Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
There’s a certain degree of silliness that is going to be inherent with any “Transformers” movie or TV show. It’s unavoidable, especially when you have these alien robots interacting with the human world. The success of this franchise is determined entirely with, if humans are a big part of the story, how well they are treated as characters. The Michael Bay films grew tired because the writing got progressively dumber for the human aspect of the films, and shifting from Sam Witwicky- whose story made for a nice coming-of-age arc in the first one, at least- to Cade Yeager- a mechanic without much of an arc- was a huge step down for the series. The reason 2018’s “Bumblebee” connected was because it returned to the coming-of-age narrative without a lot of the tonal issues that plagued the Bay films- there’s a sincerity to it that just worked. With “Rise of the Beasts” working as a “sequel” to that film, could it replace protagonists, and still find that sweet spot?
Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) is a strong human protagonist for “Rise of the Beasts.” A former soldier, who had a history of struggling to be part of a team, Noah is trying to get a job to help his mother (Luna Lauren Velez) and brother (Dean Scott Vazquez). When one interview after another falls through, he has to rely on a friend- who isn’t above a little criminality- to help get some money in. When he tries to steal a Porche from a gala, it turns out to be an Autobot, Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson), and Noah finds himself in the middle of a race for a Transwarp key which another human- an archeologist student named Elena (Dominique Fishback)- has inadvertently come across. How did it get to Earth? How did the Autobots not know about it?
This is the first “Transformers” live-action film that doesn’t rely on the Autobots-Decepticon rivalry for its narrative, and that’s one of the reasons “Rise of the Beasts” stands taller than the rest of the films we’ve gotten from 2007. The main catalyst for the action, and story, begins on a world far away from Earth, where the Maximals, a species of transformers that take the shape of animals. When the film begins, some Maximals led by Optimus Primal are trying to keep the Transwarp Key from Scourge, an acolyte of Unicron, a planet-sized transformer that feeds off of planets. They escape to Earth with the key, and keep it safe (and Unicron at bay) until Elena comes across it in 1994. But it’s not as simple as that, and neither will the choices any of the characters are faced with when confronted by the key’s power.
Director Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed II”) is a good choice for this material, as he can direct actors to get the best out of them while also delivering action with the special effects that doesn’t bow to the incoherent filmmaking we got out of Bay. He also has a decent McGuffin adventure to tell, where just as we think the drama has hit its climax, different obstacles present themselves that lead to not only a natural progression in the story, but more fun set pieces. Yes, there are some familiar tropes from these movies, but because of how interested we are in the story, we go with it. The action is not on the “holy shit” scale of Bay’s films, but it draws us in- especially when it moves to Peru- because of what we’ve learned about everyone involved. And the filmmakers continuing to hue towards the classic looks of the characters makes the transformations feel so much more remarkable to follow. And as someone who was crushed by Bay’s disregard for the Dinobots through most of “Age of Extinction,” the Maximals made me feel like I got what I hoped to get in that monstrosity.
At this point in my life, I’m not going to feel excited for a “Transformers” movie, if only because I’m much more interested in fresh material than rebooting franchises, but the 180 the “Transformers” franchise has taken is one that shouldn’t be taken for granted. If we continue to get movies like “Rise of the Beasts” moving forward, count me in.
