Review: "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts:"

Besides the MOUTHFUL of a title, much of this movie loses its glamour upon repeated viewings or later perspective. As someone mildly engaged in Transformers cartoons or lore, I found myself a fair bit entertained, but I imagine most audiences will be fairly confused why there are suddenly back in the 1990's if their last film were the Bay films. This is my review!

PLOT: Kinda generic.

This, for better or worse, returns to the Bayformers method of writing. Optimus Prime is the stick in the mud leader yet again who must learn to like humans while the humans are there to balance out the plot because the writers feel as though we can't engage with giant CGI robots. Funny enough, the best parts of this movie are the plot points with the giant robots. I felt actually sad watching an emotional scene regarding two of the Maximals and another scene regarding a popular Transformer. They felt strong and earned considering the arcs of this movie. Main character kid however? His arc felt generic and bland to the point where I felt nothing when he has this big emotional moment towards the end. Focus on the giant robots, that's what most of us are here for! Additionally, the story gets a tad confused when focusing on why the humans should even be coming along. They come up with contrivances and make it clear the humans don't have much to do besides blend in and sneak around. That being said, the story might be hard to follow if you know nothing about Transformers or Maximals and does very little to clarify where the Maximals even come from or why they turn into animals rather than cars. It's a generic action movie with highlights of okay moments that are fun to watch.

CHARACTERS: Actually solid this time.

As mentioned, the humans are alright but forgettable. But, the robots? They feel diverse and interesting to the point where when some of them die (yes, really), you feel sad about them. The characters are fleshed out in their needs and wants, but some are clearly given more moments of sympathy and attention. I like Anthony Ramos, but his character arc feels a bit thin at best mostly because his writing isn't very strong, but we'll get to that. I actually thought Pete Davidson as Mirage was a highlight and I HATE celebrity voice casts. He's given really strong material and bounces well off of Anthony's Noah. Overall, they do characters alright here. Ron Perlman as Primal is a definite highlight.

SHOTS: Uhhh, hit or miss?

Sometimes there's muddled messes of brown and ash, but then there's really colorful action scenes with one-takes and fun camera angles. One scene towards the end has a brown background, but the color of the Autobots makes them stand out a fair bit. I like that they're sticking closer to G1 with the designs, it helps them pop out in otherwise ugly backgrounds.

MUSIC: Pretty bleh.

Besides a few (strangely-placed) songs, this soundtrack is honestly very forgettable and doesn't stand out much. I wish I could be nicer to this movie on the whole, especially since music is used by Bumblebee to communicate, but sound design and music just fall flat for me.

WRITING: Hit or miss again?!

This movie REALLY has a fair amount of negagtives huh? Well, I can say there are some diamonds that make this film earn its rating. The familial relationships and conversations between the Transformers and Maximals are well-done and feel really nicely placed. However, the dialogue during battles and fight scenes is borderline insufferable, falling on generic trite to build itself up despite really fun dynamics between heroes. Also, I REALLY didn't want to see murderous Optimus Prime again, yet here we are with him being the stick in the mud murderer. Oh, well I guess.

CONS: Lots of holes in the writing and plot.

As mentioned, this film has massive holes in the writing and plot in the form of generic dialogue from villains and a confusing plot that drags down fun characters and alright performances. I've already put my piece on this above, so please see that for more details.

VERDICT: An average action movie boosted by good performances and acting.

Overall, I couldn't hate this film fully. There's enough likeable energy and charm to make this film swing from a 4-5 to a 5.5. It's overall a very average movie that gets a bit of a boost from its stars and a bit of its writing, but falls flat in various other areas. Overall, I can't recommend it for most audiences, but I'd say watch this if you like Transformers. You'll have fun!

SCORE: 5.5/10