Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | More than meets the eye, indeed

After trending in the right direction with 2018’s Bumblebee, Steven Caple Jr. takes the baton from Travis Knight and delivers another strong entry with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Knight took the franchise in a very character-focused in Bumblebee. Caple retains the focus on grounded characters while delivering epic stakes.

Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback are excellent as Noah Diaz and Elena Wallace. Diaz is an ex-military electronics expert discharged due to a lack of focus. His attention deficit is due to his brother’s illness, which the film succeeds in subtly portraying throughout the film. The mutual distrust between Noah and Optimus provides for a different type of relationship between the two main protagonists in the film. Fishback shines in radiating intelligence as the research expert. However, her character could have used a similar amount of focus as Noah and his family received in the film.

The voice cast is sensational. Peter Cullen’s voice as Optimus Prime is timeless. However, it’s the new additions who surprise in Rise of the Beasts. Pete Davidson as Mirage is fantastic. His buddy-buddy relationship with Noah doesn’t quite reach the heights of Charlie and Bumblee but comes close. Ron Perlman matches Cullen’s gravitas and Prime’s leadership as Optimus Primal. Michelle Yeoh projects wisdom as Airazor.

The biggest blemish in Rise of the Beast is the plot, which is a cliche-ridden MacGuffin that bogs the film down in the middle. Essentially, there are two pieces to a key. If the key is united, then Unicron can devour the earth destroying humanity and the Autobots in the process. The key can also be used to send the Transformers home to Cybertron. The one interesting wrinkle the film toys with is whether Noah will destroy the key in order to save humanity. If he does, the Autobots will be stuck on earth, but Unicron won’t be able to destroy the planet.

The plot issues certainly hamper the experience. Outside of Primal and Airazor to a lesser extent, the other Maximals don’t stand out much. They look awesome and have some strong action scenes, but that’s about it. However, the 3rd act is a terrific spectacle and easily the best action sequence in a Transformers film. The action is kinetic, yet Caple Jr. never loses sight of the characters. He also knows when to slow down and let the characters shine.

The final scene is a stunning surprise that could set up an intriguing future for Autobots, Maximals and more.

With the overview out of the way, let’s take a deeper look at the latest Transformers film. There may be some minor spoilers. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is in theaters now, while Bumblebee is available to stream on Paramount Plus.

From Bumblebee to Rise of the Beasts

2018’s Bumblebee succeeded in creating relatable human characters and bonding the human character to a Transformer. Caple Jr. continues the trend. Of course, bonding a human character to one of the Transformers was in the Bay films, but the focus on developing fully realized characters was never a focus of prior Transformers films.

In Bumblee, Charlie connects with the title character. In Rise of the Beasts, Noah bonds with Mirage. The Autobot can transform into a Porsche 911, create duplicates of himself (hence the name Mirage) and is an outsider among the Autobots. Mirage immediately forges a connection after Noah tries to steal the car in order to pay his brother’s medical bills.

Bumblebee also succeeds as an homage to 80’s films and had an Amblin feel throughout. Rise of the Beast is set in 1994 and does start off feeling like a 90’s film, but loses the aesthetic after the film switches locations from New York to Peru.

Heavy burdens

Optimus, Noah and Primal are all dealing with the burdens of their people in different ways.

Optimus arrived on Earth not too long ago and is distrustful of humans. He feels responsible for stranding the Autobots on Earth. When the keys are discovered, Optimus views them as a means of redemption.

Noah doesn’t seek out saving the planet. He’s an older brother who makes a mistake by trying to steal the wrong car. However, when the fate of the world is established, he accepts the responsibility. Optimus doesn’t trust Noah from the outset and the feelings are mutual.

Noah tries to convince Elena they need to destroy the key rather than turn it over to Optimus and the Autobots. I was really impressed with how the relationship between Optimus and Noah changes throughout the film. Caple Jr.’s focus on creating friction between the two plays off in a big way in the climactic battle.

Primal is also burdened by losing his planet. However, he trusts humans to do the right thing. The relationship between Primal and Optimus is interesting as well. Primal was named after Optimus due to Autobot’s leadership. However, seeing Optimus on Earth is something of a disappointment for Primal at first.

Watching these three characters try to redeem themselves allows Rise of the Beast to succeed in spite of the boring search for pieces of the key.

Maximized Roll Out

Combining the Maximals with Autobots against the Terracons could be a prescription for a chaotic mess. Thankfully, Caple Jr. places the focus on a pair of Autobots, a pair of Maximals and two villains.

Mirage and Optimus are the major Autobots. Mirage is the runt of the litter, which forces him to spend more time around humans while also trying to prove himself to Optimus. Optimus is also trying to prove himself to his fellow Autobots. No one questions Optimus’s leadership. He just has a healthy amount of self-pity which eventually turns into a quest for vengeance. Bumblebee doesn’t factor into the story much but finds his spots to stand out. Arcee, Stratosphere, and Wheeljack round out the roster of Autobots.

Primal and Airazor are the main Maximals. Both are essentially leaders and provide keen insight to Optimus. Ariazor explains the key’s significance to Optimus while Primal begins to change Optimus’s views on humans. Rhinox and Cheetor round out the lineup of Maximals.

Unicron is a god-like villain who eats planets. Scourge is his underling who he imbues with his dark power, which makes him almost indestructible. Peter Dinklage gives a commanding performance as Scourge while Colman Domingo is menacing as Unicron. However, aside from raw power, there’s nothing too distinct between Scourge and other villains in the franchise. Battletrap and Nightbird are the other Terracons.

Narrowing the focus of the story gives the action sequences in the final act more purpose. Optimus and Primal deliver some epic combos. Even Noah’s involvement in the final act is quite clever.

Rise of the Beasts final thoughts

Overall, Caple Jr. succeeds in carrying the baton from 2018’s Bumblebee with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The action sequences are the best in any Transformers movie. Human characters are grounded. Plus, there isn’t some secret military organization trying to use the Transformers.

The plot once again centers around a MacGuffin, which saps the film’s energy during part of the 2nd act. Scourge’s motivation isn’t memorable or unique.

However, when the 3rd act kicks off, all of the plot problems drip away in the face of Maximal (and Transformers) carnage.

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