Following the soft reboot of the Transformers film franchise, orchestrated by 2018’s Bumblebee, we now have the beginning of a new trilogy that’s looking to thrust the franchise into a brand new direction. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts takes us to the mid 90’s, where the Autobots must team up with the Maximals to defeat a new, dangerous threat.
If my review of Transformers: The Last Knight is any indication… the franchise was in a state of disrepair under the watchful eye of Michael Bay. Thankfully, with Steven Caple Jr. at the helm, the franchise is the best it’s been since the release of 2007’s Transformers. By no means will this go down as an exceptional Transformers film, but it’s a hugely entertaining step in the right direction – one that has me wanting to see more. The narrative moves along at a relatively rapid pace, blasting through its key plot points as it practically sprints to the finish line from the moment it starts. That’s great and all, but the tradeoff is that the script is laden more conveniences than you can throw a stick at. It’s so thinly written that if a character needs something to happen, or if there’s a solution they need, it will just happen. At first it’s a little eye roll-inducing, but as soon as the robots start punching each other and you realise it’s still an entertaining popcorn film, it’s not really a big issue.
I mentioned it being very thinly written, but that’s more in terms of the plot progression than that character arcs. While the film does feature a tonne of robot action, it has Anthony Ramos‘ human character, Noah Diaz, at the centre of it. In contrast to the awfully boring human narratives of Bay’s Transformers entries, this character is a well fleshed out, likeable protagonist you can root for. He’s accompanied by Dominique Fishback’s Elena, a human character who’s not quite as interesting, but aptly contributes to the plot.
There’s more or less 2-3 notable human characters in here, a great departure from the abundance of military personalities, love interests and sidekicks that have made up prior movies. It means we get more time to understand our main duo of humans, and also more time to focus on the real stars of the show – the Transformers. Speaking of the big metal guys, the Autobots are all over this film – they’re in almost every scene and directly tied to every point in the narrative. On the other hand, the Maximals aren’t as featured as you’d imagine for a film titled “Rise of the Beasts“. Optimus Primal and Airazor have the most to do, but even then they barely have a well-rounded arc. Then there’s Rhinox and Cheetor, who may have had one line each across the entire movie. Overall, the Maximals are great when on screen, but more content would have been great.
In terms of action sequences, those that are sprinkled throughout the first two acts are great, but it’s the third act that really blows the roof off. The entire climax of the movie is just straight-up awesome – it’s like a large-scale representation of a kid playing with his toys, letting his imagination take over and just going nuts. It may be the best large-scale robot battle in the franchise, including Bay’s entries. The visual effects through all of these action sequences are exceptional, a step up from the visual noise that plagued Bay’s films. The improvements begin with the redesign of the Autobots – making them look less like ambiguous chunks of metal and more like their original G1 designs. They have more colour, more discernible features and more personality to set them apart. It makes them feel more like unique characters whose names we may actually remember between films.
One thing that will never get old – having the voice of Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime. The gravity he brings to role through his iconic voice alone will always be unmatched. Despite being the veteran on the cast list, he’s not the only one who delivers a great voice performance. Pete Davidson debuts as Mirage and impresses right from the get-go. The charisma he exudes with every line of dialogue enhances the fun of nearly every one of his scenes. He’s the main source of comedy and has some great back-and-forth moments with Anthony Ramos. Playing Airazor and Optimus Primal are class acts Michelle Yeoh and Ron Perlman, both delivering assertive performances indicative of their characters’ roles.
Setting this entry in the 90s adds another element I hadn’t initially anticipated – a great soundtrack. There’s a few great needle drops that pair well with their respective scenes and add an extra dollop of nostalgia.
In the end, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a great time at the cinema. The story is light on creativity, with conveniences aplenty and characters making dumb decisions, but the explosive action and lively performances make those woes forgivable. The action-packed climax alone is enough to warrant paying for a ticket. Lastly, this movie excels in simplicity. Yes, it’s still setting up a huge new trilogy of Transformers films, but it has noticeably stripped back all the elements that were bloating the franchise. It’s a massive step in the right direction, one that will hopefully pay off in the future.
7.7/10
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