TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS (2023)
Tagline: Unite or fall.
(Action, Adventure, More Than Meets The Eye) [PG-13]
This is my fight. Listen: if Unicron were to get the Key, it would open a portal in time and space, with no end to the worlds he could destroy! It is now your time to lead the Maximals, Optimus Primal.
In this one Omnicron is devouring planets whenever he can, but his movement is slower than he would like. He decides to send his henchmen Scourge who leads a team of Terrorcons to obtain a key that opens up space and time allowing Omicron to travel anywhere in the universe in an instant to continue to feed. Meanwhile, back on earth, the Autobots have been in hiding for years following the events of BUMBLEBEE. Once underappreciated archeological expert Elena accidentally discovers an artifact tied to the fate of the Autobots, it means Optimus Prime, Mirage, and more will need to roll out with the help of both Elena and Noah who is having some challenges of his own. Along the way, they will be discovered by a long secluded ally.
First off, there is a lot to celebrate here. The Maximals are freaking glorious looking. I don’t know if it’s even possible for me to like these designs more than I do. I also loved that they are continuing to go with designs that are closer to the Generation 1 look when it comes to the Autobots. I also liked that we got a couple new humans to focus on as much as I liked Hailee Steinfeld. Both Anthony Ramos (GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS) who plays Noah and Dominique Fishback (PROJECT POWER) who plays Elena are fantastic. Noah’s situation in particular is really emotionally gripping.
I thought the pacing and effects were fine for the most part. There are some iffy parts when anything new is just “popping” into existence, the graphics just look like they were done without any definition or weight. What I mean by that is when Optimus takes a step, his feet look very much metal and very heavy, you hear that thud like if it hit you, you are probably a goner. However, in parts where giant structures are suddenly popping up, they are introduced with digital sounds and all the pieces of metal look like they weigh almost nothing. Perhaps this was done on purpose, but it does visually look out of place.
The score is fine if you like rap music. If you don’t, then it’s going to be a rough time for you during portions of this film. I thought a few of the song choices were absolutely epic. I do have a few other things I would have “liked” to have seen, but it’s clear the direction Hasbro is going in and I welcome that with open arms.
When it comes to the direction Steven Caple Jr. does a solid job. He also directed CREED II. I think if I have to get to the actual complaints here, I would have to say that this movie violates one of my biggest pet peeves. Several of the scenes from the trailers do NOT appear in this film. Let me repeat that again. Several of the scenes from the trailer do NOT appear in this film. That freakin pisses me off. I literally can’t stand it. Having said that, I don’t know that it completely ruins what we “did” get so my score for this one is still high. This movie is going to have a TON of rewatchability for me and I am definitely buying it.
Overall this thing gets a 6 out of 7 from me. There are a few things I think I would have changed. I am getting slightly tired of the "something happens to character x and we don’t see them again for a massive part of the film” plot stuff. Run to the theaters on this one. I plan on seeing it multiple times on the big screen.
GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.
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