Review of 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'
7th film in the 'Transformers' series
This 7th film in the Transformers franchise follows the popular Bumblebee and finds the “Maximals”, an advanced race of Transformers that take on the form of animals, travel to earth with a “Transwarp Key” which can open portals in space and time. They split the key in two to keep it from the massive planet-eating Transformer Unicron (voiced by Colman Domingo) and it's heralds, the Terrorcons led by Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage). On earth, ex-military electronics expert Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) struggles to make enough money to pay for his broth Kris' (Dean Scott Vazquez) medical treatment so reluctantly agrees to help steal a Porsche that, wouldn't you know it, happens to be Autobot Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson). Meanwhile, museum intern Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) discovers an ancient artefact is, in fact, one half of the Transwarp Key which, on discovery, releases an energy pulse that alerts the Transformers of it's location. Noah reluctantly agrees to help the Autobots recover the key from the museum only to have the Terrorcons crash the party…
An interesting twist to the series sees the introduction of two new races of Transformers (which have existed outside of the films for many years in comics and toys) including the incredible baddie “Unicron”, consumer of worlds. It does, however, include standard story elements such as the plucky under-achiever, but deep-down hero, and, of course, the huge battle sequences that, thankfully here, are a bit easier to follow. The human elements is a bit clichéd but does offer a bit of a break from the massive metal-on-metal action that destroys vast swathes of the countryside though, refreshingly, the tragic aftermath of such destruction is, albeit briefly, touched on here. Of course, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), Bumblebee, and our favourite Autobots are here but play a much smaller role than in other films as they are, by themselves, only a shade of what they will become later in the timeline of the series here partnering instead with the much more advanced and powerful animal-shaped Maximals. If you listen you will hear that one of them has a familiar voice - warrior “Airazor” who transforms into a Peregrine Falcon is voiced by Michelle Yeoh. The new characters certainly look very cool, have a wonderful, sleek style and amazing agility above and beyond the vehicle-shaping Autobots. It is all enough to breath a bit more life into the franchise but it is still, at the end of the day, big robots making inspiring speeches and bashing each other wrecking huge amounts of landscape.
A twist in the Transformers franchise sees a completely new set of animal-based Transformers introduced to the big screen so they can wreck yet more mayhem on Earth…
Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”
Review Date: 2025-04-13
Directed by: Steven Caple Jr.
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Year: 2023
Length: 127 minutes
Genre: Science Fiction
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5090568/
Other reviewed films in the 'Transformers' series:
- Transformers (2007)
- Bumblebee (2018)