FLIM
TRANSFORMERS ONE
★★★
OUT 11 OCTOBER / CERT PG / 104 MINS
DIRECTOR
Josh Cooley
CAST
Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson
Here is something of a reworked origin story for the robots in disguise. Set entirely on the Transformers home planet of Cybertron, there’s not a human in sight throughout Josh Cooley’s CG-animated film. Even without earthlings, there are some fun ideas driving this — in particular, a revolution for workingclass robots. But while the story rails against the glossy-surfaced lie of capitalism, the film’s own surface leaves a lot to be desired. At a moment when animated films are boldly experimenting, the mix of natural lighting and realistic textures here proves something of a letdown. More often than not it just feels uncanny, not helped by overly busy action sequences. Still, it’s a valiant effort to make something new out of Transformers lore.