More than any of the other Transformers films I’ve seen, the new Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, comes off just the way it should, like a cool, live-action Saturday morning cartoon. And if (like me) you are predisposed to like anything with a giant robotic-gorilla, you are going to have tons of fun watching the “Maximals” kick “Terrorcon” butt.
Full disclosure, I don’t know an Autobot from a Maximal from a Predacon from a Terrabotimalcon, and you don’t need to know either in order to enjoy this movie. Just grab a big bag of popcorn, relax, and forget that this is a two-hour Hasbro toy commercial.
This seventh Transformers film is actually a prequel to the first live-action movie from 2007. It’s set in the 1990s and the story’s human heroes are the electronics expert/veteran, Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), and an ultra-intelligent museum intern, Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback).
Noah inadvertently gets hooked up with the ‘90s-hip Autobot Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson – who wasn’t even born until 1993), while Elena comes into the picture when she discovers a relic that contains a hidden key that could destroy the Earth.
If you are a Marvel Comics fan, then the bad guy in this film, Unicron (voiced by Colman Domingo), and his herald, Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage), will remind you of Galactus and the Silver Surfer. I’m not saying Marvel got ripped-off, but let’s say Jack Kirby did.
Unicron wants that crazy key, and together with their human friends the Transformers must join forces with their animal counter-parts in order to save the world and the universe(s). The computer animation is incredible.
While you’re watching this film, just take a moment to enjoy how awesome it is to see such an insane story come to life, and remember how far we’ve come from those little plastic toy figures to their believable looking characters being digitally projected onto the big screen. (I mean, except for the part where AI could have written this script, isn’t this age of technology wonderful?)
The screenplay was actually written by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber. (Yes, five writers, and I mean them no disrespect – I really enjoyed the movie.) It was directed by Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II, 2018) and kudos to him for making the best of the seven films in the franchise.
If you are down with goofy, giant, robotic (and animal) fun, then this is your movie. Enjoy!
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