As a longtime fan of Transformers and a dedicated follower of Keegan Michael Key’s career, I must say that the casting choice for Bumblebee in this upcoming film is nothing short of brilliant. Key’s ability to bring life to his characters, as seen in his work on “Key & Peele,” will undoubtedly translate well into the world of Transformers.
The long-awaited Transformers movie, titled “Transformers: One“, is set to shine a bright light on the iconic Robots in Disguise. Directed by Josh Cooley, who brought us “Toy Story 4“, this film delves into the childhood friendship of Orion Pax and D-16, eventually revealing their transformation into Optimus Prime and Megatron. The narrative of “Transformers: One” delves deep into the franchise’s extensive history, from its initial Generation 1 to the animated series titled “Prime“, and even incorporates elements from the live-action films by Michael Bay.
In the movie “Transformers: One,” there are clear allusions to the franchise, such as phrases like “more than meets the eye” or depicting Optimus Prime and Megatron with their distinctive weapons, along with an explanation of how the Autobots and Decepticons got their names. The film is rich in lesser-known references and callbacks to Transformers’ history, other 1980s series, and humor, including some witty casting jokes. Here are some of the most intriguing and obscure Easter eggs and surprising connections you might not expect.
Various Fan-Favorite Transformer Characters
In Transformers One, not just Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, and Elita-1 are prominent characters, but the film also features a multitude of background characters drawn from the expansive Transformers universe. In the movie’s finale, future Decepticons such as Starscream, Shockwave, and Soundwave play significant roles, while many future renowned Autobots can be seen toiling in the mines before they rose to legendary status, much like Optimus Prime did before becoming one of Cybertron’s greatest warriors.
In the original animated series, it’s easiest to identify Jazz (Evan Michael Lee), one of Optimus Prime’s trusted associates. The movie “Transformers: One” depicts a young Optimus Prime, Orion Pax, saving Jazz from a crumbling Energon mine, demonstrating the deep loyalty Jazz would eventually show towards Optimus. Arcee, the most recognized female Transformer, who was recently featured in “Transformers: Rise of the Beast”, is glimpsed in the background and inspired by Optimus to join the fight. Ratchet, destined to become a future Autobot medic, makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the film before the race in Iacon, the capital of Cybertron. The racer who ultimately wins first place is Chromia, an Autobot who, along with Arcee and Elita-1, was part of the Autobot strike team in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”.
You’ve Got the Touch, You’ve Got the Power
References to The Transformers: The Movie
The initial Transformers movie in theaters, titled Transformers One, was released 38 years after the trailblazing 1986 animated film, The Transformers: The Movie. This groundbreaking film has significantly influenced the Transformers franchise, and Transformers One undeniably acknowledges its predecessor. A tribute is made in the dialogue when Orion Pax mentions he feels close enough to reach Cybertron’s core, which echoes Elita’s response, “You lack both the ability and the power,” reminiscent of Stan Bush’s song “The Touch” from the 1986 film’s soundtrack.
In “Transformers: One,” the film sets up a historic conflict between the Primes and an indigenous, invasive species known as the Quintessons. It is hinted that these beings have their origins in the 1986 version of Transformers, where they would be the creators of Cybertron’s inhabitants – the Transformers. However, the movie downplays this aspect but maintains their distinctive appearance, characterized by a robotic/organic alien organism with numerous tentacles and multiple faces.
In the film Transformers: One, the Matrix of Leadership plays a crucial role, much like it did in The Transformers: The Movie and was adapted from the “Creation Matrix” concept in Marvel Comics. This artifact symbolizes Primus’ essence and is passed down from one Autobot leader to another, granting them prime status. In this movie adaptation, the Matrix of Leadership follows a similar narrative as seen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, where it turns into ash when its worthiness is proven. However, it primarily draws inspiration from the 1986 film, even mirroring the design. Just as the Matrix transformed Orion Pax into Optimus Prime in the original animated movie, it transforms Hot-Rod into Rodimus Prime. In a nod to this, Optimus Prime also poses with the Matrix of Leadership in a similar manner to Rodimus Prime.
The movie “The Transformers: The Movie” is best known for the death of Optimus Prime, a controversial scene that sparked a huge wave of letters from disappointed viewers. Now, Optimus’ demise is considered a significant event in the Transformers lore, often depicted in different adaptations. In “Transformers: One,” Orion Pax meets a similar fate as Optimus did in “The Transformers: The Movie.” He gets shot by Megatron and falls to his death. However, instead of just dying, Orion Pax lands at the Core of Cybertron in the presence of Primus’ spirit. Here, Primus declares Orion Pax worthy to wield the Matrix of Leadership, transforming him into Optimus Prime.
Megatronus, aka The Fallen and Primus
In the world of Transformers, Megatronus Prime is one of the 13 prominent figures and serves as an inspiration for character D-16. As D-13 admires Megatronus so much, he decides to adopt his name, Megatron. Moreover, D-16 adopts Megatronus Prime’s distinctive symbol (a head-shaped emblem) as the symbol of the Decepticons. It is essential to note that this storyline and Megatronus Prime’s status as a Prime are deeply rooted in Transformers comics. In another narrative, Megatronus goes by the name The Fallen. This is the same title given to the primary antagonist in the 2009 film “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” However, in this context, The Fallen refers to a historical figure who has passed away, serving as an inspiration for the young machine that will eventually grow up and take on the identity of Megatron.
In the film “Transformers One,” it was made clear that Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers, is essentially the physical form of their deity, Primus. Primus, the creator of the Primes who are tasked with protecting the planet, has a villainous twin brother named Unicron. Unicron, another planet-sized Transformer known for consuming worlds, was first introduced in “The Transformers: The Movie” and is frequently considered as the main adversary in the Transformers series. Although not explicitly stated in the movie, it seems plausible that if there’s a sequel, Unicron may make an appearance.
Sentinel Prime Draws Heavily From the Michael Bay Films
In the movie, it’s actually Jon Hamm’s character, Sentinel Prime, who plays the central antagonist. Unlike the Sentinel Prime we know from Transformers lore, this version is a traitor who worked for the original 13 Primes. He deceived them by taking their life force and pretending to be a Prime himself. Afterward, he established a regime under which many Transformers were prevented from becoming fully operational by having their transforming components removed before they could come online. This left them as commoners, forced to work in mines where they extracted Enegon to be given to the Quintessons, thereby maintaining Sentinel Prime’s power.
The character portrayal of Sentinel Prime as an antagonist stems directly from the movies directed by Michael Bay, particularly in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”. In this film, Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy) is unveiled halfway through as a traitor who strikes a bargain with the Decepticons to conclude the war on Cybertron. He sides with Megatron to amass an army of Transformers for global conquest, but is ultimately thwarted by Optimus Prime and the Autobots. Visually, Sentinel Prime in the first movie retains several aspects from the live-action films, such as a double-bladed axe and shoulder guards resembling a cape.
In the climax of “Transformers One,” there’s a blend of tribute and correction to the ending of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” Both movies portray Optimus and Megatron working together against Sentinel, but in the first film, Megatron aims to kill Sentinel Prime for deceiving the people of Cybertron. However, Optimus intervenes to prevent Megatron from taking Sentinel’s life, as he wishes to act more honorably than Sentinel and not take an innocent life coldly, which seems like a critique of the contentious ending in “Dark of the Moon,” where heroic Optimus Prime shoots a pleading, injured Sentinel Prime at close range. In this reimagining, the filmmakers acknowledge that such an act is villainous and allow Megatron to deliver the fatal blow to Sentinel Prime instead.
GoBots
In contrast to Transformers, a brand that gained fame for turning into robots during the ’80s, it was actually Tonka’s GoBots that premiered first, appearing on store shelves in 1983 – a year before Transformers made their debut. Similar to Transformers, the GoBots were divided into two groups: the honorable Guardians and the malevolent Renegades. However, Transformers rapidly surpassed GoBots in popularity, leading to the cessation of their toy production in 1987. Hasbro purchased Tonka in 1991, thereby gaining ownership of the GoBots’ history. Although the GoBots have been integrated into the larger Transformers universe, they are seldom mentioned in the main narrative.
Elita-1 reprimands Orion Pax and warns them about their surface mission. In her anger, she labels them as “GoBots”, which at the time was a derogatory term for her but a delightful nod to fans of the toy line who recognize it as a reference to a less frequently acknowledged part of the series.
Key & Peele Joke
In the movie, Keegan Michael Key portrays B-127, a character who eventually transforms into Bumblebee. Interestingly, in the storyline, Bumblebee is depicted as overly chatty, which tends to irritate other characters. However, this sets up an interesting twist for viewers since we know that at some point, Bumblebee will lose his capacity to speak. As the film unfolds, Bumblebee transitions from being the chattiest Transformer to one who can no longer speak but manages to express himself through a radio, demonstrating his ingenuity in communication even without a voice box.
When young Optimus and Megatron encounter B-127, he had been working in sublevel 50 for some time and fabricated a group of companions from discarded items. One of these companions is named A.A. Trash, a nod to the popular “Substitute Teacher” Key & Peele sketch, where Keegan Michael Key portrays Mr. Garvey, a substitute teacher who mispronounces each student’s name, including Aaron as A.A. Ron.
Familiar Voices from Transformers Past
While Transformers One does not bring back iconic voice actors Peter Cullen and Frank Welker to voice Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively, that doesn’t mean there are not a few familiar voices from Transformers past. Jon Bailey, most famous for his role as the Honest Trailer voice guy, voices Soundwave in Transformers One. Bailey previously voiced Soundwave in 2018’s Bumblebee. Bailey is no stranger to Transformers, as he has become a go-to voice for Optimus Prime on projects when Peter Cullen is unavailable. Bailey even provided the temp voice for Optimus Prime in Bumblebee.
One of the most amusing character voices, however, belongs to the treacherous Decepticon, Starscream. Interestingly, Steve Buscemi provides the voice for Starscream, having also voiced the Transformers character Daytrader in the 2017 film Transformers: The Last Knight earlier. For viewers, hearing Buscemi’s familiar voice as Starscream might seem like a perfect match, but the movie delves deeper into this connection. The film reveals that Starscream’s signature high-pitched tone, made popular by Chris Latta in the original Transformers animated series, is actually a result of Megatron choking Starscream so severely that he damaged his vocal cords. As a result, whenever Starscream tries to speak, he maintains this high-pitched tone, much like how Sentinel Prime mimics it. The filmmakers could have left Starscream’s voice unexplained, but adding this detail was a nice touch.
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2024-09-21 02:32