The top Transformers film in years makes its streaming debut.

Under the direction of Michael Bay, Paramount crafted a billion-dollar franchise with five live-action Transformers films. However, after Bay’s last outing with 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight, the franchise began to explore new and unexpected paths. The 2018 prequel, Bumblebee, stood out as a critical and commercial success, even if it didn’t reach the billion-dollar milestones of its predecessors. Unfortunately, 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts didn’t manage to revitalize the franchise as Paramount had hoped.

In 2024, Paramount took a bold step with one of the best entries in the series to date, the animated prequel Transformers One. While it may not have dominated the box office or satisfied every fan, the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron is gaining traction on streaming platforms.

Transformers One recently made its debut on Netflix after a multi-year stint on another service. Streaming data indicates that audiences are giving the animated feature a second chance, as it quickly climbed into the top 10 most-watched movies on Netflix, landing at No. 6 in the U.S. It sits comfortably between Twilight and the animated comedy Ice Age.

Netflix viewers are right to recognize the film’s worth. As noted in our review, it’s “sweet, occasionally heartbreaking, and utterly convincing in telling the origin story of friends-turned-foes Optimus Prime and Megatron.” With a strong cast and a compelling narrative rooted in a classic hero’s journey, Transformers One brings a spark that has been rare in the franchise.

The story delves into the early friendship of young Optimus and Megatron, who are known as Orion Pax and D-16 on their home planet of Cybertron. Voiced by Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, respectively, Orion and D-16 are depicted as low-class miners of Energon, dreaming of greater things, including the ability to transform—an ability not all Cybertronians possess. They place their trust in Sentinel Prime (voiced by Jon Hamm), the leader of Cybertron, who is on a quest for the Matrix of Leadership to restore their planet.

The animated feature boasts a star-studded cast, including Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1, and Keegan-Michael Key as B-127. While Transformers One can be dramatic and at times quite violent for an animated film, it also delivers a healthy dose of humor, with jokes that resonate, including references to the 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie and classic sketches from Key & Peele.

Sadly, despite its charms, Transformers One struggled at the box office, earning only $129 million globally, which dashed hopes for a planned spinoff franchise. In response, Paramount is reevaluating its approach to Transformers, bringing in Steven Spielberg to oversee all creative aspects of the next live-action installment and reuniting with Michael Bay to help rejuvenate the brand.

Transformers One is now available for streaming on Netflix and another service.

Who is Rodimus Prime, you ask?