.

Transformers Live-Action Movies Are Weighed Down By Their Human Stories

Human Stories In Transformers Live-Action Films Lack Depth

When Steven Spielberg first envisioned a live-action Transformers movie, he wanted it to be a simple story about a boy and his love for his car. One of the early drafts of the first Transformers live-action film also presented a moving human story that honored Spielberg’s vision. However, Michael Bay was not content with the script and found it too childish. Although he still attempted to adopt some of Spielberg’s ideas by including a story arc emphasizing Sam’s relationship with Bumblebee, the first Transformers movie primarily focused on mindless military action lacking narrative depth.

Since the formula worked well for the first film, the follow-ups followed the same path, making the live-action franchise more and more narratively shallow with each installment. Human stories, as Steven Spielberg’s initial ideas suggested, can certainly improve the Transformers live-action films. However, so far, most live-action takes on the toy franchise have failed to strike the right balance between human drama and spectacle. Since most Transformers films have been about bombastic set pieces and slam-bang action sequences, their human narratives have always felt underdeveloped.

Bumblebee Proves Live-Action Films Do Not Necessarily Have To Be Like Transformers One

Bumblebee Is The Only Live-Action Film That Honored Spielberg’s Vision

Instead of being about shock-and-awe entertainment and high-octane action scenes, Bumblebee adopted a relatable coming-of-age narrative, highlighting how a human and an Autobot grow close. Both the human character, Charlie Watson, and the titular Autobot experience some kind of loss in the film’s narrative. While Charlie grieves her father and struggles to find her place in the world, Bumblebee misses his home after finding himself on a completely novel planet. In their shared grief and loneliness, the two characters find one another.

The moving bond between Charlie and Bumblebee in the 2018 film not only makes the human story arc more meaningful but also brings more emotional depth to the titular character’s story. While most Transformers‘ live-action films have treated the titular race as alien technology, Bumblebee effectively humanizes the Autobots. With this, the film proves that even though the Transformers live-action movies could benefit from focusing more on the Autobots than humans, they do not necessarily have to be like Transformers One. Hopefully, future Transformers movies will learn more from Bumblebee and Transformers One‘s approach to the franchise.