Tag: chris-hemsworth

Transformers One (2024) Movie Review- Perfectly Meets The Eye

AdamLeave a comment

When it comes to how the Transformers themselves has fared in the world of medium, the one area where they managed to fit themselves the most admirably is with animation. Between the classic 1984 cartoon and the 1986 animated feature film, those were able to bring out the best in the Autobots themselves. By placing colorful characters in colorful environments with bright textures and imaginative cybertronic worlds, that is the area which best suits the Transformers we all know and love.

All of which is quite odd how it has taken literally 38 (!!) years before we FINALLY got a proper theatrically released animated Transformers film. We’ve gotten SEVEN live-action Transformers film, all of which (outside of the superb Bumblebee) ranged from decent to guilty pleasure to outright bad to downright abysmal. And at least 90% of those couldn’t come close to topping an animated flick from the 1980s, which basically acted as a toy commercial for the animated series. Nevertheless, director Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4) has finally stepped up and gave us all an animated Transformers film in the year 2024 with Transformers One….and it’s actually pretty darn good.

It’s certainly no masterpiece and not gonna change anyone’s viewpoint to those that have never been fond of the brand but for longtime fans of the franchise and even newcomers, Transformers One should definitely leave them with a smile on their face. It’s able to avoid most of the trappings that most prequel origin stories fall victim to, the world of Cybertron has never been more intriguing to explore, the main autobots we follow get their own unique development and moments to shine, and it’s able to stand strong as it’s own unique, enjoyable flick while leaving room for potential sequels and spin-offs. I don’t know if this is my absolute favorite of all the Transformers movies (I still have more of a soft spot for the Transformers meets E.T. and The Iron Giant riff known as Bumblebee!) but it certainly comes close and will make you realize the full potential of an animated Transformers cinematic universe.

Premise: Brothers-in-arms Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Bryan Tyree Henry) become sworn enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron.

The most unique aspect of Transformers One is how it’s willing to tell it’s origin story of the early days of the Autobots without making the required plot elements feel like things that need to be checked off of a list that has to happen in a Transformers prequel. The major turning points we already know is going to happen such as Optimus Prime turning into a noble leader, Megatron turning into his villainous self, the war on Cybertron, and all the Transformers turning into their iconic selfs, is all in the service for it’s central story about betrayal, deception, and gaining optimism when both of those things occurred.

So much so that the overall premise of seeing Prime and Megatron going from allies to enemies is actually pushed to the wayside. The major of the focus is centered on Orion Pax, D-16, Elita-1, B-127, before they become Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee (Elita is still the same!), looking to retake Cybertron having it’s been corrupted by Sentinel Prime, a leader that they once looked up to and respected from down below. The actual evolution of Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively, seeing the former growing into the ultimate hero and the latter growing into the ultimate villain, is more of a psychological conflict as the events of the war of Cybertron are happening around them and the ways they respond to it. It’s done so well that I was shocked how invested I was when that relationship does take an inevitable dark turn during a key turning point moment. That in of itself allows the majority of the runtime being spend on fleshing out the main Autobots and fleshing out the world of Cybertron in ways that hasn’t been done before in a Transformers movie.

It does start off a bit rough though, mostly leaning into the water-down comedy and slapstick that the trailers and marketing put a major focus on. There’s only so much one can take of seeing Optimus Prime in his more kid friendly self and being unable to actually transform before it gets tiring. It’s elements like that that let many people question, including myself, of whether or not an animated Transformers prequel could actually work. Thankfully, once the ball starts rolling, and the grand mission gets revealed of what needs to be done, the film committees to it’s drama to a surprising degree without letting it’s more family friendly tone and humor weigh it down.

The animation is beautifully done, being able to portray Cybertron as a very colorful landscape environment that makes one all the more curious to explore that world. The film’s unique animated style also helps the Transformers stand out much better with their designs, making one clearly different than another and very rarely making you feel like you forgot which Transformers is suppose to be which. The Autobots have never looked more appealing in film form. Not to mention, the action is able to stand out pretty well with plenty of fun fight sequences and spectacle battles, although you can tell the animators do clearly like them robot parts coming off. This was clearly a labor of love from Mr. Cooley and he shows once again why animation can and should be viewed as a top tier art form.

When it comes to the voice cast, it’s….adequate for the most part. It will definitely take getting used to hearing our beloved autobots and eventual deceptions before they grow into their badass vocal cords. Not to mention, the celebrity heavy cast is clearly on display, with hardly anyone sounding any different than these actors usually are in anything else. Even so, you can tell most of them are having fun, which makes it slightly more forgivable.

Chris Hemsworth is having a good time at playing a younger version of Optimus Prime and subtlety does start to sound more like the iconic Peter Cullen as the movie goes on. Brian Tyree Henry gives one of the funniest and most unique voice performances of 2024 as D-16/Megatron. Scarlett Johansson stands out in incredibly amusing ways as the girlbot Elita-1 (including one big plot beat or moment designed to trigger die hard cultural warriors). Keegan-Michael Key’s Bumblebee can get a bit tiring after awhile but he’s able to make his typical brand off humor work with the character. Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime is exactly what you expect for any role that Jon Hamm takes with a character in complete control of power. Also, did you know that Soundwave is voiced by the Honest Trailer voice guy.

While it does fall short in being the Into the Spider-Verse/The Last Wish/Mutant Mayhem animated gamechanger it clearly wants to be, Transformers One delivers the action, laughs, and heart you could possibly want from an animated Transformers movie. The origins story of the early days of the Autobots is told remarkably well with hardly any beats feeling like they are in there just because it’s an origin story, the animation is gorgeous, all the Transformers get there own moments to shine, and the overall theme of different ideologies can get the best/worst out of us all is one that surprisingly works wonderfully for a Transformers movie. Plus, unlike Transformers One, you can jump right into the story and not feel lost.

It does take a while to get going and the celebrity filled voice cast, while fun, definitely doesn’t hold a candle to previous voice cast for Transformers but for those that want an animated flick with our favorite Autobots that has them front and center with no human presence to wear it down, Transformers One is definitely the Transformers movie for you.

Other comments:

  • Also, I think parents should beware that there is quite a bit of swearing in the movie. It’s mostly mild swear words such as “hell”, “damn”, and “ass” but they are in there.

  • Like Bumblebee spends over half of the movie referring to himself as the BADASS-ATRON!

  • I imagine parents will be as stunned of such swearing as the parents in my screening for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish were.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) Movie Review- George Miller’s Odyssey

AdamLeave a comment

For anyone that follows the movie industry and knows how the film making process works, you know that most films based off of well-known IPs tend to be micromanaged to high hell by the studio executives. Sure, if it’s a franchise that is guaranteed a profit based off the name alone and is directed by someone with a reputation of making crowd pleasing blockbusters on budget and on time, they might get a pass. However, more times than not, it’s always the studio execs and producers that have the final say on the finished product, at the expense of the cast and crew that work on it.

All of that reason and more is why it’s a miracle that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga even exists in the first place. It’s a prequel of Mad Max: Fury Road, a movie, which despite all the praise it got and the Oscars it won, barley squeaked a profit and made George Miller go to war with Warner Bros to allow Furiosa along with another potential Mad Max: sequel to even happen. This isn’t a film that exists because it’s something that Warner Bros desperately wanted to greenlight. It’s a film that exists because George Miller fought his neck and teeth for to get made. And if the early box office results of Furiosa are anything to go by, George Miller was able to win the battle while Warner Bros will likely lose the war.

If this really is the beginning of the end of movie theaters as we know it, then I’m at least glad we are going out with bangs like like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. A glorious action packed spectacle that offers a further expansion of the Furiosa character, more depth into the insane world of Mad Max, telling a compelling origin story that stands strong in it’s own right, and makes for a perfect counterpart to it’s already perfect successor in Mad Max: Fury Road. It may not quite reach the height of Fury Road but oh man, is it fun to watch George Miler try to top himself the whole way through.

Premise: Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe. As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home.

The first thing you need to know right off the bat about Furiosa is that it’s a COMPLETELY different beast than Mad Max: Fury Road. While they may look and sound similar, both films present very different and unique ways to tell their story. Whereas Fury Road relied on it’s nonstop action and immersive visuals to tell it’s story, Furiosa has Miller taking another deliberate approach with a film that acts more as a character study about Furiosa, with a slower pace and focus on world building than it’s predecessor did. The film no doubt delivers enough action and explosions to those that crave those in their summer blockbuster but at heart, this is a character driven story about a fierce woman being caught in the middle of war with two distinct sides.

The film is divided into three separate acts (or five different chapters, at the film points out), all three of which are able to tell their own distinct story. We have the entire first act that puts the focus on Furiosa as a child (played WONDERFULLY by Alyla Browne) when she got taking away from her home by Dementus and the Biker Horde. We have the second act that shows Furiosa raised through a teenager to adulthood by Immortan Joe and the Citidial along with getting caught between their war against the Biker Horde. And then there’s the third act which has Furiosa seeing vengeance against Dementus for taking away everything she’s ever loved and transforms into the Furiosa that we all remember from Mad Max: Fury Road. All three acts are engaging, all three acts tell their story at their own paced, and all three acts has a payoff of some sort by the end of it. That is multilayered storytelling if I’ve ever seen it!

Even if some may balk at the fact that it’s a prequel and we already know ahead of time the outcomes of certain characters, there is still a complete story told her and a complete arc for our main heroine that is developed every step of the way. It allows the traits and events we already know will happen to Furiosa in a very organic way. These events help with the development of the character and don’t just feel like a checklist of things to happen because it’s a prequel (*cough* How Han Solo got his name in Solo: A Star Wars Story!). Not only does Furiosa not tarnish Mad Max: Fury Road in any way, it actually enhances that masterpiece, adding even more layers and details to it than ever before. When watching both films back-to-back alongside each other, it’s gonna feel natural and make both experiences feel like one complete picture.

The performances are about as pitch perfect as it comes. While I can give it all the credit in the world to Anya Taylor-Joy that is able to nail the fierce nature that Charlize Theron captured so well in Fury Road, a special shout out has to go to Alyla Browne. She’s able to carry the first act as well as a child actor possibly can, being as silent and stoic as you would likely expect a 10-year old Furiosa to be like. She does it so well you almost don’t mind waiting for Anya Taylor-Joy to show up because how captivating she is on screen. Of course, Anya Taylor-Joy is just as equally great as well, selling herself well as not just one of the best young actresses working today but also someone capable of holding an action role. She’s not on the level as Charlize Theron but I can definitely see her being on that level two decades from now if Hollywood is still able to make these action movies by then.

Other notable shoutouts go to the likes of Josh Helman’s Scrotus (who fans of the Mad Max (2015) video game should remember), Nathan Jones’s Erectus, and Tom Burke’s Prateorian Jack, all three of which are able to give convincing performances as either raging mad mans (mostly the first two) or one of the fearless but noble good men out there (mostly the third one). You also can’t forget Charlee Fraser’s spectacularly badass turn as Furiosa’s mommy. I won’t go much further than that but let’s just say you can more than understand why Furiosa became the badass that she is.

However, no other actor is able to steal the scenery her than Chris Hemsworth as the main antagonist Dementus. Hemsworth already proved himself worthy (no pun intended) of playing a fun bad guy in Bad Times At The El Royale (which you should see right now if you haven’t already) but he takes to a whole another level here. Able to fine that perfect balance of vile, unhinged charisma and being an intimating threat every step of the way. There’s even a good 10 to 15 minutes stretch that puts the full spotlight on him and you don’t care one bit because of how awesome of a presence he is here. It’s like Hemsworth took the criticism of Thor: Love and Thunder to hard and wanted to make his turn as Dementus that stands out greater than in any Marvel movie he has ever done. While the box office may not show that, this proves that he does not need the Disney scenery to pull off a great performance.

While Furiosa is not quite as action heavy as Fury Road, it still really delivers here. The set pieces, stunt work, cinematography, and just about ANYHING revolving around the action is Oscar caliber here. The car chase sequences are as every bit as intense and exciting as they were in Fury Road, taking you on this crazy ride as you find yourself biting your teeth in regards to the fate of the characters while also being gloriously entertained in the process. Even though he’s approaching 80 years old, it’s incredible how Miller continues to find new and exciting way of creating action sequences that will make you want to rewatch it over and over and over again.

It’s also quite cool how well this is respectful to not just the previous Mad Max films but also the Mad Max (2015) video game as well. As I said before, fans of the game will know that Scrotus was the main antagonist of that game and is actually the son of Immortan Joe, basically solidifying that game in this latest Mad Max canon. There’s some fun little easter eggs and nods to that game which will likely put in you in the mood to play it after seeing the more or play it for the first time if you haven’t already.

The score by Junkie XL, aka Tom Holkenborg, is as inspired and perfect in the moment as it was in Mad Max: Fury Road, the cinematography by Simon Duggan captures the look of the wasteland very well, the editing by Eliot Knapman and Margaret Sixel will certainly lands some awards come Oscar season, and even if the CGI and VFX work are admittedly more noticeable here than it was in Fury Road, they blend better with the practical effects when watching the film onscreen in theaters as oppose as to just watching the trailer on YouTube.

What keeps Furiosa from being as grand or impressive as Fury Road has to do with not feeling as air tight as that film was and having a bit more baggage to carry. There are times where the pacing can be a bit inconsistent, with a first act that feel slower with having to set the groundwork for the latter two acts and Furiosa’s revenge arc wrapping up a beat or two more quickly than it should have been. And even if it manages to avoid most of the trappings that prequels usually gain, there are some elements that don’t quite get as explored as they should, likely because we already know ahead of a time of the fate of certain characters. In this case, I would have like to see more interactions between Praetorian Jack and Furiosa. It’s hinted that Jack as the closest thing that Furiosa has ever had to a male love interest but in context of the film, comes across as just another man that she is forced to tag along with for the fate of her survival. (Spoiler alert: That would NOT be the last time!)

Even so, the fact that George Miller had to give everything to not just make Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga as great as it is but even get it made at all is proof how much the world of Mad Max means to the man. Regardless if it’s with Mad Max or another character themselves, this world is able to make the best use out of Mr. Miller as a filmmaker outside of anything to do with animated penguins that’s NOT related to Madagascar. Even if you basically see these last two Mad Max films as a metaphor as to where films are heading now that theaters are losing money, at least the man is able to get the chance to show us all a great taste of his imagination. And man does it taste good!

I don’t know if we’ll get another Mad Max movie or not but even so, I will gladly put Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Mad Max: Fury Road greatly alongside one another. These films should be seen as a textbook example of how to make compelling action films. From the set pieces to the fight chorography to the stunt work to the visuals to the story to the characters to the themes to the soundtrack, these are both perfect examples of well-crafted films and the kind of ones I will always support at the bottom of my heart, even when they are not perfect. While I don’t think Furiosa is quite perfect, I will look for any excuse to take a look into George Miller’s Odyssey.

This is George Miller’s world and we are all living in it in ways we really couldn’t imagine!

Other comments:

  • Yes, Mad Max does make a cameo in this! Yes, it’s about as blink-and-miss as you would imagine!

  • And seriously, go play the Mad Max (2015) video game if you haven’t already! It rules!

  • Also, special shoutout to Quarden Bayles as War Boy! I wish that young man the best of everything in the world! For what I’ve seen and heard about him, I hope he is given proper care and respect in his life, especially after the roles he played in this film and Three Thousand Years of Longing.