Now that’s a Transformers movie. This is so much better than you’d expect it to be, a real treat for fans of the franchise and a pleasant surprise for many who are not. In an admittedly overused prequel conceit, mortal enemies were once friends as young cybertronian labourers Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth, slowly growing into a Peter Cullen vocal range) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry, full of pathos) struggle in a rigid caste system and unravel a sinister plot on their home planet years before they become arch-nemeses Optimus Prime and Megatron. TRANSFORMERS ONE has imaginative, dazzlingly animated action, good jokes and a pretty righteous political message; all things lacking from the live-action movies. Where this iteration of the Transformers story goes next would have been fascinating to see, but it underperformed at the box office so this might be a one and done. What a shame. SSP