Movie Review: “Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts”
By Bob Garver
Several successful franchises have been derided by critics as Transformers. Both the 2007 original and the 2009 sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, hold a special place among the worst movies of all time. The sequels that follow aren't exactly an improvement (although 2018's Bumblebee spinoff was surprisingly well-received), but they don't inspire the same vitriol, if only everyone knew to lower their expectations. However, the Transformers brand is associated with painful special effects, sickening mechanical twists and quirky comedy. Director Michael Bay dropped out because he was apparently fed up with these films, but Stephen Caple Jr. made the new film a seamless entrance to ensure it will be a staple on the summer movie calendar.
That said, let me start with praise. at least this time I liked the main character. The lead, Shia LaBeouf, is as clueless as he comes off the screen, and Mark Wahlberg's All-American Bohun is lackluster. But Anthony Ramos manages to inject enough charm into hapless and damaged ex-combatant Noah Diaz that he overcomes this nadir and becomes a human being. Danielle Fishbeck, as an artifact expert, isn't the second-best Elena Wallace on the show (that would be The Last Night's Isabelle Menner), but she's at least better than the LaBeouf-era love interest. .
Noah and Elena soon find themselves caught in a war between the good Autobots, this time allied with a new race called the Maximals, and the evil Terrorists. The Autobots are, as always, led by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and the freighter Bumblebee, though this time the humans' entry point isn't Bee, but Mirage (Pete Davidson), a ruby who likes to work in secret. . Maximals is led by the gorilla Maximus Primal (Ron Perlman), though recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeo steals the show as the hawk-like Airazor. They all band together to help stop Unicron (Coleman Domingo) who is devouring the world and his forces, led by Scourge (Peter Dinklage). An interplanetary war turns into a battle for an artifact, and as various heroes disagree on protecting or destroying it, they must learn teamwork and sacrifice. Once they did, it was just a matter of ringing and humming.
The film makes the bizarre decision to be set in 1994, giving the filmmakers an excuse to include mid-'90s hip-hop in the soundtrack (Bumblebee gets Best Musical, big surprise), but for no other reason. that. Not that Earth is likely to be devoured by Unicron, but knowing that we've reached 1995, the stakes seem even lower. Likewise, we know that Optimus Prime and Bumblebee will arrive in 2007, so there's no need to worry. Good luck here, even though Bumblebee looks like he's about to get killed several times before the revival they have planned for this episode.
"Transformers. Rise of the Beasts gave people exactly what they expected from a Transformers movie, but far less than what they expected from a blockbuster. It's a shame that Spider-Man. Across the Spider- Verse comes out a week after the biggest blockbuster of the year, which is likely to miss next weekend at the box office because it was so trashy.The film ends quickly with the promise of another franchise, the last of which episode was lackluster on a Transformers level with no recognizable commercial success.Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they brought Ramos back for the trip, but I know better than to hold this movie to such high standards.
Rating: C-
“Transformers. Rise of the Beasts” is rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action sequences and violence, as well as language. It has a running time of 127 minutes.
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