‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ – Review
Blockbuster season has arrived and film fans are in for plenty of cinematic treats in 2023. Starting things off is the full-on mech action rollercoaster ride that is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and this is a blockbuster with bite!
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.
When it comes to the Transformers franchise, certain parts of the mythos have attracted cult-like status, and one of the fabled parts of that is the Beast Wars saga. A staple part of 1990s television, rising filmmaker Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) steps up into the director’s chair. And for this filmmaker, Rise of the Beasts was a dream come true. In every moment of this picture, you feel Caple Jr.’s sense of boyhood wonder in on full display. As a die-hard Transformers fan, you can tell that the filmmaker was more than eager to get his hands on this world, and this excitement shows in the finished project. Stepping back in time to the early 1990s and giving the picture a solid hip-hop flavour injects the Transformers story with bold new energy, and the result is a solid shot of fun for audiences.
Pulled into Rise of the Beasts are performers Anthony Ramos as Noah Diaz, an ex-military electronics expert and Dominique Fishback as Elena Wallace, an artefacts and antiquity’s curator, and both feel the action pretty quickly. Ramos has a solid everyman quality as Noah, and there’s an almost Marty McFly quality to the character as he’s pulled from side to side in this epic adventure. Fishback’s Elena is smart, savvy and up for anything in this narrative, and these performers’ sense of youth, excitement and wonder makes it onto the screen in a big way. Both have given plenty of room to express their characters, and you can feel the sense of trust that exists between them and Caple Jr.
Not only does Transformers: Rise of the Beasts see the return of the legendary Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, but other big-name performers, including Ron Perlman, Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson and Peter Dinklage, provide their talents to their picture. For Cullen, Rise of the Beasts offers him a chance to show a less experienced Optimus Prime who is still learning the responsibilities of leadership. And it keeps things interesting. Perlman brings a stoic and wild authority to the towering presence of Optimus Primal, leader of the Maximals, and fans will be very pleased with his performance. Yeoh is strong and resilient as the noble Airazor, while Davidson has a serious groove as the uppity Mirage. Peter Dinklage brings his all to the role of the psychotic Terrorcon, Scourge, who has a penchant for taking trophies, and it leads to one hell of a scrap between himself and Prime.
The action is fast and kinetic in Rise of the Beasts, and this is a film that moves quickly. Caple Jr. amps up the energy of the picture with a full-on global treasure hunt, and some serious driving scenes will throw you right back into your seat. Ramos and Fishback find themselves as a key part of the film’s action set pieces, and Caple Jr.’s hip-hop soundtrack helps to add to the rush of the experience. For those who are wanting the pure energy of giant robots smacking each other around, you’ll find it with this movie. And things get explosive. Plus make sure you don’t leave the cinema too early as there are some very cool surprises for audiences that set up some very exciting things down the line for the franchise.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a great start to the blockbuster season, and audiences who are seeking that mix of nostalgia, action and fun will be very pleased with this picture.
Image: Paramount Pictures
