ARCEE and WHEELJACK in PARAMOUNT PICTURES and SKYDANCE Present In Association with HASBRO and NEW REPUBLIC PICTURES A di BONAVENTURA PICTURES Production A TOM DESANTO / DON MURPHY Production A BAY FILMS Production “TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS”
Preston Barta // Features Editor
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS
Rated PG-13, 127 minutes.
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Pete Davidson, Peter Cullen, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Ron Perlman, Cristo Fernández and Colman Domingo
Now playing in theaters.
What a journey the Transformers franchise has been on. It started with some fun and had plenty of cheddar in 2007, but it became more bloated and uninteresting over the years. Well, until filmmaker Michael Bay stepped away (after being sucked creatively dry), and Bumblebee got new creators involved to revitalize the whole damn thing for the better. As a result, the nonsensical boom show transformed into a more focused story with genuine characters.
The latest entry, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, directed by Creed II’s Steven Caple Jr., is the franchise at its peak powers. It carries over the best qualities of Bumblebee – including some rock ‘em, sock ‘em beats, but set in the mid-’90s – and really makes this a worthwhile Transformers movie. Even Autobot leader, Optimus Prime (voiced by the great Peter Cullen), has an actual character arc. He feels responsible for so much loss, and he adopted this mission-driven identity and distrust for humankind to bring back what slipped away in the rearview.
We also have the Pete Davidson-voiced Mirage, a smooth Porsche 911 Carrera with quick verbal jabs and a joke book packed with some excellent zingers. The bond he develops with human character Noah Diaz (a very good Anthony Ramos and his comically gold reactions) is the heart of the film. The two cross paths when Noah tries to steal Mirage to pay for his younger brother’s medical treatment. The surprise on Noah’s face when Mirage revealed himself as an alien robot species. While in pursuit by the police, Mirage pulls out every trick to live up to his Transformer name. It’s smile after smile. Believe me.
At the same time, we have Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback of Judas and the Black Messiah), an artifact researcher who works at a museum for a boss who takes credit for all her knowledge and discoveries. She’s looking into an odd, otherworldly item that has the power to do some really good things and some really bad things. Both sides of the ongoing Transformers war are after it. The Autobots want to use it to restore their lost homeworld of Cybertron. In contrast, the planet-sized baddie Unicron (excitingly voiced by Colman Domingo) and the Terrorcons wish to rule the stars in classic bad-guy form. The treacherous leader of the Terrorcons (under Unicron’s command) is Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage). His name may be as lame as Taserface in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but he can do severe damage and is a great foe.
I know what you’re thinking: Haven’t we done this fetch quest thing in the Transformers franchise before? If it’s not a cube, it’s some other device with power that should ultimately be destroyed because the risk is too great. Yeah, this is how all the big blockbuster plots tend to go these days, and let’s not forget the classic sky beam that opens up a portal to another corner of the galaxy. But, eh, it’s not too bothersome because all the pit stops along the way are more valuable. The filmmakers incorporate rich cultural components that are fresh and purposeful, highlighting the importance of unity in a time of crisis. This is where the subtitular characters enter the picture.
The Beasts, a.k.a. the Maximals, are heroic warriors who seemingly dropped out of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie. Led by Optimus Primal (voiced by Ron Perlman), they’re great allies to the Autobots that ground the overall look of metal-on-metal combat, especially when Caple Jr. pulls off this single-shot battle sequence featuring these animal-like Transformers facing off against evil scorpion Transformers. It’s like watching a Lord of the Rings war unfold, and each character has a unique personality and fighting style that makes it just as thrilling and fun as watching Legolas and Gimli try to one-up each other. The last 30 minutes or so have some cooler-than-cool material. It may tip over into silly territory every now and then, but it’s Transformers. So, you got to roll out with the punches.
Rise of the Beasts is the best Transformers movie yet. It has all the popcorn-flavored action, good laughs and the best needle drops. It’s more tasteful and kid-friendly than before, too. (It still has a few choice words sprinkled throughout, but they’re artfully done, especially one Bumblebee line taken from a classic John Carpenter film.) So, come enjoy the rebirth of slick!
Grade: B+
