It’s hard to believe Transformers have been around for 40 years. They started out as a toy franchise in 1984, followed closely by a cartoon and comic book series. Like all toys from the time period their popularity grew quickly, and faded away just as fast. Every few years a new iteration would come out, but none of them were as popular as the original. That is, until the Michael Bay movies started coming out in 2007. They found a new life as a live action film series, and after a few sequels they once again found themselves waning in popularity. Transformers One hopes to give the franchise a new boost, and by how good the film was, it might just be successful at doing that.

Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) is a lowly mining droid. He has hopes of finding the Matrix of Leadership and being more than what he is. His best friend D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) doesn’t believe they will be able to change their fate. But he enjoys spending time with his friend and goes along with him anyway. Orion doesn’t give up however, and before they know it, the pair have uncovered a secret about their beloved leader Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm). It’s a secret that changes their lives, and the lives of everyone on the planet, forever.

The trailer for Transformers One didn’t look like anything special. It was advertised of the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron, showing their path from friendship to bitter enemies, but really it just looked like more of the same. Thankfully it wasn’t. Fans of the original series will love the little inside jokes that they think only they get, while new fans will love the adventure and fun of the film. Keep in mind however, this film isn’t just for kids. It has a dark side to the story line that really isn’t expected going in. Kudos to the filmmakers for going there too/ Because it adds a depth even the original series had a hard time finding. Sure, the film has its touching moments, and moments of comedy. But you need to keep in mind that at the heart is a story about friends becoming enemies.

Another surprising part about the film is how good the voice actors are. At times they sound like the original actors who played the roles, but they really turn the characters into their own. Hemsworth does an amazing job as Prime, while Steve Buscemi does an almost flawless turn as Starscream. Even Keegan-Michael Key stands out playing Bumblebee.

Transfomers One is an entertaining film that does the original series justice, while creating a new mythology everyone will enjoy. The film is still more skewed towards a male audience. But there are still female characters in the film for women to enjoy too.  It’s always nice when a film surprises you, especially one that is released in September. And Transformers One is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Take you family, or enjoy it yourself, but whatever you do, make sure you go watch it.