Transformers Onebrings the franchise back to its roots, telling the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron before they were enemies, when they were best friends, known as Orion Pax and D-16.Transformers Onehas received rave reviewssince its release, and despite knowing where the movie had to end up, the journey to get there was still extremely engaging. I would certainlyrankTransformers Oneas the best film in the series, and a lot of that has to do with the characterization of one of the film’s leads, Megatron.
As someone who hasn’t looked that much into extendedTransformersmedia outside the live-action movies and the original G1 cartoon, a character that always stood out as lacking to me has been Megatron himself. I know that plenty of the comics and other animated shows look deeper into the character, but themainstream depictions of the franchise’s most well-known villain use him as nothing more than an obstaclefor the heroes to overcome.Transformers Onechanges that, givingMegatron a much-needed origin storythat transforms him into a villain worthy of his iconic status.
Megatron’s Turn To Evil Is Finally Explained In Transformers One
His Story Is Equal Parts Fascinating And Heartbreaking
InTransformers One,D-16 is initially depicted as someone who just wants to keep his head down, work hard, and make his way up Cyberton’s societal ladder to get the best life for himself.Transformers Oneshows off a surprisingly realistic look at systems that keep the lowest class bots like D-16 pinned down bynot allowing most Transformers to actually transform, while the rich continue to live their lives in luxury. The metaphor obviously isn’t direct, but it’s a powerful and relatable story that allows us to see D-16’s transformation into Megatron as the true tragedy that it is.
Transformers Onediffers from the live-action movies and finally gives the character a true origin, allowing Megatron to become something more than just the bad guy.
Relatable is the keyword. In the Michael Bay movies, and even in the original cartoon, Megatron is really nothing more than an evil guy who wants to do evil things because he’s evil.Transformers Onediffers from the live-action moviesand finally gives the character a true origin, allowing Megatron to become something more than just the bad.While his actions are evil, I now know what caused Megatron to become this way, and it is something that I could see realistically happening to anyone.
Transformers One Also Reveals Why He’s Called Megatron & Decepticons Logo
It Ties Directly Into Megatron’s Journey
For a long time, I thought the Decepticon logo was just a slightly cooler and more evil-looking version of the Autobot logo. However,Transformers One, being the excellent film that it is, leaves no stone unturned.The Decepticon logo is actually the face of Megatronus Prime, one of the 13Elder Primes of theTransformersuniverse. Megatronus Prime is not just another one of the Primes, however. He was D-16’s hero, the Transformer he looked up to most, and the one he would likely want to imitate when he became a Transformer himself.
Transformers One’s New Release Could Help Save The Movie After Disappointing Box Office
Transformers One has a final chance to redeem itself in the hopes of a continuation once it arrives on digital after its box office run.
WhileMegatronus Prime is different inTransformers Onethan the rest of theTransformerscanon, he still serves as one of the catalysts for Megatron. Megatronus Prime was supposedly the strongest Prime. In taking his name and symbol, Megatron is attempting to take his strength for himself as well.Showing off the origins of Megatron’s name and the Decepticon’s symbol inTransformers Onegives the universe even more flavor.The robots' names and insignias aren’t just there because they’re cool, they have a real, satisfying explanation, which I always find more interesting.
Transformers One Explains Megatron & Optimus Prime’s Broken Friendship
Deepening Their Connection Makes Their Conflict More Interesting
Prior toTransformers One, I knew that Megatron and Optimus had some sort of previous relationship that eventually resulted in the destruction of Cybertron. However, it never really felt that way. The live-action Megatron would call Optimus his"old friend"or talk about when they were once allies, buttheir connection never went further than that kind of small lip service.Transformers Oneshowing the origin of Optimusas well as Megatron makes their antagonistic relationship all the more interesting to watch.
The origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron in the live action film series were explored in a prequel comic series calledTransformers: Foundation, but, being media outside the films themselves, it never felt like a true part of the series.
Their fractured relationship is also even better because, while Megatron clearly ends up as the evil one, Optimus isn’t entirely guilt-free. By theending ofTransformers One, Orion Pax’s actions led to the emancipation of all Cybertronians, but he had no way of knowing that at the outset. Orion dragged D-16 along with his plans, with no regard for what he actually wanted, which ultimately led to his rebirth as Megatron.Transformers One’s showcase of Optimus and Megatron’s fractured friendshipdeepened my understanding of both charactersand makes the entire franchise better.
Transformers One
Cast
Transformers One is an animated action-adventure movie that marks the first animated feature-length film for the series in decades. The film will be a prequel to the franchise, and will tell the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron in their early years, how they met, and a closer look at the war on their home planet, Cybertron.
