Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

This reboot doesn’t even feel like robots in disguise anymore. These guys just casually transform anywhere these days LOOOL.

We follow on from the events of Bumblebee, even those events are not addressed at all, just referenced. We are introduced to the Maximals who are a new and separate race from the Autobots. They take the form of animals. They are being colonised by a planet eating transformer named Unicron who is after their greatest piece of technology, The Transwarp Key. In a last ditch attempt Maximal leader Apelinq sacrifices himself to allow the other Maximals to escape the planet before Unicron devours it. Now under the command of Optimus Primal, the Maximals use the key to flee to Earth. Now on earth it’s the early 90s and we meet Noah. Hes going through some struggles securing a job, lives with his mum and little brother who is ill. Through some bad life choices he ends up in a car heist which leads him to Elena and ends them both in the middle of the cyber war between Autobots, Maximals and Terrorcons.

We are introduced to lots of new and old characters here. Optimus Prime returns and voiced by series vet Peter Cullen. This OP seems to be very chatty compared to previous instalments. We are used to the cool, calm, heavy hitting one liners but this one seems to have a youthful element to him. He shouts a lot, does minimal planning and is a bit of a hot head. He even goes as far as fighting dirty which was different. These are not complaints! We love it. Pete Davidson plays Mirage and takes up the mantle of robot partnered with a human role. There were parts where he was super cool and parts where it was irritating. Luckily he doesn’t get much screen time so his jokes are kept to a minimal. Sci-fi genre royalties Ron Pearlman and Michelle Yeoh play Optimus Primal and Airazor. They were professional, convincing and enjoyable characters to watch. Very good performances. Newbies like Tobi Nwigbe were funny and embodied their roles with the little screen time they had. He was a big source of comic relief. I’ve been a fan of Liza Koshy and her comedy style so it was a bit disappointing to see her not get to use it in her big break movie. Peter Dinklage took centre stage as the big bad Scourge and he killed it. We know little of his character but we felt the fear he dispatched any time he was on screen. Kept us on our toes for sure. His crud was on 100! Luna Velez is having one hell of a week playing both mothers in this and Spiderman ATS. It just comes natural to her.

You can imagine it’s CGI heavy and it’s done with a lot of precision. It’s clean, sharp and accurate… for most of it. They struggle with  the cybernetic facial expressions. Judging from the dialogue it’s hard to make out their emotions with certain scenes looking so messy I had to assume for example, Prime was smiling. There is one specific piece of CGI that just made my blood boil. Its the ironman type suit, when you see it you will know *anger face*

The soundtrack is where it shines. It manifests the 90s in magnificent fashion. From outstanding classics like C.R.E.A.M, Check the Rhyme, Mama Said Knock You Out and many more. It fits in so well with the action and setting of the film.

It’s a super fast paced motion picture which skips the origin stories and gets us straight to the action. The decision to always have these weighty human story elements to these films baffles me. They didn’t feature this heavy in the cartoon so why would you think it will work with the movies. When they are on screen we all just can’t wait for the scene to move on. Less humans more robots please. One thing I will give to them here is they provided the laughs. In saying that they did take some risks here to add to the overall feel of the film too. The plot point around sickle cell was a tough one to swallow but other than that it was stories we have already seen. We have the man with a history of selfishness, not being a team player and disobeying orders who also just carries this burden and wants to provide for his family and co. We have the over curious girl who just has a big sense of adventure and was bound to end herself in trouble all in the name of trying to make her father proud. Eventually it all builds up to redemption heroic arcs for everyone, bots included. There are some on screen deaths which just don’t translate too well with robotics but they tried. The new antagonists Terrorcons are just more of the same, Decepticon clones. The action is top notch. The fights are clearer despite more things on screen this time round. The cinematography in the finale was brilliant and it kind of wrapped up what the movie represents. A new beginning.

Overall it’s a decent flick. What I liked most was the gamble they took here. Introducing new bots, characters, a new world, etc. Its commendable. It can be labelled a remake or reboot but it’s a refreshing outlook. I did miss the Michael Bay explosions. It feels new and with its flabbergasting post credit ending I’m actually looking forward to what comes next. Recommended watch.

What did you think of the new Terrorcons? Do you want to see more of the Maximals? Who was your best bot? Do you prefer this new youthful Optimus Prime? How did you feel about the end announcement? React and comment below…