2023 Summer Movie Season - Transformers Rise of The Beasts: Review & Analysis

 

Till All Are One!!!! Latest Transformers Movie Offers Explosive Thrills, 90s Nostalgia, and Pure Summer Fun!!!!!

Review By Brandon Porter

A new era has awakened

Story Description

For the past decade, The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), have defended their new planetary residence from the onslaught of the Decepticons. But a new threat has emerged that may be even more destructive than they’ve imagined. A new group of adversaries known as the Terrorcons have come to Earth to establish dominance and make way for the arrival of their overseer, the planet-devouring cybertronian behemoth Unicron. Faced with an enemy capable of wiping out life on a galactic scale, Optimus and the Autobots must seek allies in the form of a former military electronics expert named Noah (Anthony Ramos), a headstrong artifact researcher (Dominique Fishback), and the mysterious and once reclusive faction known as the Maximals led by Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman). Together, they aim to stop the impending destruction of their planet in a race against time to protect the life of all living beings.

Noah and Elena confront their fate as they find themselves 
caught in a war between the Autobots and Terrorcons

Film Review

Over a decade and a half removed from their live-action debut, the Transformers franchise has become one the more culturally divisive franchises in modern Hollywood. With earlier installments ranging from decent fun to insulting unbearable, the series has been at the bottom of a lot of people’s quality lists. Things started to shift in 2018 with the release of the critically acclaimed preboot Bumblebee. While the action was still exciting and engaging, the film represented a shift in how Paramount and Hasbro would approach its action franchise. A strong emphasis on the heart, character, story, as well as spectacle looked like the perfect rebranding for a series looking to finally take its universe seriously. With Transformers Rise of the Beasts, Director Steven Caple Jr aims to continue the momentum of the terrific 2018 film and show that the Transformers franchise has become something worth getting excited about again. After going into battle with the Autobots and the Maximals on this global adventure, Rise of The Beasts is a positive step for the franchise that offers an abundance of fun from start to finish. After seeing Bumblebee 5 years ago, I was excited about the prospect of this film building off the momentum of that tremendous preboot. Thankfully, Rise of The Beasts does that by delivering an action-packed summer romp that shares some of the strong qualities of that film despite some of the more recurring issues from the previous era still being present. On the positive side, the film is a hell of a lot of fun. Thinking back to some of the previous Transformers entries, Rise of The Beasts feels like an authentic Transformers adventure more so than any of the Michael Bay-led entries. Like Travis Knight with Bumblebee, Caple Jr has a love for the series and it shows in every frame of this movie. The nostalgia factor has never really been a defining element of the live-action Transformers films. But Caple Jr expertly captures the look and feel of the series of old and the 90s in such a pure way. From the clothes, the music, and the overall aura, this feels like an authentic Transformers adventure/90s throwback film in the best way possible. As for performances, there are quite a few standouts. Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback are a capable duo as Noah and Elena. Ramos' Noah is a character that you root for over the course of the story thanks to the film giving him an authentic arc. 

Maximals and Autobots Ready For Action

His motivations are pure and his wit is strong making him an engaging protagonist. Ramos continues to grow as a leading man and his future is looking brighter with every role he takes. Fishback is also fun to watch as Elena as she does a great job of being smart and capable despite the obstacles in her way. She plays off of Ramos well making for a fun tandem throughout the film. Voicewise, Peter Cullen is once again fantastic as Optimus Prime and really delivers in guiding Optimus in his journey to fighting for more than just his people. Pete Davidson is both hit and miss as Mirage. Cringey one moment and amusingly playful the next, Davidson manages to be both an asset and a burden to the film with his best moments coming in his progressive friendship with Noah. Ron Perlman and Michelle Yeoh are great additions to the film as Optimus Primal and Airazor. Perlman brings the same vocal gravitas as Cullen and Yeoh's softness oozes wisdom and understanding. Peter Dinklage could have done more as Scourge but he is still a solid antagonist despite his limited impact and screen presence. The main element that I loved about this film is its overall sense of joy that comes with being in this world with these chracters. The movie is possibly the most pure feeling summer movie so far this year. Loud and fast-paced action much like the previous era of films. What makes this movie feel different is that there is a sense of earnestness that comes with it. Part of that credit goes to Steven Caple Jr understanding of the value of just having a good time with these characters, their lore, and the settings. You can tell he's a fan of this series and wants to take it seriously in the sense of adding deep-cut references and moments that longtime fans will resonate with and new fans will be intrigued by. It is encouraging to see the studio give actual fans of the brand the keys to telling their own unique stories with characters they grew up with. When a director has a passion for the brand that the film is based on like this one and Bumblebee, the franchise benefits big time. All in all, Transformers Rise of the Beasts is a full-on roller coaster ride filled with adrenaline and earnest fun. Having a storyteller that understands the brand and takes it seriously in the right ways is such a welcome sight after over a decade of nonsensical chaos both action and storywise. The film invites people to have a good time and I for one had a blast from start to finish. If this is what the future looks like for the robots in disguise, a fresh and promising era is definitely on the horizon

Rating and Final Thoughts

Filled with fast action, solid heart, nostalgia, and pure 90s vibes, the latest installment of the Transformers
series continues toward a promising and expansive future.

Something is brewing it and its about darn time