Transformers One stands out from the live-action films in many ways, and a mistake that started with Michael Bay won’t be repeated as the franchise continues. The animation of 2024 Transformers the film is a departure from Paramount’s live-action series that began with Bay’s first film in 2007. Although Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron were still central focuses in that film, Transformers One puts them – specifically Orion Pax and D-16’s friendship falling apart when they become Optimus Prime and Megatron – in the spotlight. This is all thanks to the franchise that eliminates humans from the story.
The live-action franchise started by Michael Bay kept the main Autobots and Decepticons in prominent roles, but they were always secondary to the human protagonists, be they Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) or Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg). Transformers One It is the first time that the franchise tells a complete story with the Transformers as protagonists, as there is not a single human being who appears in the film. This proved to be a genius move, as the audience was able to fully engage in the rivalry between Megatron and Optimus Prime. The franchise won’t make the mistake of changing this either.
Transformers One Setting Excludes Humans From Future Installments
Humanity is not part of the plans
The lack of humans in the animated film made sense given Transformers One placement in the timeline, which is 300 million years before the time period of Bay’s first film – even though they are not directly connected. The fact that the entire story also took place on the Transformers’ home planet, Cybertron also made it impossible for any human to be present. However, the precedent set for humans to be key figures in Transformers the films left some doubts as to whether they could be introduced in future episodes by some means.
Transformers One Director Josh Cooley essentially ruled out that possibility during the film’s home release. There is a featurette titled “World Building on Cybertron” where various team members discuss what went into creating the film version of Cybertron. Cooley specifically mentions at one point that “Humans don’t even exist yet.” This is notable for the franchise as it confirms that there is There is currently no path for humans to be involved in upcoming installments since they are not around. So even if the sequels move the story to Earth for some reason, humans won’t be involved, barring a big time jump.
Live-action Transformers movies didn’t have the luxury of not including humans
Humans are necessary for live action
Different Transformers OneMichael Bay’s first Transformers film and each live-action installment that followed included a human main character. This is by design, as the original film was built around the relationship between a boy and his car, and this idea has been fleshed out with each new entry. The problem with live-action films, however, is that many of the Transformers human characters have turned off the audience, creating the feeling that they are preventing the Transformers from having the chance to be the true stars they deserve to be.
Film |
Human Leader(s) |
---|---|
Transformers (2007) |
Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) |
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) |
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), Carly Spencer (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) |
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) |
Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), Tessa Yeager (Nicola Peltz), Shane (Jack Reynor) |
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) |
Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), Izabella (Isabela Merced) |
Bee (2018) |
Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) |
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) |
Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) |
Any complaints about human characters in live action Transformers the movies are understandable, but it’s also a moot point. These films need to have real actors on set who can perform the scenes so that production costs don’t rise further. than they already are. Ahead of Transformers OneAt launch, franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura suggested that making the live-action animated film would have cost more than $500 million due to the reliance on CGI to create the Transformers and build the world. This is why live-action films keep including humans – or want to add GI Joes.
Transformers One proved why the franchise doesn’t need humans
The Transformers are more than capable of leading a movie
Some audiences may expect humanity to interact with Transformers Oneversions of the iconic Autobots and Decepticons due to their prevalence in live-action films. The truth is that the 2024 animated film proved that this is not necessary. The film did an excellent job developing Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Elita and even supporting characters like Starscream or Sentinel Prime. Transformers One it laid the groundwork for future installments to continue to build on this foundation and expand their characterizations without humanity becoming an unnecessary distraction.
This should allow any Transformers One sequels to keep the focus on the evolution of Optimus Prime and Megatron as leaders. This is the story that audiences responded to so well, while those with a bogged down human subplot weren’t always well received. Live-action films may need human characters to make the films possible from a Hollywood perspective, but Transformers One it’s evidence that they’re not necessary to this story. This makes the confirmation that humans don’t even exist yet a reassuring sign of the franchise’s direction.