After five Michael Bay-directed Transformers films that ranged in quality from great to disastrous, 2018’s Bumblebee was a much-needed change of pace, scaling back the world-ending stakes considerably to a solid character-driven adventure, with a heaping helping of nostalgia to boot. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts tries to strike a balance between character and scale, and while it repeats a few themes from the last film, it succeeds more often than not.
A standalone sequel, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts trades in Bumblebee’s 80s era California setting for 1994 New York. Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) is an ex-soldier trying to make ends meet and help out his family, particularly his sick little brother Kris (Dean Scott Vasquez). Out of desperation, he takes a job to steal a silver Porsche 911. Little does he know that Porsche actually turns out to be an Autobot named Mirage (Pete Davidson).
At the same time, museum researcher Elena (Dominique Fishback) finds an artifact that uncovers this movie’s MacGuffin: A key that can open portals across space and time. For Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and his Autobots, it’s a way back home to Cybertron. For new villain Scourge (Peter Dinklage) and his Terrorcons, it’s a way to finally bring back Unicron (Colman Domingo), the enormous, planet-devouring Transformer. Noah and Elena travel across the globe alongside the Autobots and the new faction of Maximals to get the key before Unicron turns their planet into his next meal.
“The big news for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the live-action debut of the Maximals…”
The big news for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the live-action debut of the Maximals, the animal-themed Transformers made famous in the Beast Wars series that ran in the mid-to-late 90s. As one of many millennials whose introduction to Transformers was that very series, it was hard not to internally scream the title, just like in the show’s opening once they showed up on the screen. However, Rise of the Beasts likes to rely a bit too much on that 90s nostalgia.
The NYC setting means there will be a plethora of classic hip-hop needle drops from Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Biggie, LL Cool J; you name it. At the same time, for every charming little reference (Noah and Kris affectionately refer to each other Sonic and Tails), you get two of them that are less immersive and more like filling a “like this if you’re a 90s kid” checklist like Mirage suddenly name-dropping Marky Mark and a bizarre blink-and-you’ll-miss-it OJ Simpson reference.
There is a lot to like in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Both Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback are charismatic and likable enough in their requisite human roles to overcome a cheesy, exposition-heavy script. Over 40 years later, Peter Cullen shows he still hasn’t even slightly lost his touch voicing Optimus Prime. While I almost miss how hilariously blood-thirsty as he was in the Bay-helmed flicks, Optimus as a character this time around feels way more true to the leader that we know and love, inspiring monologues included. The most pleasant surprise would fall on Davidson’s performance as Mirage.
“Over 40 years later, Peter Cullen shows he still hasn’t even slightly lost his touch voicing Optimus Prime.”
While not every joke hits the mark (see the aforementioned Marky Mark bit), Davidson’s goofiness is a good contrast to Optimus’ serious demeanour. Both he and Ramos play off each other well. As for the Maximals, while both Ron Pearlman and Michelle Yeoh get some solid screen time (voicing Optimus Primal and Airazor, respectively), the other Maximals (such as fan favourites Cheetor and Rhinox) barely get a line or two throughout the film. I also wish they had included my favourite Beast Wars character, Rattrap, but that’s a personal gripe.
Creed II director Steven Caple Jr. does a solid job in the director’s chair for the most part. The action is clear, well-shot and a lot of fun, with two chase sequences in New York and Peru being the main highlights. Unfortunately, as cool as it is to see an all-out Transformer battle with dozens of robots battling it out, the third act trades in the mostly bright visuals for a generic sludge of grey, weightless CG that feels like what we’ve seen in dozens upon dozens of blockbusters in the last 10-15 years. That also extends to the film’s actual ending, which ends on a tease that admittedly got a huge reaction from the audience.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is as endearingly silly as an episode of the show. While I missed the refreshingly-small scale and surprising depth that Bumblebee provided, there’s enough charm in its characters and fantastic action on screen to be an enjoyable summer blockbuster for any long-time Transformers fan.
