MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Sci-Fi Action/Stars: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Vélez, Tobe Nwigwe, Dean Scott Vazquez, Michael Kelly; Voices of: Peter Cullen, Pete Davidson, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Liza Koshy, Michelle Yeoh, Cristo Fernández, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, John DiMaggio, Tongayi Chirisa, David Sobolov, Colman Domingo/Runtime: 127 minutes
I think it can be said with ease and honesty in equal measure that when it comes to the saga of adapting the iconic Hasbro property known as the Transformers it would not surprise me if you saw that the last 2 decades in that saga was one comprised of frustration, anger, Tylenol, and just plain exasperation (with maybe a shot or 5 of tequila thrown in for good measure). I say this because from 2007 up until about 2017 the world was the “blessed” recipient of no less than five Michael Bay Transformer movies. A gauntlet that, the further along we got, the more we saw them get increasingly absurd and/or ridiculous to the point that not only did we get such things as drunk Merlin and Transformers fighting Nazis for all of 5 minutes, but eventually we as people also more than likely lost our voices yelling “OH COME ON!” at the screen for every single minute of the bloated runtimes that at least two of those entries had. Thankfully, in the aftermath of 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight, a movie that even had me tempted to seriously step back and reevaluate my choices in this life, we as movie goers actually saw a miracle occur. That being that with the release of prequel Bumblebee the following year this franchise actually managed to started to right the ship to a fairly significant extent. Indeed this prequel/spinoff/whatever you want to call it gave movie goers a more condensed narrative that not only showcased a genuine care and fondness for the characters, be they of the human or giant robot masquerading as a vehicle variety, whilst also showcasing that this was a franchise that could work in the gonzo action beats that Bay had in abundance, but only so long as it took the time to (get this) actually tell a genuine story in the process. To that end, that brings us to the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, the new release Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and upon first glance this really does look like a noble attempt to live up to its 2018 predecessor’s example by giving us a new narrative that cares about the people and their robot allies/nemeses equally. Unfortunately, it soon becomes quite clear that this slice of robot butt kicking cinema is also one that strives to try and be a hybrid of what Bay did in his movies and what worked phenomenally well in Bumblebee and the results aren’t as stellar as they might have hoped. To be sure, this franchise entry does still have quite a bit of good on display on both sides of the camera and it does also show that there is a lot of potential left to be mined from this property if done right. At the same time though, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is also cinematic proof that if there really is more than meets the eye to this property when it comes to cinematic potential then it needs to be willing to present us with that because I have no doubt that the patience of its target audience might be starting to wear a bit thin…again…..
The plot is as follows: So following a action-fueled prologue which I shan’t spoil for you here, Rise of the Beasts rolls out its intriguing narrative by taking us all the way back to the long-ago time and place of 1994 Brooklyn. It is here where we meet our main character who takes the shape and form of a young man by the name of Noah Diaz. Noah, we are quick to learn, is a distinct entry of that group known as former military personnel in that not only is he quite the talent with computers and other technology, but he also resides with his mom and brother. Unfortunately, despite his tech and former military combo pedigree, we see that times haven’t been the best as of late for our hero and so, out of desperation to help take care of his little bro’s medical bills, we see him agree to aid his friend Reek in jacking a Porsche they can then turn around and sell. Of course, this IS a Transformers movie after all, it should come as no big surprise to learn that this is not just a car, but also a member of that infamous group known as the Autobots called Mirage. It is also around this time incidentally that we see a young woman working at a local museum by the name of Elena Wallace make an incredible discovery of her own. That being that a weird bird sculpture with even more mysterious symbols on it that the museum has in its collection is actually a piece of extraterrestrial technology that can conjure up portals in space. A tool that in the hands of the villainous Terrorcons and their leader Unicron would permit them to take over Earth, but in the hands of Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots help them at long last get back home to their native Cybertron. Thus with both of our intrepid heroes in this deeply concerned that the Autobots might choose to care about themselves over virtually all life on Earth, we see the duo decide to work with the Autobots and embark on a journey to try and locate the other pieces to this technology. A journey that will see all parties involved also cross paths with a group known as the Maximals which are giant robots that have decided to (for lack of a better word) transform into giant animals and who have a prior history with Unicron and his dastardly ways. Thus does this coalition of mankind, Autobot, and Maximal have what it takes to put a stop to Unicron and his plans or is Earth about to be wiped off the map for good? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader…..
Now right off the ol’ fender, it should be noted that the work done behind the camera on this installment is very much the dictionary definition of a mixed bag. This is because, on one hand, this slice of cinema manages to pick up where its predecessor left off and does a grand job of ensuring that the characters, both human and robot, have more of an emphasis placed on them before even thinking of going into the majority with the action beats on display. To that end, this slice of cinema’s screenplay does deserve a fair bit of praise of ensuring that we are given enough time with our pair of human leads so that way we are capable of actually giving a darn about them and the circumstances they are about to be thrust into before an Autobot comes into the picture. Perhaps the most crucial thing that this slice of cinema does in that arena though is that it manages to give the titular robots, especially Optimus Prime, a vital degree or 12 of humanity as well. This is because, by being placed earlier in the timeline, we as movie goers are given an Optimus that is different from the one we saw in Transformers 1-5 with the key difference being that this take on Optimus has no trust in humanity whatsoever to say nothing of the fact that he doesn’t feel he can depend on them to help him and the rest of the Autobots survive. As a result, the film does a great job at showing us the ever-evolving relationship between Noah and Optimus from uneasy allies to brothers-in-arms so to speak and it might not be the most fleshing out that a character could receive, but it’s still a delightful bit of character growth for easily the most iconic Transformer this side of Megatron. Along with that, this slice of cinema does a grand job at not only making the most of the era it’s set in, right down to a genuinely groove-worthy soundtrack, but also in elevating the peril exponentially that would be present if a genuinely malicious machine was roaming around our planet. This extends not only to a truly horrifying appearance for such characters as Scourge for example, but also to a fair bit of legitimately spooky jump scares to say nothing of the phenomenal utilization of shadows that together makes this film feel less like an entry in the Transformers franchise and more like a horror film with giant robots in it. Unfortunately, we also see that despite working off the foundation laid by 2018’s Bumblebee this film also wants to work off the framework laid by Bay in certain ways as well and the end result is exactly what you would expect. For example, we see that even though the first half of this film feels like a whimsical and charming look back at New York in the 1990s, this film’s second half sees our group embark on yet another hunt for yet another item that could once again bring about the end of the world in the wrong hands. As a result, we see that the film begins to stumble a fair bit whilst also making you ponder just how in the world has this series not located, amongst the items, a better narrative than just looking for a doomsday device. Along with that, we also see that the action beats also start to transform into a bit more run of the mill in nature as well. To be sure, the action bears are more comprehensible than the ones Bay had. With that in mind though, these fights still rely primarily on a pair (or more) of giant CGI’d to the hilt robots pummeling the heck out of each other which really isn’t all that intriguing anymore despite having the human characters, in their own way, playing a part in these action beats thus making them a bit more riveting and distinct respectively.
Of course, the other big component to a slice of cinema that can either work for or against it would have to be the work done by the cast of players in front of the camera. In that regard, this slice of cinema does possess a collection of performances, both physical and voice-only, that are surprisingly good. This starts with the dynamic human duo at the heart of this film starting with Anthony Ramos who does a great job at giving us a character that is not only genuinely relatable and even likable, but also (unlike a certain other Transformers lead named Shia) shows he can hold his own in a combat situation as well. Suffice it to say that it is a wonderful turn to say nothing of one that could, without going into spoilers, be a key part to this franchise moving forward. Unfortunately for Dominique Fishback we see that, despite being just as much a welcome addition to this ever-expanding universe and giving a really good performance in her own right, she manages to get sidelined in the second half of this movie. I mean don’t get me wrong it’s not a bad performance, but fingers crossed the next installment in this planned trilogy gives her a better arc. Alongside our two new human kids on the block, this slice of cinema also manages to give audiences at least one surprise and that is a genuinely not-bad vocal turn here from a comedian of some skill and talent (I kid) by the name of Pete Davidson as newly introduced Autobot Mirage. Indeed take the out of control wacky style of a character like Jim Carrey’s The Mask, blend it together with the zaniness of someone like Bugs Bunny and you might begin to get a good idea of what to expect from this character right down to some moments of comedy that actually had me chuckling a bit. We also get an incredibly good vocal performance here from Transformer franchise OG Peter Cullen reprising his role once more as the legendary Optimus Prime. With that in mind though, it should be noted that this is by no means the Prime from previous installments. Not just because he seems to be a bit more dare I say abrasive to an extent than in the other films, but also because he seems to almost view humanity less as an equal and more as an inferior species when the two worlds do eventually collide here. Even with that in mind though, there is no denying that Cullen (as always) does a phenomenal job at bringing his trademark character to life whilst also providing Optimus with a bit of character development and arc in regards to the way his relationship with humanity changes as the movie goes along respectively. Finally, this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of a terrific turn from the phenomenal Peter Dinklage providing his vocal talents to the role of main antagonist Scourge. Indeed not only is Dinklage a brilliant choice for the part, but he also does a fantastic job at (much like Hugo Weaving as Megatron if not at times slightly more so) bringing a sense of genuine terror and menace to the proceedings. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful voice-only efforts from screen icon Ron Perlman who is perfect casting for Optimus Primal, Michelle Yeoh, Colman Domingo who is brilliant in his take on the iconic Unicron, John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama!!), and Liza Koshy amongst others I think it can be said that the story might let them down, but the cast of players assembled here still does the best they can with the material they are given.
All in all I must admit that I am at a bit of a quandary when it comes to this slice of cinema. I say this because yes this slice of cinema is by no means a bad movie, but by the same token it also isn’t a movie that is on the level of quality that an entry in this franchise should be obtaining following both all the entries that have come before it to say nothing of the schooling the creative minds behind it must have had to engage in following the 5th Bay installment crashing and burning as spectacularly as it did. Along with that, it should also be noted that the action beats on display here are riveting and exciting to an extent, but it also isn’t long before things come perilously close to being run of the mill yet again. Also, the cast of characters, be they of the human or robot variety, all are written and even dare I say performed better than they have in 95% of the previous installments, but once more they are tragically let down courtesy of the narrative being one that manages to transform into a run of the mill pursuit for an item of significance that even Indiana Jones himself wouldn’t wish to pursue. Finally, it is also worth noting that whilst this slice of cinema does possess more than its fair share of comedic moments that will make you at the very least chuckle, it also never manages to make those moments ones that are genuinely hilarious. Suffice it to say then that yes in many respects Rise of the Beasts is an improvement over what Bay gave us for a solid decade, but it also is a film that feels like it is content with taking part in doing just enough to bring the fans in without ever once doing anything to truly distinguish itself either. An issue that, should the jaw-dropping tease at the end of this film be anything to go by, the creative powers that be definitely need to look at before they go any further. Not just for the sake of the franchise as a whole, but to ensure that what comes next is as spectacular as it deserves to be. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Transformers: Rise of the Beasts a solid 3 out of 5.
