Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Review!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a CGI bot bashing fun movie with interesting characters! The film is directed by Steven Caple Jr. who previously directed Creed II (2018) so he is familiar with franchises and action. Caple Jr. also directed the first episode of the Transformers: Earthspark series. Joby Harold has written the story and co-screenplay. He also wrote six episodes of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. There is also a screenplay team including Erich and Jon Hoeber, co-writers of The Meg (2018), Darnell Metayer, and Josh Peters, writers of the BMF crime series. It is a follow up to the recent Bumblebee (2018) movie that rebooted the Transformers film franchise. The opening of that movie had the Autobots defeated by the Decepticons on their homeworld of Cybertron. Their leader, Optimus Prime, orders B-127, Bumblebee, to scout Earth. In 1987, he is found by Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) in a junkyard. Bumblebee teams up with Charlie and the military organization, Sector 7, to defeat the Decepticons who tracked him to Earth. It opens at an asteroid belt and we move past it to a ringed planet. 

The Transformer planet, Unicron (Colman Domingo), is about to consume the world, but sends his minions to retrieve the Transwarp Key. Domingo is known for his role as Eli in the series, Euphoria. He takes over from the legendary Orson Welles in his last screen role(!) in the animated Transformers the Movie (1986). There are characters and plot points from that film. A planet destroying villain is very much like Galactus from Fantastic Four comics. The world is inhabited by Maximal Transformers, they are from the early CG animated series, Beast Wars: Transformers (1996-1999). Unicron’s forces, the Terrorcons, are led by Scourge voiced by Peter Dinklage. Scourge was introduced in Transformers the Movie. He encounters from the forests, the gorilla Transformer, Apelinq (David Sobolov), many of the characters are not easily identified in the film. Sobolov is a voice artist who also played Blitzwing in Bumblebee and several characters in this movie. He carries the Transwarp Key in his mouth, but it is knocked out by Scourge. Apelinq is joined by other Maximals; Cheetor, Rhinox, self explanatory, Airazor, a falcon, and a King Kong-like Primal. There was a Mechani-Kong in the Kaiju movie, King Kong Escapes (1967). 

The Maximals take on the Terrorcons, Scorponoks, scorpion bots. Apelinq hands the Transwarp Key to Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman) and he will stay behind to give them time to escape. The actor voiced Podesta in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022). Primal is a compassionate leader and savage fighter, in contrast to the Autobot leader at this point. Apelinq activates blades on his arms to take on Scourge. He is blasted by the Terrorcon leader which takes out half of his shoulder! Scourge tears off Apelinq's Transformer insignia to take as a trophy! The ship escapes the world using the Transwarp Key, but Unicron sends a massive claw to destroy the planet!  This moves to 1994, New York City where we still see the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, kinda sobering. In his apartment is Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) soldering a piece of electronics. Ramos was Usnavi in the brilliant musical, In the Heights (2021). Noah is a former soldier who is very grounded with current issues. He has a walkie talkie that he communicates with his brother, Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez). The actor also starred as Sedo in the film, In The Heights. 

Their mother, Breanna (Luna Lauren Velez), gives Kris his medicine and reminds Noah about his interview. Velez voiced Rio Morales, Miles’ mother, in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Kris has difficulty eating his breakfast and Noah sees that he can’t hold a fork with his swollen hand. Kris has Sickle Cell disease and can’t go running off to adventures. They are the heart of this movie. He gives the electronic piece to a neighborhood friend, Reek (Tobe Nwigwe). The actor is also a rapper who stars in Mo. At Ellis Island under the Statue of Liberty is a natural history museum. On the actual island is the National Museum of Immigration. Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) brings in a tray of coffee. Fishback played Deborah Johnson in the historical drama, Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). The museum director, Jillian (Sarah Stiles), tells Elena that the police are investigates counterfeit pieces for an art auction. Stiles was in the drama series, Billions. Elena easily identifies the fake artifacts and Jillian takes credit for Elena’s finding. Still, Elena’s interest is more centered on a falcon statuette, on the back is a Transformers symbol! Jillian says the statuette is going to be taken away and Elena starts writing symbols on it on her palm. 

At a hospital, Noah finds that Kris won’t be accepted since they are three months behind on their medical bills!, a real world problem. Noah, later is in his suit for his interview with the head of security, Mr. Bishop (Aidan Devine). He is told that his old commanding officer in the army has said he is irresponsible. Mr. Bishop rejects him. A veteran unable to get health care for his family and a job. Noah says to Kris, “No one is coming to save us. We’re alone in this.” At night, Noah is in Reek's car nervously waiting as Reek tells him to use breathing exercises. Inside the museum, while Jillian checks her dress for a party, Elena disputes that the statuette is not of Horus, but possibly Aztec or Incan. Noah sneaks in an alley and then goes through a laundry room coached by Reek via earphones. He reaches the garage to steal a grey Porsche with a blue stripe. Noah uses a metal rod to unlock the door, it locks itself, but finally is able to open the door. We see the Transformers symbol on the Porsche! Elena scans the statue, it breaks open to reveal what looks like the Transwarp Key, and it sends up a bright signal past the Earth! 

A Freightliner truck transforms into Optimus Prime, voiced by Peter Cullen, the Autobot leader. He sees the beacon from the Transwarp Key and makes a broadcast, “Calling all Autobots!” This may be their way back home to Cybertron! A Ducati motorcycle and rider transforms into Arcee (Liza Koshy), she is one of the few female Transformers and introduced in Transformers the Movie. Koshy is a YouTube personality and also in this year’s dramatic film, Cat Person. A yellow and black Camaro becomes Bumblebee. It is also heard in the Porsche occupied by a very surprised Noah. A security guard pulls a gun on him and Noah tries to explain, “The car, it’s possessed!” Noah finds the Porsche running into the streets Herbie, The Love Bug (1968)-style. They are soon chased by police cars. Noah talks to the car and tells it to take the bridge. The car generates holograms of itself to throw off the police. It heads to a warehouse and Noah is spun out of the Porsche! Then, Mirage (Pete Davidson) transforms from the car. Davidson is known for SNL and also appeared in another car movie this year, Fast X. His voice work for Mirage is funny and is our Transformers connection. Mirage tries to form a friendship with Noah and then Optimus Prime and the other Autobots appear. 

Optimus is distrustful of Noah and humans, the Autobots have been hidden from humans except Bumblebee, and Optimus has a bit of a character arc here. He is an imperfect leader at this point. Arcee projects a hologram of the Transwarp Key and says that Energon rich planets are searched for by Unicron. Noah tries to slip away, but Mirage wants Noah to break in to the museum. Mirage offers to turn himself into a Lamborghini or Ferrari to raise money for Noah and his family and then drive away. Noah mentions the beacon he can’t see which explains why a massive light is unnoticed by non-Transformers. The deal is made and Mirage takes the form of a garbage truck to bring in Noah to the museum at night. Three red comets splash into the Hudson River. Scourge has arrived! The Terrorcon, Nightbird (Michaela Jae Rodriguez) searches the island. The actress was Carolyn in tick, tick… BOOM! (2021). Then, the power goes out. Elena hears broken glass. She puts the Transwarp Key in a backpack. Noah enters and sees the key, he tries to explain about it, but Elena punches him in the struggle! A museum guard interrupts them, but then an explosion tears apart a wall! Elena sees Scourge and says she believes Noah’s story. Scourge sends a Freezer, a spider-like bot, after the key. 

Optimus Prime with the other Autobots were monitoring Noah and engage with Scourge, Nightbird, and Battletrap (Sobolov) with a chain-flail. Noah and Elena make their way down the museum stairs to escape the Freezer. Optimus Prime is defeated by Scourge and Bumblebee is captured by the Terrorcon leader saying to Optimus, “O Captain, My Captain.” Yes, he is a robot, but dramatic to see the cost of this battle! It is stopped by the Maximal, Airazor (Michelle Yeoh), who napalms the battlefield! Yeoh is of course currently Guanyin in the American Born Chinese series. Scourge has captured the Transwarp Key and retreats. He contacts Unicron to present the key, but is tortured for his failure! Airazor explains that it was split in two. Elena notes her discovery that it is in a temple in Peru. Noah goes to his apartment to talk with Kris and Mirage listens in. Mirage makes a promise to Kris that Noah will return. The next day, the Autobots meet outside the city with their allies, and are met by the sputtering, clunky cargo plane, Stratosphere (John DiMaggio). The actor voices Uncle Arthur in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.  He will take them to Peru and a fateful meeting with Optimus Primal and the Maximals. Rhinox is voced by Sobolov and Tongayi Chirisa, who is in Mayfair Witches, voices Cheetor. They have to stop Scourge from bringing Unicron to destroy the Earth! There is more bot battles that is just CGi spectacular, but can get absurd against hordes of Freezer drones. There is a mid-credits scene. The Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback characters are important to defeat Unicron. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is an entertaining film that has the best parts of the classic cartoon rendered with current effects!

Five Transwarp Key Parts out of Five! 

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