Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)

5/10

Starring

Anthony Ramos

Dominique Fishback

Luna Lauren Vélez

 

Directed by Steven Caple Jr.

 

I’ll be honest—I’ve lost track of how many films this franchise has or how many I’ve even seen, because they just keep making them. What I do remember, though, is how much I enjoyed Bumblebee five years ago. So, I walked into this film with an open mind, ready to either enjoy myself or officially sign off from the franchise.

Right away, the film delivers as much CGI and special effects as you’d expect. There are plenty of action-packed, metal-on-metal fight sequences, which might be exciting for some. For those of us who grew up with the cartoon, though, it’s just okay. Unfortunately, the cringy, cheesy lines and scattered scenes really dragged it down for me.

I felt Bumblebee was much better. A scaled-down version with fewer metal-on-metal fights and more focus on plot and character drama would make a stronger film. The excessive action scenes, paired with low-grade drama, made me want to fast-forward through parts of it. Bumblebee struck the perfect balance—it focused on character relationships and kept the action meaningful, which made it a fantastic prequel to the franchise.

In case you didn’t know, this film takes place before the first Transformers movie from 2007. It’s a sequel to Bumblebee, though Hailee Steinfeld doesn’t return in this installment.

One thing I’ve never understood is why films make the bad guys so impossible to kill, only for the good guys to miraculously find a way to win. Somehow, the heroes always discover a hidden strength or wisdom that the villains never see coming.

The plot revolves around the Transwarp Key, which allows its holder to travel through space and time. The Maximals are the key’s guardians, but their world is attacked by Unicron, a planet-devouring force. Unicron sends his Terrorcons, led by Scourge, to steal the key. When they fail, the surviving Maximals escape with the key, leaving Unicron trapped in their galaxy after destroying their home world.

The story then shifts to Earth, where the key is discovered by a museum intern named Elena. She accidentally activates its beacon, which only the bots can see. Scourge and the Terrorcons attack the museum, sparking a battle between the Autobots and the Terrorcons. Scourge easily overpowers the Autobots, but a Maximal arrives just in time to save them.

Scourge manages to get the key and almost kills the Autobots, but he soon learns that the Maximals split the key in two. What he has is only half. The Maximals inform the Autobots of this, and together with Elena and Noah—an unlikely ally who stumbled into the chaos—they set out to find the other half before Scourge does.

I’m certain there will be more films in this franchise. Given how much money these movies continue to make, I doubt they plan to stop anytime soon. While this film didn’t quite match the magic of Bumblebee for me, it’s another solid addition to the seemingly never-ending Transformers saga.