TRANSFORMERS ONE is a spectacular animated movie about the origins of the epic battle between the good Autobots and the evil Decepticon robots on the planet Cybertron, a battle that eventually finds its way to Earth. TRANSFORMERS ONE tells an exciting, well-written, crowd-pleasing, often funny story with amazing animation and strong allegorical situations and theme clearly reflecting Christian, morally uplifting, conservative content and values, but it has lots of action violence with large robots battling one another and some light foul language.

The movie opens with the main hero in the story, a mining robot named Orion Pax, sneaking into a secret archive section in the capitol city of Cybertron. A recording informs him that the robot people on his planet were created by a wise and powerful mechanical creature named Primus, who later merged himself with the planet (But, there is a greater Creator). When he created the race of robots in his image, Primus also created a group of elite “transformer” robots who guarded Cybertron. He gave these “Prime” robots a Matrix of Leadership, a powerful device that helped them maintain order and make use of the liquid form of “energon,” the fuel that the robots used for food and energy.

However, an evil alien race invaded Cybertron. The Matrix of Leadership was lost and many Prime robots were killed, including their creator, Primus, who now lies dormant in the planet’s core.

Now, hundreds, or thousands, of years later, mining robots like Orion Pax and his friend, D-16, mine the planet for the solid, glowing blue ore version of “energon,” to give life to all the robots and power their machines. The big leader of everyone is a transformer robot called Sentinel Prime, who portrays himself as a friend of the people.

Security guards come after Orion Pax after he breaks into the archives to listen to the history. However, he escapes them, with help from D-16.

Later, Orion Pax and D-16 are working their day job as miners. Their mining group is led by a no-nonsense female mining robot, Elita-1, who’s anxious to move up the ladder. However, a mining accident occurs, and Orion Pax breaks protocol to save D-16’s life.

Their foreman, a mean transformer bot named Darkwing, demotes Elita to waste disposal. Needless to say, Elita isn’t happy and warns Orion Pax and D-16 that she’s gonna get even with them one day if it’s the last thing she does.

Meanwhile, Sentinel Prime calls a holiday for everyone to watch the annual race of Transformers around the capital city. Orion Pax tricks D-16 into joining the race. Even if they can only beat one of the Transformers, Orion Pax says, it will be a victory for all the robots who are missing the cog that can turn a robot into a “Transformer.”

Surprisingly, Orion Pax and D-16 almost win the race. After the race, they think that Sentinel Prime will punish them severely for breaking “protocol.” Naturally, D-16 is very angry with Orion Pax for tricking him and ruining his life. However, to their surprise, Sentinel Prime tells them he loved what they did. He thinks they showed courage and ingenuity. Also, he wants them to meet him later and become part of his team ruling the planet.

After Sentinel Prime leaves, however, Darkwing appears. He banishes Orion Pax and D-16 to a much lower level in waste management.

Thus, Orion Pax and D-16 find themselves in a tiny, deep underground section of the city. There, they meet a mining bot named B-127. B-127 has been working alone for a long time, searching for valuable pieces of machinery on a conveyor belt carrying trash to an incinerator. The isolation has made B-127 a little crazy. He’s even created three lifeless mechanical robots so he can talk to someone. Now, he’s overjoyed to have two live robots with him. Orion Pax and D-16 are not amused, however. Also, D-16 is even angrier at his friend, Orion Pax, than ever.

The three bots stumble upon a holographic map to the lost Matrix of Leadership on the planet’s surface. The surface is a dangerous place, however, and D-16 is reluctant to break protocol again and follow the map. Orion Pax believes if they can find the Matrix of Leadership, maybe they can awaken the power of Primus, the source of liquid energon, for the benefit of robotkind. Also, they perhaps can then get justice for what Darkwing did to them.

However, their quest to locate the Matrix of Leadership leads to some terrible revelations that make them question everything they know.

TRANSFORMERS ONE has a straightforward plot with a structure that allows for lots of action, many surprise twists and unexpectedly humorous moments. For example, as they find a way to get to the surface, Orion Pax runs into Evita again. The first time she sees him, she immediately punches him in the face for getting her into trouble with Darkwing and losing her job. As a result of all this, the animated movie is a crowd-pleasing time at the movie theater. This news may bode well for the movie’s potential box office success.

Even better, TRANSFORMERS ONE has a strong Christian, moral, conservative worldview. For example, the heroes discover that they live in an elitist, totalitarian tyranny that uses deceit to enforce its power and oppress the average citizens in society. In fighting the tyranny, Orion Pax overtly refers to individual liberty and self-determination. He also takes a stand against revenge and against murdering the oppressor who has enslaved the lowly robots.

TRANSFORMERS ONE also has many allegorical biblical and Christian elements. Orion Pax and D-16 relationship hints of Cain and Abel. The story promotes sacrifice and has an actual overt death and resurrection. Also, the liquid energon the heroes are searching for can bring the robots new life, power and unity, similar to the symbolism that Jesus Christ and His apostles invoke in the New Testament when speaking about the regeneration and abundant life that the Holy Spirit brings to the people of God in Christ. As Paul tells the faithful in Galatians 3:28, “You are all one in Christ.”

In doing research on all the iterations of the Transformers franchise, from comic books to TV programs to movies, MOVIEGUIDE® has found multiple explanations for the origins of the Transformers. Apparently, the most popular ones are different stories about the character of Primus, who is sometimes depicted as a kind of god, or as a powerful being who’s been created by the God of the universe or a multiverse.

TRANSFORMERS ONE the movie leaves its version of Primus rather open-ended. Although it says Primus created the Transformers and became part of the planet of Cybertron, the movie doesn’t say anything specifically about how or where Primus originated or who created Primus. The TRANSFORMERS franchise has always depicted Primus as an ethical character who stands against evil and fights against evil. When he appears in the various iterations of the franchise, he always inspires the heroes to do the same. Of course, without an All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Transcendent, Eternal, and Infinitely Good Divine Mind, or Personal God, like the God of the Bible, there can be no truly transcendent, eternal, infinite goodness to overcome evil.

TRANSFORMERS ONE has lots of action violence, including deadly injuries to living robot creatures, and some light foul language. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children