Origin stories can be tricky, especially for established franchises and characters. That’s the challenge before Transformers One, a new animated film that seeks to tell the origin story for the characters we know so well—Optimus Prime and Megatron.

Before they were those well know leaders and foes, they were friends and simple minors, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Bryan Tyree Henry). They were inseparable, despite their different approaches to life and work. Orion Pax as wide-eyed optimist with dreams of rising above his station and D-16 a cautious rule-follower.

Yet, through a series of adventures they end up on a path to find the Matrix of Leadership and help save their people and all of Cybertron. Along the way they team with a lonely worker, B-127 (Keegan Michael Key), and their former colleague Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson). The mission turns into something else, as the four stumble on a long-hidden truth that changes their foundation of knowledge about their lives and the world.

That discovery has a profound impact on both Orion Pax and D-16 as they move forward. Armed with the truth, both are pushed on their natural paths that take them to being the Autobot and Decepticon that we have come to know.

I was unsure how this animated prequel would work. We’ve seen a lot of Transformers films—seven in total—since Michael Bay launched the franchise in 2007. Some have come with diminishing returns. But moving the story to animation—the roots of the Transformers experience—isn’t the only change here.

The re-launch of these characters and stories feels something of a piece with the re-launch of the X-Men franchise a few years ago. In fact, in a lot of ways Transformers One reminds me of what I liked best about X-Men: First Class. It also serves as a bridge to build up an original friendship that changes and is lost between these two rival leaders.

I really liked the look and feel of this animated film, which works well. I also enjoyed the voice work here—which also includes Jon Hamm and Laurence Fishburne in key roles, along with Steve Buscemi providing some great comic relief.

Director Josh Cooley, who previously worked on some Pixar shorts and Toy Story 4, does a nice job bringing the story to life. The action moves at a good pace and the performances are solid as we build these characters and this world we’ve come to know so well. This feels like the perfect kick-off of a new spin on the franchise that I’d be interested in seeing moving forward.

Transformers One exceeded expectations and is one of the most fun rides of the year. It opens nationwide on Friday, September 20.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.