Transformers One
The story grapples with the complexities of mythological arcs
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$41 – 62MM/ $59MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
1.14% – 1.39%
Hidden Potential
$710 – 770MM
Directed by Josh Cooley, Transformers One is an origin story tracing the rivalry of Optimus & Megatron. The movie boasts of mythological arcs, unaware that these arcs are often a double-edged sword. Mythosis, with the help of 4 mythological tales, has extracted the plot structure of the movie to estimate and unlock its potential.
1. The invisible plot structure of Transformers One
1A. The script of Transformers One borrows 89% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Sentinel’s quest is driven by the desire to survive a threat and mirrors the tale of Kans from Hindu mythology. Both Kans and Sentinel are anxious about losing the positions they obtained through unscrupulous means.
Orion Pax’s quest is driven by the desire to find a missing person/object and mirrors the tale of Gilgamesh from Sumerian mythology. Both Gilgamesh and Orion Pax set out to find the “elixir of life”. The trigger for Gilgamesh’s quest was the death of his best friend, Enkidu.
Orion Pax has another quest driven by the desire for peace & tranquillity and mirrors the tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology. Both Odysseus and Orion Pax aim to liberate their men from the clutches of a deceitful captor.
D-16’s quest is driven by the desire of selfish ambition and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki and D-16 are self-centred, even to the point of sacrificing their loved ones.
D-16 also has another quest driven by the desire for loyalty to clan/order very similar to Enkidu.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
#23288
Tales interweaved
Kans, Odysseus & Valmiki
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Transformers One’s plot structure: $42 – 62MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Transformers One
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Transformers One uses 4 universal quests of Preservation, Expedition, Tranquillity and Accumulation.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Sentinel mirrors the quest of Preservation. D-16 mirrors the universal quest of Accumulation. Orion Pax mirrors the universal quest of Expedition & Tranquillity.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Sentinel borrows 16% of events from the quest of Preservation. D-16 borrows 12% from the quest of Accumulation. Orion Pax borrows 22% from the quest of Tranquillity & 10% of events from the quest of Expedition.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Transformers One has a perfect quest interweaving score of 1.0
An example of interweaving the quests of Orion Pax & D-16:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Transformers One
The two lead characters of Transformers One, Orion Pax & D-16 are inconsistent since both of them mirror multiple quests. Moreover, none of the character quests have the requisite depth and as a result they aren’t layered or complex.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.04
Audience appeal
1.14% – 1.39%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Transformers One
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Sentinel mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Sentinel’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to survive a threat. The tale of Kans from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
Quest 2: Orion Pax mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Orion Pax’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in a secure environment. The tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
Quest 3: D-16 mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
D-16’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The major gap in the plot structure of Transformers One are:
- Dual quests for both Orion Pax & D-16
- Erroneous quest selection for D-16. The primary quest of D-16 depicted in the movie, eventually culminates into remorse & not vengeance.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Though there are quite a few plot structures where friends turn into foes, Mythosis has found 2 unique plot structures that interweaves the quests of not just Orion Pax & D-16 but also Sentinel Prime. Both of them are blockbuster plot structures that enhances current revenues by ~13X.
- The first plot structure is the retelling of the conflict of Cronos, Zeus & Prometheus from Greek mythology. The story has multiple conflicts.
- A. Zeus & Cronos – Zeus seeks to retaliate against Cronos for his deceit;
- B. Cronos & Prometheus – disagreement between the two leading Prometheus to switch sides;
- C. Zeus & Prometheus – Zeus becomes the person he once loathed prompting Prometheus to revolt.
The ideal plot structure for this conflict is #22763 that interweaves the universal quests of Preservation, Idealism & Power.
- The second plot structure deepens Sentinel’s existing quest, drops Gilgamesh’s quest attributed to Orion Pax and alters D-16’s quest from accumulation to status. The tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Status which captures the concept of helping a friend overcome an enemy as well as friends turning into foes.
The ideal plot structure for this conflict is #23315 that interweaves the universal quests of Preservation, Tranquillity & Status.
Leverage Mythosis plot structures #22,763 & #23,315 to enhance current revenues by 13x!
Tags: Odysseus, Kans, Tranquillity, Accumulation, Preservation, Josh Cooley, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, Paramount Animation, Hasbro Entertainment, New Republic Pictures, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Paramount Pictures, 2024