I’m not sure whether the key takeaway from Transformers: The Rise Of The Beasts is that any movie can surprise you, or that if you keep squeezing out new sequels and reboots from a tired franchise, eventually something has to click (also known as the Fast Five phenomenon). It’s probably a bit of both. Either way, director Steven Caple Jr's The Rise Of The Beasts is a surprisingly satisfying blockbuster. Also read: Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse review: Delightful superhero movie trapped within a conventional franchise sequel
Like most Hollywood franchises limping through their 6th or 7th instalment, the Transformers series has been an inconsistent mess. I maintain that Michael Bay’s Shia LaBeouf-led first instalment in 2007 was incredibly entertaining and well-executed and that its 2009 sequel Revenge Of The Fallen, flashy and scattered as it was, was just as fun (come at me, bro). From then on, the franchise descended into an overstuffed haze of blurry blockbuster.. stuff. Bay made three more sequels, each emptier than the last (I had to Google it to be sure how many there were, considering they all melt into each other). I’m fairly sure I’ve seen those movies but all I can remember is a nondescript mash-up of explosions and an unwatchable Mark Wahlberg holding a funky alien gun. Then, in 2018, came the less soulless and gentler, more enjoyable Bumblebee directed by Travis Knight. Now that you’re all caught up on the movies so far, let's get into the nuts and bolts of this one.
All things new with the Maximals
The novelty of this latest addition to the series is the, well, beasts. An alien race (different from the Autobots) called the Maximals. The Autobots are giant alien robots that transform into shiny vehicles. The Maximals are giant alien robots that transform into shiny mechanic animals. Simple enough. These behemoth bionic beasts are led by a robot gorilla named Optimus Primal, voiced by Ron Perlman (I’m still reeling from the fact that they didn’t go with Optimus Primate - it was right there). There’s also the eagle-like Airazor (Michelle Yeoh proving that her voice alone commands wisdom). The Maximals’ whole deal is to protect something called the transwarp key (this movie's dangerous-glowing-doohicky that everyone has to fight over - every blockbuster has one). The key can open a wormhole in space and must be kept out of the clutches of Scourge (a genuinely creepy baddie voiced by Peter Dinklage). He wants to use it to open a gateway to summon his master Unicron - the planet eater. Like all robot alien species seem to do in these movies, the Maximals have been hiding out on Earth amongst humans for eons. The year is 1994. The Autobots (the good guys led by Optimus Prime) have been stranded on Earth for 7 years and yearn to return to their home planet. The Rise Of The Beasts technically takes place after the events of Bumblebee (which was set in 1987) and before the events of the 2007 movie. But I find it best not to expend too much brain power trying to figure out the timelines in these things and instead just strap in for another standalone adventure.
{{/usCountry}}The novelty of this latest addition to the series is the, well, beasts. An alien race (different from the Autobots) called the Maximals. The Autobots are giant alien robots that transform into shiny vehicles. The Maximals are giant alien robots that transform into shiny mechanic animals. Simple enough. These behemoth bionic beasts are led by a robot gorilla named Optimus Primal, voiced by Ron Perlman (I’m still reeling from the fact that they didn’t go with Optimus Primate - it was right there). There’s also the eagle-like Airazor (Michelle Yeoh proving that her voice alone commands wisdom). The Maximals’ whole deal is to protect something called the transwarp key (this movie's dangerous-glowing-doohicky that everyone has to fight over - every blockbuster has one). The key can open a wormhole in space and must be kept out of the clutches of Scourge (a genuinely creepy baddie voiced by Peter Dinklage). He wants to use it to open a gateway to summon his master Unicron - the planet eater. Like all robot alien species seem to do in these movies, the Maximals have been hiding out on Earth amongst humans for eons. The year is 1994. The Autobots (the good guys led by Optimus Prime) have been stranded on Earth for 7 years and yearn to return to their home planet. The Rise Of The Beasts technically takes place after the events of Bumblebee (which was set in 1987) and before the events of the 2007 movie. But I find it best not to expend too much brain power trying to figure out the timelines in these things and instead just strap in for another standalone adventure.
{{/usCountry}}Of course, fancy extraterrestrial robots need human characters to befriend. Enter Noah Diaz (an endearing, movie uplifting Anthony Ramos). Noah’s a down-on-his-luck ex-soldier struggling to provide for his family and the cancer treatment of his kid brother (a suitably adorable Dean Scott Vazquez). The writing from Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber along with the performances from the two brothers, successfully give the movie a beating heart that goes beyond the wafer-thin human characters we see in traditional generic summer movie fare. Desperate to pay for his brother’s treatment, Noah resorts to trying to jack a car which - yup, you guessed it - turns out to be a Transformer, thus drawing him into their latest oversized adventure. Also along for the ride is nerdy intern Elena (Dominique Fishback) who finds the transwarp key at the museum she works in, thus making her a target of Scourge.
Adventure with the Autobots
Also adding personality to the proceedings are the Autobots themselves. There’s Arcee (the voice of Liza Koshy), fan-favourite Bumblebee (who’s now far smaller and cuter as compared to his original design in the 2007 movie), and the irreverent, foul-mouthed Mirage. It’s no surprise that Mirage gets the funniest lines considering he’s voiced by Pete Davidson. After a point, it felt like they just let him riff on the script to bring the funny. And it works. Then there’s the big man himself - Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen's inimitable, commanding baritone has been the voice of Optimus since the 80s). In a refreshing change of pace, The Rise Of The Beasts gives us a more jaded, more raw Optimus. Still reeling from the civil war that forced him and the Autobots to leave their home planet of Cybertron, he’s not yet evolved into the empathetic, natural-born leader we typically see him as. This Optimus is impulsive, indifferent to humans, and more committed to saving his people than saving the day. What’s less effective (though sincere) is the writers' attempt to force parallels between Optimus and Noah as two figures who must learn to look beyond the well-being of their own families.
Final verdict
The Rise Of The Beasts is a familiar, hits-the-spot, save-the-day escapist action flick that’s crowd-pleasing, controlled and coherent (the bar is low these days). Come for more funny one-liners than you might expect. Stay for giant robots beating the hell out of each other (I've always found the visual effects and fight choreography in these movies to be bloody impressive). The formulaic final face-off, featuring the Maximals and Autobots fighting an army of baddies, for example, is satisfying and well structured, rather than another MCU-style unfocused bloated blur (as I said, the bar is low these days). Speaking of the MCU, does this movie set up yet another cinematic universe you ask? Don’t be silly, of course it does. But it’s one you won’t expect.
This may be an odd way to sign off but it’s a thought that kept coming back to me during The Rise Of The Beasts, and one that certainly added to my experience of it. In 2023 so far, I've tolerated Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, struggled through Shazam” Fury Of The Gods, got lost in the thrills of John Wick: Chapter 4, relished Dungeons And Dragons: Honour Among Thieves and survived the (terrible) The Little Mermaid. I’ve successfully avoided Fast X, felt with Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 3, enjoyed the visual delights of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, and had fun with Transformers: The Rise Of The Beasts. As I look ahead at The Flash, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, and beyond, the feeling is clear. For the first time in a post-pandemic world, it feels like Hollywood on the big screen has returned to its full strength. The movies are back.