Transformers are a monolith of pop culture thanks to the myriad of characters that exist in the visual media franchise spawned from the Hasbro toy line just shy of four decades ago, which saw the glorified toy showcase taken from animated series to animated feature and eventually live action with 2007’s Bayhem extravaganza Transformers.
A box office smash hit, this first Michael Bay-helmed Transformers film would spawn an additional four films directed by Bay, each film somehow more bloated and convoluted than the last. Deciding to step down from directing any additional franchise entries, the smoke had hardly lifted from Bay’s final bout of pyrotechnics-laden robot rampage before a stand-alone Bumblebee film set in the 1980s was announced.
While still being a film about giant robots engaging in awkward comedy set pieces before the inevitable over-sized punch-ups, Bumblebee was nonetheless quite different from the Bay films, not only due to the action being less over-the-top, but the spin-off also had a degree of heart that had been sorely missing from the Bay films.
And that brings us to the latest film in the franchise.
Adding 1990s favorites from the Beast Wars series to the mix, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts continues in the nostalgic lane the Bumblebee film had veered into, this time taking us back to 1994’s New York City, which is well-established with a great soundtrack, fashion and pop culture paraphernalia that will transport viewers of a certain age back to the 90s in a flash.
Plot-wise, we know the drill; the fate of the world hangs in the balance, MacGuffins must be located and kept out of the baddies’ hands, and the humans somehow end up playing an integral part of the puzzle in spite of how powerful the Autobots are compared to us.
For those who struggled with the quintet of films helmed by Bay but found Bumblebee more palatable, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts sandwiches itself between the two approaches, as the latest entry acknowledges both styles and tries to find a middle ground that ties it all together.
While far from elevated, the cringe factor of the humor is dialed down significantly compared to the Bay films, and while it is not quite as good as 2018’s Bumblebee, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts nonetheless manages to maintain a degree of kinship with the Bumblebee solo outing.
Much like Hallie Steinfeld introduced much-needed sincerity with her character of Charlie in Bumblebee, Anthony Ramos’ Noah is similarly grounded in his performance, making him easy to root for as he stumbles upon the Autobots in his misguided quest to raise funds to support his family and, in particular, the treatment of his younger brother’s sickle cell disease.
Of the Autobots, Pete Davidson’s Mirage is given the most screen time, during which his interactions with Ramos garner sufficient laughs, as the majority of his jokes land well thanks to Davidson’s knack for delivering his trademark humor in a way that suits the cocky robot in Porsche disguise, but your mileage may vary if you struggle with Davidson’s style of comedy.
As for Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen of course continues to voice the figurehead of the franchise, but unlike the previous live action films, Prime does not start out as the self-assured and stoic leader happy to cooperate with humans in this film. Instead, Prime is skeptical of the humans’ involvement with the Autobots mission to stop the Terrorcons, and this makes Prime more interesting than he usually is in live action.
Regarding the Maximals, we get to spend a fair amount of time with Michelle Yeoh’s Airazor and Ron Perlman’s Optimus Primal, but Rhinox and Cheetor are unfortunately little more than set dressing. As a result, fans of the Beast Wars series may feel a little underwhelmed, but the animation of the characters helps to lend more texture and diversity to the action scenes.
While the action does not reach Bayhem levels, there is, however, plenty of highly entertaining set pieces throughout the film, and while everything becomes awfully convenient in the finale, it is still entertaining enough to appease your inner nerdy kid who just wants to smash Transformers toys together.
Much like fans of the Fast & Furious franchise are not concerned with the laws of physics, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is not concerned about delivering anything substantial except for the size and scale of its characters and their conflicts. As such, while it has more heart and better humor than the Bay films, this is ultimately about giant alien robots beating each other into scrap metal, and sometimes that is all you need to have a good time.
Verdict: 6 out of 10.
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Produced by Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura,
Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian, Duncan Henderson
Screenplay by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer,
Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber, Jon Hoeber
Story by Joby Harold
Based on Transformers by Hasbro
Directed by Steven Caple Jr.
Starring Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback,
Luna Lauren Vélez Tobe Nwigwe, and Michael Kelly
Featuring the voices of Peter Cullen, Pete Davidson, Ron Perlman,
Peter Dinklage, Liza Koshy, Michelle Yeoh, and John DiMaggio
