Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Film Review

Hasbro hit a goldmine with their Transformers toy line back in the '80s. It spawned cartoons, films, comic books, and action figures galore. In order to sell more toys and keep those dollar signs pumping, the creatives thought that mixing vehicles and robots would also go hand-in-hand with jungle animals and robots with Beast Wars. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts gives the tired trope of vehicles with big named voice actors destroying cities and their enemies some much-needed breathing room with some great-looking new characters that resemble gorillas, rhinos, cheetahs, and even an eagle. It doesn't matter what age or background anyone comes from, but when a gorilla robot with Ron Pearlman's voice swings over a highway and hits a villain with a giant rock - everything is right in the world and everyone's inner pre-teen is screaming with joy. And that's the type of excitement one can expect with Transformers: Rise of The Beasts. 

That's not the only emotional pull though. Filmmaker Steven Caple Jr. proved himself with his last film Creed II and has perfectly crafted a mix of ambitious action and hefty emotions for both humans and our favorite Autobots. Homeworld devastation, protecting loved ones, and having the courage to believe in one's self-worth are the key ingredients that drive this film's plot, while all the action and carnage are blowing up inside the action beats. All of this is led by Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos of Hamilton and In The Heights fame), who is down on his luck and looking for a job to provide for his younger brother and mom. Taking place in 1994, the music soundtrack boasts everything from Nas to Digable Planets as Diaz cruises the streets which is where he runs into a Porsche that happens to be an Autobot named Mirage (voiced by the amazing Pete Davidson). Mirage's gimmick is that he can disguise himself as almost any machine and duplicate himself into multiple projections. And this being Pete Davidson, Mirage has many of the same jokes that Pete is known for, providing some funny moments throughout. 

This new friendship is ignited when an ancient device is discovered by a science intern (Dominque Fishback) that hurles a portal from Earth to Unicron, an evil Terrorcon that's sole purpose is to eat planets. This alerts the other Autobots, including Bumblebee and Optimus Prime down on Earth to fight back with a severe caveat that says if they destroy the ancient device, it will not only prevent Unicron from coming to Earth but also end the Autobots' chances of ever getting back to their home planet, Cybertron. There are some great emotional tones that are delivered throughout where Optimus Prime and Diaz realize they aren't so different after all and it's beautiful to watch unfold on screen, especially Prime coming into the leader everyone knows him for. 

For the past six films in the Transformers franchise, the action sequences that were once great and game-changing had gotten pretty stale, especially with Michael Bay's fast, quick cuts that didn't allow for any of the action to really be seen on the big screen. With Caple Jr.'s vision, he allows for the action to fully penetrate those climactic moments without being inundated with severe editing. Not only that, it's easy to tell that films like Iron Man, Avengers: Endgame, and even Lord of the Rings were major influences for this movie, which works out perfectly. There are big moments that will conjure big applause from everyone and one major end credit stinger that will change the course of the franchise in much bigger ways. The voice cast that includes Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, John DiMaggio, and Peter Cullen are all fantastic, but it's Ramos who really sells the emotional beats of the story. 

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the best film in the franchise to date and if this is the way the films are headed, count those lucky stars because gargantuan plans are on the way that will have everyone ready to return to the theater. This is Highly Recommended, not just for the performances, story, and action, but also its amazing '90s soundtrack that will have those toes tapping.