Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Very recently I watched Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014). It had been a hot minute since I had seen any Transformers' movies, but I'd been a fan of the Shia LaBeouf/Michael Bay run and I'll always give Mark Wahlberg a chance. I confess: I didn't finish it. It was so freakishly long; not the worst thing I'd ever seen, but a few quick edits could've really tightened that up. Alas, a few quick edits could not solve this latest installment. If only.
Picking up chronologically after the events of Bumblebee (2018) and before Transformers (2007), Transformers: Rise of the Beasts follows Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) teaming up with the Autobots and a new tribe of Transformers, the Maximals, to save the world. I don't know why I summarize; you know the drill.
First off, there are things about Rise of the Beasts that work. It tries to flesh out more of an emotional core to this rebooted series and often succeeds. Anthony Ramos is a solid lead. It would be easy for an actor's performance to get lost in the mess of explosions, but Ramos plays former soldier Diaz well as an amiable loner, trying to figure out how to be part of a team. Dominique Fishback also holds her own opposite Ramos as Elena Wallace. Her character has a bit of a tougher job: she's the museum intern tasked with figuring out the Transformers' history and, at times, a little plot info dumping. However, even if the script is sometimes clunky, she plays it well as the earnest young historian looking to prove herself.
There are a few moments that led me to believe the filmmakers were working toward a romance between our two main characters, but it never pans out. There are no weird, lingering camera movements over the female lead, so a step up from Bay's direction, but those shots aren't necessary to sell a romantic subplot. The movie would work just fine without, but if they wanted to include it, they should've weaved it through the story instead of odd beats where you're not sure whether they're going for romance or friendship.
Perhaps one of my favorite new additions is Pete Davidson as the voice of Autobot Mirage. His comic relief fits well in the franchise and transitions naturally to the more serious moments. Peter Cullen has provided the voice of main Autobot Optimus Prime for what seems like forever (and done a fantastic job, too), but sometimes all it takes is a fresh voice to remind you what a talented voiceover artist can contribute to a film.
I'll never not be impressed watching the CGI transformation of cars to robots. You'd think at this point, it'd get old; they've been doing this since '07, but the craftsmanship that goes into making it seamless is a sight to see. Even the new aliens, the Maximals, are a work of art (except for that poor bird Airazor, voiced by Michelle Yeoh, whose feathers were a few renders short of a final cut).
One thing that has gotten a little tiresome is the chaos for chaos' sake. It was all just too much. Between the prologue introducing a whole new set of aliens and the hot mess that was the final fight (save only brief bright spots with Mirage and Diaz), I'm just so done. At least twice in the final half, the characters say something can't happen because of reasons only for those things to immediately happen because of plot. Why would you say that? All you had to do was not say things.
It was all just too much.
It seems strange that a movie so far removed from reality could bother me for being too cartoonish. Maybe the originals' oversaturated, frenetic nature hid that better? The previous Transformers (the Shia LaBeouf ones) were a little darker, still funny, but more gritty. Not realistic (because, well, alien automobiles), but enough of a sheen to lend a little help suspending our disbelief. Director Steven Caple Jr.'s decision to remove that, working toward a 90s themed all-around lighter vibe, reminds you that yes, you really are watching alien automobiles.
It got to the point where I was so out of the movie, I started noticing all the rampant property damage the Autobots and Maximals were causing. Every time one of them landed on the ground, they shredded the dirt and asphalt beneath and all I could think was, "I wonder how long it'll take road construction to fix that?" or "isn't that an iconic historic site??" Now, I'm a big fan of blowing up all the things. It's often the mark of a good action/adventure/escapist film. But unless all the story's other moving parts are working together, it's just film set vandalism.
So, no, I can't say the ticket price was well worth it, even if it is a decently fun movie (not to mention the couple neat chase scenes). I think, perhaps, I just wanted more out if it. Not less explosions, but more character-driven layers underneath. There were some solid starts and, given a chance, the script could've really blended the summer popcorn blockbuster with a steadier emotional core.
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