Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts
Hasbro returns to the big screen as the Transformers roll-out for the seventh time, this time with some new animalistic additions. Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts follows on from 2018's BumbleBee, while ignoring the Michael Bay iterations of the franchise, to give us an entertaining new timeline for the robots in disguise.
Set in 1994 Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts sees a world-eating evil threaten the very existence of Earth. A threat that can only be avoided through the collaboration of humans, Autobots, and the newest animalistic robot addition to the franchise, the Maximals.
On the human side, viewers are introduced to two new main characters to guide the Transformers in the ways of the earth. First up is a former soldier turned electronics whiz Noah (Anthony Ramos), who suddenly finds himself thrust into the fight when he attempts to steal a car but quickly discovers he is the one being kidnapped by the car itself. We are then introduced to Elena (Dominique Fishback), an intern working at a New York Museum where she is clearly the brains of her department.
The performances of both Ramos & Fishback are solid, despite being saddled with a very generic script & characters. But, in all honesty, we're not watching Transformers for the humans. We're here for the robots & thankfully there are some memorable characters on that side.
Most memorable from the Autobots' side is the street-wise jokester Mirage (Pete Davidson), who steals the film with his silly, immature humour & quick whits. The buddy moments between Mirage & Noah are some of the most fun moments of Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts.
Plot-wise Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is very cookie-cutter. What starts as a fun, nostalgia-laden interaction between the humans & Transformers, as the latter attempt to remain hidden in plain sight, quickly devolves into a run-of-the-mill, global fetch quest. During this quest group of heroes must find an alien artefact to prevent the destruction of Earth by a gigantic world-eating monster known simply as Unicron.
Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts delivers audiences a nostalgic hit via the Autobots & the Maximals but also with the fantastic hip-hop soundtrack. Not to mention the litany of visual & audio Easter eggs such as the World Trade Centre Towers, OJ Simpson's police chase & a sneaky Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch reference.
Visually Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is two sides of a coin.
Action wise the film delivers on a grand scale with epic battles and steady cinematography that allows you to really soak in the scene. The designs of the Autobots & Maximals also pop off the screen with their vibrant colours & distinctive signs.
On the flip side though the evil Terracons are bland, grey, generic robot bad guys that all mush into one blur as the action ramps up. This is most notable during the film's climax which takes place on a drab, rocky landscape highlighted only by the bright pops of colour from the Autobots/Maximals & fiery explosions in the background.
Overall, Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is an entertaining entry into the franchise that delivers what you would expect from a Transformers film. While it doesn't hit the emotional highs of BumbleBee it is still a major step in the right direction when compared to the previous Michal Bay-led outings.
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