Transformers: Rise of the Beasts delivers what fans want in a Transformers movie. Massive fight sequences, great sound design, and tons of Easter Eggs.
Transformers fans often want a handful of things going into a movie: massive fight sequences, incredible sound design, an excessive amount of Easter Eggs and nods to the franchise, and a lot of fun — and that is exactly what Transformers: Rise of the Beasts delivers. Is this movie perfect? Absolutely not. But it is a good time at the movies, making it the perfect summer blockbuster to check out.
This movie is (sort of) a follow up to 2018’s Bumblebee starring Hailee Steinfeld, so if you missed that one, we highly recommend checking it out before heading to theaters for Rise of the Beasts. It isn’t necessary viewing, but some of the emotional beats will hit a bit harder if you have seen it. The Autobots have now been stuck on Earth for seven years now, and finally have a hint of how to get home.
Of course, they can’t do it alone, so they enlist the help of a couple of humans, Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) and Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback). Along the way, they also join forces with the Maximals, descendants of the Autobots, who have been hiding out on Earth for much longer.
It wouldn’t be much of a movie without a threat, however, so it turns out the Terrorcons are also on Earth, and they plan to bring Unicron, the planet eating big bad, to come devour it. What follows is over two hours of cheesy dialogue and epic battles.
Let’s start off with the obvious. This movie is far too long. Because of its over two hour runtime, there are scenes that drag on and on, to the point where viewers just might be checking their watches. However, when it hits, it hits. For the most part the pacing is good, but there is a solid twenty to thirty minutes that could have been cut out, making Transformers: Rise of the Beasts a tighter watch.
That being said, there are already so many underused characters. This movie tries to do something epic — which it pulls off at times, don’t get me wrong — and because of that there are a lot of characters involved. As with any CGI fest film like this, the humans tend to be underused. Noah has his time to shine, and his relationship with Mirage (Pete Davidson) is what brings the heart to this movie. They are lovable, relatable, and easy to root for. Mirage’s one liners will have the audience cracking up time and time again. Noah and Mirage are the “new” Sam and Bumblebee / Charlie and Bumblebee. It is their relationship that grounds Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
Unfortunately the same can’t be said for Fishback’s character, Elena. This movie did not know what to do with her, so they just kind of have her hanging around until the moments where she is needed. This is not fault of hers, as she is a talented actress, but these writers weren’t sure how to include a woman in the fight for Earth and don’t give her all that much to do. They try to throw her a bone at the end, but by then it is too late.
Speaking of underused characters, it is amazing to see the Maximals on screen in all their glory, but there is just not enough of them. When we do see them, they are amazing. They are powerful and they put up a fight. We never see them all change from their animal form, which is a tad disappointing. This movie is called Rise of the Beasts, is it not? Still, what we do get is fantastic, I was just left wanting more from them.
It feels as if a different title of the film would have better suited it, as fans will likely be disappointed by this aspect. It is billed as a Maximals movie, but ends up being much more about Noah and Mirage (which are the best part of the movie, so we are not complaining).
As for the plot, well, you just need to put logic aside and enjoy the ride for this one. There are some pretty weak plot points (you’re telling us no one ever touched THAT in thousands of years?) making it a generic action adventure story. The stakes are high, yes, but we all know how things are going to end for the most part. That being said, there are some pretty surprising twists, a couple heavy emotional beats, and an ending that will leave most viewers with their jaws on the floor.
Choosing Unicron to be the big bad this early on feels like a strange decision. It would be like Marvel making Thanos the bad guy in the first movie, but has us intrigued to see where they go from here. You can’t say he didn’t look cool, though.
Speaking of looking cool, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts clearly put their budget into the massive battles and epic robots. The transformations are gorgeous to watch play out, especially when you add in the incredible sound design. They did not skimp on this part of the film, which makes sense, that is what this is movie is all about. They made sure each and every one of the Autobots, Terrorcons, and Maximals looked amazing.
They just didn’t have enough budget left to make the portal and lava in the third act look good. Not sure why they opted to just stop with the stunning visuals at that point but really, everyone is there for the robots, so we get it.
The overall messages and themes are about not letting anyone tell you who you are, and being yourself. Something that is slightly overdone right now, but undeniable an important lesson to learn. It also teaches the importance of working together, and what you can accomplish when you do so.
Overall Thoughts
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has a lot of great aspects to it. It is an absolute blast to watch. For those who have loved this franchise since it first started, there are numerous Easter eggs and nods to pick out. The battles are massive and epic, as they should be, and so much fun to watch (and listen to). This movie begs to be seen on the biggest screen possible, with the best sound system possible. Personally, I plan to head back to theaters and see it in 4DX, because that will be an experience!
The story is a bit generic but sets up for more — and with that ending we can only imagine what heights they plan to soar to. There is a mid credit scene that you absolutely need to stick around for, but no end credit scene.
There is more than meets the eye with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. If you think the last few movies (with the exception of Bumblebee) haven’t lived up to the hype and delivered the Transformers movies that fans deserve, this one is on its way to doing just that. It isn’t perfect, but it is a lot of fun. Which is exactly what fans want in a Transformers movie. One thing is for sure, my butt will be in a theater seat when the next one rolls out.
Rating: 3 out of 5
NEXT: Best Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Quotes
About Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth.
Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 9, 2023.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.