REVIEW: ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Is a Brilliant New Chapter for the Franchise
4/5 autobots.
The Transformers franchise has had a lot of ups and downs throughout the years. After being adapted for live-action back in 2007 by director Michael Bay, the franchise’s most recent adaptation was the 2018 film Bumblebee—and frankly, it was the best of the series as a whole, but Transformers: Rise of the Beasts continues the story, a fun and exciting new look into the world of Transformers that gives me hope for the franchise as a whole.
I enjoyed the Michael Bay movies just fine, but there is something about both Bumblebee and now Rise of the Beasts that brings our collective love of Transformers together with a larger world of characters that makes it exciting to watch. We venture into a new age of Autobots with Noah (Anthony Ramos), a ex-military guy from Brooklyn with a knack for electronics. As he’s struggling to help his family and get his little brother the healthcare he needs, he’s thrown into the world of the Autobots.
Fans will be excited given the inclusion of the Maximals. The Maximals are, in essence, a descendent of the Autobots that transform into animals rather than vehicles, and having them fighting along side Optimus Prime and his team is a new adventure for fans of Transformers. Still, the Maximals are beloved by those who love these characters, and Rise of the Beasts is a great adaptation of the Beast Wars storyline.
Action-packed, emotional, and a great look at a ’90s-era Transformers story, the movie is really a great way to get back into this movie franchise.
Overall, the movie is exactly what you’d expect from a Transformers film, but what makes Rise of the Beasts so special is setting it in New York and writing the city a love letter while still staying true to the Transformers we know and love.
More than meets the eye
Set in the ’90s in New York City, the movie has Noah working with natural history museum researcher Elena (Dominique Fishback) as they’re trying to help the Maximals and the Autobots keep Terrorcon Transformer Scourge (Peter Dinklage) from using the core to travel to new universes and destroy them. We get to meet amazing characters like Airazor (Michelle Yeoh) and Cheetor (Tongayi Chirisa) as we get a Transformers story for a new generation.
There are certain things that feel generational. With each new story, a new age gets to meet Optimus Prime and fall in love. While the cartoons were my brother’s thing, I fell in love with the movies, and my love of Bumblebee was born from there. We’re two different generations, but we came together over our love for this franchise, and Rise of the Beasts really does honor the appreciation fans have for these characters while still giving a new group of kids their own characters to love.
Elena and Noah’s journey with the Autobots is far
Fans will love it
It’s easy to look back at those Michael Bay movies and think to yourself, “But we already have enough Transformers movies.” Movies like Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts show fans that these stories can continue with new creatives bringing them to life and they’ll still have their importance.
For lack of a better way of explaining it, Rise of the Beasts reminds us that these movies are meant to be fun. There’s a large world of Transformers to pull from, and the movie doesn’t pull any punches because we’re thrown back into the world of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, and you will definitely love Pete Davidson’s Mirage.
If you have always been a fan of this franchise or you’re new to it, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will show you why these characters are so beloved. A perfect new adventure for Transformers fans and an action-packed, exciting new entry in the Transformers lore, the movie really is a beautiful nod to our love for Transformers. It’s for fans new and old, but it does feel like this franchise is giving us Transformers for a new generation.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
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