Transformers One (PG)

A new attempt to refresh the toy franchise, with the voices of Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson, and, is a surprisingly entertaining, kid-oriented  adventure.

We’re resetting the clock; now firmly planted on their homeworld of Cybertron - with no humans in sight, which to many is a relief - where the groundwork for a revolution among working-class robots is building. Optimus Prime (Hemsworth) is still the main character, but here he’s ‘Orion Pax’: a plucky, upstart hustler.

Pax works the mines, dreaming of something bigger for himself, while looking out for his friend and fellow miner D-16. It’s no great secret who D-16 turns out to be — especially given that Brian Tyree Henry voices him with a simmering undercurrent of rage — but the new origin point is a unique spin.

Pax discovers a lost thingamajig that will help recharge the planet’s depleted energy sources, this sends him on your typical hero’s journey, to fight back against systemic power imbalance between the elite and lowly worker bots. This is a slick, lean film that does away with trying to insert human characters; sticking with the transforming robots and having a darn good time while doing it