“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” gathers all of its toys in chaotic robot showdown: A High Five Review

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SEA Wave reviews “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”, the latest film in the “Transformers” franchise starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback.

The thing about the Transformers franchise is that it has always been heavily tainted for being mindless blockbuster entertainment.

And as it should. There’s nothing really wrong about the pure bliss of transforming robots fight against one another, but as a lot have pointed out, there is a breaking point in all of the screeching punches and endless explosions.

The heart of the robots

Transformers, in its cartoon heydays during the ‘80s, knows that finding the heart that fuels the titular characters is the best key to loving them.

Michael Bay’s Transformers movies only touched this on the surface level. Treating his robots as his personal toy figures with action sequences that serve the characters instead of the other way around.

All eyes are on the latest film in the franchise, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”. Being branded as a fresh reboot by setting its narrative in the ‘90s, a decade before the 2000s set-up of Bay’s movies, the film opens up the opportunity to see the robots in their rustic state and even explore new human characters in the mix.

Humans in the mix

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” re-introduces the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee while also having fresh faces in the form of Maximals, an advanced race of beast-robots.

To say that the film has a lot of toys on its plate is an understatement. What was mentioned was only the protagonists of our story, and for a “first entry” of this new franchise restart, having a big baddie with the planet-eating God Unicron can be overwhelming.

This is why the film’s human characters played by Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback become a refreshing sight in between the chaotic robot showdown. The two are really good in the movie and offered some of the film’s best emotional beats.

Chaotic fun

Ramos and Fishback have proven to be charismatic in their previous film outings, and honestly, the Transformers movie would be okay if it was about the two of them finding a key in the wilderness of Machu Picchu that would save the world with the robots in supporting capacities.

The action sequences in “Rise of the Beasts” are cleaner compared to the flashy and shaky direction of Michael Bay’s works. It’s a lot of chaotic fun, and the final battle pulls off one big surprise over the other that won me over – for both good and bad reasons.

Hasbro-verse

Without going into major spoilers, the film teases itself as the launchpad to some of the Hasbro-owned characters.

Aside from Transformers, Hasbro owns the license to Dungeons & Dragons, Power Rangers, and G.I. Joe. The latter, which could be having its franchise reboot soon, is an interesting property to merge with the robots of Transformers.

Verdict

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is not without its flaws, but it’s a lot of fun. Come in and surrender, you’ll find ways to enjoy it.

 

SEA Wave rates the film 3 out of 5 waves.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is now showing in cinemas nationwide from Paramount Pictures.