“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” Review
Optimus Primal (Ron Perelman) and Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) prepare to take on a new, world-destroying enemy in “Transformers: Rise of the Machines.”
With this summer’s blockbuster lineup including The Flash, Spider-Man, Tom Cruise falling off of things and the creation of the first atomic bomb, might as well throw in some giant fighting robots. As far as the live-action blockbusters based on Hasbro’s toy line go, most of them (which have previously been helmed by Michael Bay) have been abysmally dull with mediocre characters and no sense of fun. 2018’s “Bumblebee,” directed by Travis Knight, was an exception and managed to break the mold that the series had built. Now, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” which serves as a sequel to “Bumblebee” and a prequel to the five main “Transformers” films, has arrived and, while it falls short of what “Bumblebee” offered, it still has some mindless fun to offer.
Set in 1994, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and his allies must rally together to defend the Earth from the villainous Terrorcons and their master Unicron (Colman Domingo), a dark machine god who devours planets. Joining the Autobots in their fight are the Maximals, alien robots who take the forms of giant animals, and two Brooklyn natives: a tech wizard named Noah (Anthony Ramos) and an archeologist named Elena (Dominique Fishback). Together, these different groups must stop Unicron from coming to Earth and making it his next meal.
When it comes to human characters in the “Transformers” films, most of them have been terrible. Even Mark Whalberg, Stanley Tucci and Anthony Hopkins have failed to bring dignity to their poorly written roles. So, when it comes to Anthony Ramos’ performance, I had no expectations which is why I was pleasantly surprised with him in the film. In this film, Noah has very relatable problems that make his fight to save the Earth all the more meaningful. Ramos has a strong balance of good humor and an unexpected capability as an action hero that made this film worth watching.
When Noah stumbles upon an Autobot named Mirage (Pete Davidson), they hit it off and their friendship is surprisingly believable. I was also unaware that Pete Davidson was the voice of Mirage and I found his energized performance to be a delightful foil to the more stoic Peter Cullen. Speaking of which, hearing Cullen’s voice as Optimus Prime just never gets old. Just one sentence from this guy is enough to drive up the testosterone levels of the audience.
Alongside great actors like Ron Perelman as the Optimus Primal, the gorilla-like leader of the Maximals, and Peter Dinklage as Scourge, Unicron’s chief servant and assassin, there are more than enough cool, computer-generated robots to fill up the film’s two-hour runtime. Now all we need are some Insecticons in the next film to appease Josh Baskin from “Big.”
After years of seeing boring action and an unnecessary onslaught of explosions from these films, it’s been a remarkable turnaround for the franchise to see robots kicking ass in a way that is fun and visually pleasing. While the action is largely made up of non-human characters and computer generated robots, it’s still the kind of dumb summer fun that you sometimes crave.
However, while the film is certainly an improvement over what the Bay films gave us, “Rise of the Beasts” falls short of the promise of “Bumblebee.” The pacing of the whole picture is off and, by the time the third act arrives, becomes increasingly slow. With the climax, there are some moments that were absolutely exciting and got a big jolt out of the crowd but it just went on for too long. On top of this, while Scourge is a twisted villain, Unicron has barely anything to do in this film despite being one of the Autobots’ biggest adversaries.
Ramos certainly is a fun lead but Dominique Fishback, despite being an accomplished actor in “Swarm” and “Judas and the Black Messiah,” feels very disinterested in what’s going on. While having to act opposite giant CGI robots must be challenging, it’s a shame that her talents never manifest in this film.
Overall, I’d say that “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” will appeal to big fans of the series. But the generic feeling of the film makes the experience too light when compared to other summer blockbusters. While I don’t know, as of now, if “The Flash,” “Mission Impossible–Dead Reckoning: Part One” or “Oppenheimer” will be any good, I think it’s guaranteed that I’m going to remember watching them. This film is the perfect kind of generic summer blockbuster but it’s the kind that I probably won’t remember after a week or two.
