Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Peter Cullen (voice), Ron Perlman (voice), Luna Lauren Velez, Peter Dinklage (voice), Dean Scott Vazquez, Michelle Yeoh (voice), Pete Davidson (voice), Colman Domingo (voice), Michael Kelly
Directed by: Steven Caple Jr.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2023
Times Seen:
Tim: 1
Summary: In the 1990s, Unicron is bent on Earth's destruction and the Autobots team with the Maximals to stop the greatest threat to the planet.
Review:
Tim: The Transformers franchise has certainly hit on hard times. Michael Bay's original live action trilogy had a ton of problems, but they were such big, visual spectacles that they felt worthwhile at the time. Age of Extinction was decent, but the worst of the franchise yet. The Last Knight said "hold my beer" and became the new worst. The prequel Bumblebee was a slight improvement, although still not good. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (the 7th film in the franchise) is about the same- it's a decent movie, although the flaws here feel cumulative- there's definitely franchise fatigue. I had an okay time with this film, although I very much do miss the better days of the franchise.
One of the biggest complaints I have is that the visual spectacle seems to be lacking. I'm not entirely sure why. It might just be that this franchise has thrown so much at us, we've become a bit numb to it. The original trilogy was so stupid, but it felt epic in scope- we got to see these enormous robots fighting each other, causing untold destruction all around them. I guess that happens here, but it all feels blase. It feels like we've seen this all before. I'm trying to think if there was a single standout sequence in this film- something that made me sit up and say, "Wow." Nothing is coming to mind. Sure, big robots fighting each other will always be entertaining and there's a few solid moments here. But, what is fresh or unique about anything of this? This movie pins it's hopes on the Maximals- which are transformer beasts. Is that cool? I guess so. Is it unique in any way besides the most surface-level? Not really. Is there a truly exciting, thrilling action sequence in this film? Maybe the climactic battle comes closest, with the looming Unicron. The whole thing felt predictable, though. It felt expected. It felt obvious. None of the action sequences moved me in any meaningful way.
Another big issue this franchise has long battled is the balance between the Transformers we've come to watch and the humans who need to have large stories so that the entire movie doesn't need to be computer generated. We need someone to relate to! We've had more than our share of protagonists here. Shia LaBeouf still looms largest, Sam, from the original trilogy. Mark Wahlberg was solid, effective (at least in his first film). It was nice getting a change of pace with Hailee Steinfeld in Bumblebee. And now we get Anthony Ramos. Ramos is actually a great choice. If we're back to male protagonists, it's nice to have more diversity in the cast. It helps that Ramos is a really good actor and he works hard to make a connection with the audience. It doesn't quite happen here- I definitely had to search iMDB to remember he was Noah Diaz. His story feels somewhat unique in the broader franchise and the movie at least tries to give us reasons to care about him. I love that he actually got to engage in some battles- that's probably the most standout moment of the entire film. Whereas most of the other humans feel like afterthoughts in these films, he was much more of a participant. That's probably what I liked best about Rise of the Beasts. If we have to get more of these movies (and I kinda hope it sits on a shelf for a while), Ramos is a good one to lead these films.
Dominique Fishback was fine, but definitely less interesting than Ramos. She played her character well, but I'm not sure the film really cared about her. It felt like it halfway tried to make her a real protagonist, but they deferred to her being Ramos' partner in this. She gets too few scenes to develop her character and they toggle between "comedic relief" and "actual, multidimensional character". If she never shows up in another Transformers movie, I doubt many would notice or take umbrage with it. I did love seeing Luna Lauren Velez, but I wish she was given more to do than just being "the mom".
The voice cast is great- I'll always love hearing Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime. Rob Perlman was a great choice for Optimus Primal (eye roll on the name). Peter Dinklage was good, if a bit unmemorable. Pete Davidson was inspired casting for Mirage, who emerges as one of the most likeable characters here (and the movie really shoves him down our throats). You always love hearing Michelle Yeoh, no matter what character she's playing. Colman Domingo was excellent as Unicron. I'd listen to him in anything. I did also enjoy seeing Michael Kelly here, although I'm a bit uncertain about the big twist at the end with his character's involvement. I won't spoil it here- it's a stupid, kids-toys twist, but it might make for a more differentiated, unique film if they go in that direction.
I think Steven Caple Jr. is a solid director, and getting a decent movie out of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts might have been about as much as you could hope for. I imagine this film didn't have the enormous budget of the original trilogy, which is going to make the action sequences feel less epic. The original live action movie made $319 million domestically in 2007. Revenge of the Fallen did $402 million. We're in a different world now, but this film clocked in with $157 million, better than the franchise-worst (in quality) The Last Knight and the franchise worst (box office) Bumblebee. That suggests the franchise may continue. I just wish the spectacle could get bigger. The franchise has toned down the awful, pitiful attempts at humor that plagued Bay's original trilogy and the character development is at least decent. It still felt like Rise of the Beasts was just yet another movie in this franchise, not even worth paying much attention to. It's a decent watch, but you don't miss much if you skip it.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5
If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Transformers: The Last Knight, Bumblebee, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, G.I. Joe: Retaliation