Transformers: Rise of the Beasts review

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS: 

THE TRANSFORMERS GO PRIMAL IN FUN SIXTH/SEVENTH INSTALLMENT! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND HASBRO

Cheetor, Rhinox, Airazor, Optimus Primal, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Mirage in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

 

            The Transformers go back to the 90s in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the sixth main and seventh overall installment of the Transformers film series and second not to be directed by Michael Bay after 2018’s Bumblebee. Despite not growing up with the original Hasbro toy line or many of the animated TV shows based on the property that much, I had a basic understanding of the plot for Transformers and who a chunk of the characters were. 

            Really my first true exposure to Transformers aside from a few random episodes of a cartoon show on TV was the first live-action movie from 2007 directed by Michael Bay which I do legitimately like despite its flaws. Sure, it has a lot of problems and a handful of stupid moments, but the plot works fine enough, the Transformer characters are recognizable, and the action scenes are spectacular. 

            It’s definitely one of the better Michael Bay films especially when compared to its tiring and uninspired sequels that recycle the exact same plot and action set pieces to the point where the series becomes extremely repetitive and lacking any charm the first film had. Which is why the Bumblebee spin-off/prequel movie from 2018 was exactly what the Transformers franchise desperately needed, a fresh start that brought life back into the series with solid direction from Travis Knight, charming characters, a surprisingly touching coming-of-age story, and exciting action. 

            Now, we have this new film set after the events of Bumblebee but before the first movie with Michael Bay as a producer alongside Steven Spielberg and Steven Caple Jr. (The Land, Creed II) in the director’s chair. How does Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hold up compared to its predecessors? It’s good. 

            This is easily the best Transformers sequel (or prequel…that isn’t called Bumblebee) and at least the best live-action Transformers film since the first Michael Bay movie. I can’t say it’s a perfect film or even on par with Bumblebee, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. 

            The film is set in 1994 and follows a young man in Brooklyn named Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos-Hamilton, A Star is Born (2018), In the Heights) trying to provide for his family. But when he finds himself in the driver’s seat of a car revealed to be a Transformer known as Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson-The King of Staten Island, The Suicide Squad, Bodies Bodies Bodies) and winds up in the middle of a conflict between the heroic Autobots led by Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen-Winnie the Pooh, Predator, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers) and the ruthless Decepticons, Noah along with artifact researcher Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback-Show Me a Hero, The Deuce, Judas the Black Messiah) and the other Autobots consisting of Bumblebee, Arcee (voiced by Liza Koshy-Freakish, Liza on Demand, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken), Stratosphere (voiced by John DiMaggio-Futurama, Kim Possible, Adventure Time), Wheeljack (voiced by Cristo Fernández-Ted Lasso), and their new allies known as the Maximals, transforming animal-like robots led by Optimus Primal (voiced by Ron Perlman-Blade II, Hellboy 1 and 2, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio) must race to Peru in order to obtain an ancient artifact called the Transwarp Key to save both Earth and the planet Cybertron from a powerful planet-destroying entity known as Unicron (voiced by Colman Domingo-Lincoln, 42, Candyman (2021)). 

            The film also stars Luna Lauren Vélez (Dexter, Ugly Betty, Spider-Man: Into/Across the Spider-Verse) as Breanna Diaz, Tobe Nwigwe as Reek, Sarah Stiles (Unsane, Steven Universe: The Movie, Here Today) as Jillian, and features the voices of Peter Dinklage (Elf, Game of Thrones, Avengers: Infinity War) as Scourge, Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Airazor, David Sobolov (Beast Wars: Transformers, Spider-Man: Unlimited, Transformers: Prime) as Rhinox, Battletrap, and Apelinq, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Nurse Jackie, Luke Cage, Pose) as Nightbird, and Tongayi Chirisa (Skin, Crusoe, Antebellum) as Cheetor. 

            Overall, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ narrative hits similar beats as previous films in the series, but unlike other Transformers movies there is actual heart and strong character development set around the explosive robot action sequences this time. With the exception of Hailee Steinfeld from Bumblebee and maybe a little for Josh Duhamel’s character in the Michael Bay movies, I almost never cared much for the human characters in the Transformers films and felt they often brought the pacing down to a crawl, I don’t care about Shia LaBeouf trying to find a job in Transformers: Dark of the Moon so why is there so much focus on it? Thankfully, the human characters here are a huge improvement over Shia LaBeouf and Mark Wahlberg. 

            Anthony Ramos’ Noah is a very endearing and likable human protagonist especially for a live-action Transformers film, this ex-military electronics expert in Brooklyn trying to support his family specifically his younger brother who is suffering from a chronic illness. It adds an element of humanity to his character and the talks between him and the brother are extremely heartfelt and seeing how far he’ll go to provide for his family is a lot more engaging and emotionally investing than Shia LaBeouf desperately trying to impress Megan Fox with his car. 

            Ramos also has good comedic timing whether it’s him reacting to the Transformers for the first time or the dialogue between him and Pete Davidson’s charismatic Mirage, I got some good laughs from them. Again, huge improvement over Shia screaming every line and John Turturro traumatizing moviegoers with his rear-end. 

            As previously mentioned, the plot itself is more of the same with the humans and Autobots racing to find a powerful MacGuffin before the bad guys do. But when there’s actual heart and likable characters behind it, the somewhat recycled plot is excused. 

            Because you actually give a sh*t about what’s happening, the action is exhilarating and very well-choreographed. It doesn’t have a lot of that shaky camera or cluttered action scenes that the Michael Bay films have and for the most part you can make out which character is doing what in a fight scene because Steven Caple Jr. cares about making an exciting spectacle and not give the audience a headache. 

            Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is an enjoyable time and continues the trend of breathing new life into the long-running Transformers franchise thanks to new talents in the director’s chairs and screenwriters that actually treat their audiences like adults. With this and Bumblebee, there truly is more to these films than meets the eye.