We all have the power to change our destiny.

To stand up against those who held us down.

To transform into something new.

“Transformers One” was released in theaters throughout the United States on Sept. 20. Directed by Josh Cooley, it stars Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron.

Before Optimus Prime and Megatron were born, they were known as Orion Pax and D-16. This film is a retelling of their origin: from bots in the background to legendary leaders, and from best friends to sworn enemies.

The film follows their simple start as miners with no transformation abilities. They work alongside other bots to mine the energy needed for their planet, Cybertron, to thrive, with faith that one day their leader, Sentinel Prime, will give them salvation.

Wanting to show miners had as much potential as other bots who could transform, Orion Pax ends up traveling to the surface alongside not only D-16, but B-127, played by Keegan-Michael Key, and Elita-1, played by Scarlett Johansson.

Together they journey to find the Matrix of Leadership, the missing relic capable of restoring the life force of their planet Cybertron. Along the way, they uncover the dark truths about their leader, causing a rift in the relationship between Orion and D-16 as their opinions on dethroning Sentinel collide.

I’ll be completely honest when I say I’ve never seen, so much as touched, a single Transformers film before this one. If anything, I might have avoided the live-action films completely. The story always looked very human-centered and the robot designs were so overcomplicated they made me physically cringe. (I’m looking at you Michael Bay). I knew a bit about the improvement made with the “Bumblebee” movie and the somewhat recent “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” but still never felt a distinct pull towards watching them.

It wasn’t until a clip of a scene from “Transformers One” showed up on my Instagram feed that I actually became intrigued with the story of these alien robots that turned into brightly colored vehicles.

Not only was the movie animated, but the environment and character designs were a breath of fresh air compared to every movie poster I’ve seen from the first film in 2007 and onwards. The designs are shape-orientated, and with one good look, I can pretty easily tell what each character can transform into. Transformers, from their original start as toys, were never meant to be a jigsaw puzzle of different machine parts, but fun robots who simply turned into cars. Or trucks, maybe motorcycles, planes, a tank even — you get the gist of it.

Getting to see their planet of origin, the world of Cybertron, still in a somewhat peaceful era, was amazing. The worldbuilding was off the rails, gloriously meeting and surpassing any expectation I previously had about an alien robot planet. From their high-tech regenerating roads to the creation of the planet, everything was just so creative, and I couldn’t get enough. The contrast between the city and the surface was fantastic to see, and having the main characters of the film also experience it for the first time truly amplified the experience.

Now, while Peter Cullen is a national treasure, I have to admit that Chris Hemsworth did a great job as a young Optimus Prime. Watching and listening, I could tell it was a role he had trained for, and I definitely appreciate him for that. Scarlett Johansson’s voice acting was average at best. She had potential but it just felt like she was reading the script instead of actually embodying her character. Keegan-Michael Key, as always, made me laugh throughout the film. His voice and Bee’s character match insanely well and you can tell he enjoyed doing it.

Brian Tyree Henry was my favorite voice from the start. For such a celebrity-filled cast, he was a surprise I genuinely loved to have. As D-16 slowly turned into Megatron, I could sense the shift in his character, with the pure rage and uncontrollable bloodlust (or whatever robots bleed) that ultimately consumed him.

While B-127 and Elita-1 were wonderful characters, this was ultimately Orion and D-16’s story. They were the pulling point. It was about their transformation into the characters that go down in pop culture history for their epic rivalry.

Their story was more tragic than anything. Their origin story has been written and rewritten many times before, and from what I know, this is the first time where they didn’t meet with a power imbalance. They were equals from the beginning. It was interesting to see how they started from the same place and ended up in such different situations. How they shared such similar ideals, wanting to reveal their fraud of a leader and create a better world for all bots to live equally. They both chose their paths after finally gaining the power to change their world. Their motivations might have aligned, but not their morals.

The movie really shows how power can ultimately transform people, sometimes irreversibly.

The biggest, if not only, issue I had with the film is how so many people underestimated it just because it was animated. I think the fact that it was animated is one of the film’s greatest aspects. Sure, watching transforming robots in live action is impressive and all, but full animation has the capabilities to do so much more. It enhances everything. This film is a beautiful example of how much I want these fantastical ideas and franchises to have more animated media. Just because something is animated does not mean it’s for kids exclusively. Animation is a medium that is able to create something out of nothing and continue to expand on it.

This movie had pulling themes, tear-jerking moments and remarkable action sequences I could watch on repeat. It’s definitely more than meets the eye, as I never expected it to get such an emotional reaction out of me. I pray that more movies like this can continue to be released because they’re truly some of the best experiences in my life.