Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)

So Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Before I go any further, Transformers is a series that I didn't really grow up with, not to shame on the fans by any means. I just don't really have any bias to Transformers and don't get me wrong. I understand the appeal of the series, it's a series of alien robots Transforming any vehicle, fighting each other and any bizzard thing you could ever imagine, like Transforming animals.

It's a awe-inspiring concept (awesome and inspirational). Yes, it's a toy brand (in fact two company owns the Transformers Liscenes) that being Hasbro and Takara. But even then if it's just a basic vehicles that the gimmick to Transform with the no lore, it wouldn't been the 25th highest grossing franchise of all time and wouldn't continue for 40 years. Thought I'm opened minded person, I'll give (almost) anything to watch, even if I never seen a franchise or any piece of media.

Now highest grossing dosen't always means its but it means how culturally impactful the series is to many people. It appeals to different minorities, people who like the lore and find them relatable. Some just like the gimmick and think Transforming to anything is cool, maybe the Tv shows and lastly what really makes the world general audience remembered Transformers.

Is the movie series.

Which brings me to the Micheal Bay films and oh boy they are, something else. As I know (with my tiny brain cels) it headed the wrong direction, for some of the general audience and sometimes fans as well.

Like the Bayformers or not but you can't really denied that it dose impact the public's perspection on the series as a whole and it's pretty unfortunate that fans are stuck and sandwich between the 1984 show and the Bayfilms for some fans and it's impossible to not bring with the Bayfilms and the G1 show when someone says: "Transformers".

This is when the (I like to call this era) pre-Bayfilms. Bumblebee is like a soft reboot that did fine with the box office, but with Rise of the Beasts and Transformers One. They under-performed, this can be blamed for different variety like marketing or even the Bayfilms, even their recent show "Earth Spark" (to my research) wasn't successful enough, so Paramount pull the plug and it's annoying for talented creatives not getting their work finished.

So this is when Rise of the Beasts comes in, so without a further-a-do let's get into it:

The good: I like Steven Caple Jr. and I can tell the team has put in a lot of effort to this movie, I mean they went to Peru to film Machu Picchu. They didn't need to go to Peru but they did to film and it's not a green screen at all, you can't say the same with most other movies these days. It dose give a sense of physical space and dose make the world feel a lot more real in this way.

The CGI desgins is pretty good. All of the Transformers are redesigned to resemble to the G1 cartoon counter-parts while making them, like they could co-exist with us. Not to mention their vehicle mode (as the series calls this) is all real vehicles with the action scenes (sometimes) are done with real stunt drivers is very impressive and they are rendered very well (at some points).

Noah is a pretty alright character, they made it clear to the audiences that he is a man who is struggling to find a job and taking his own responsibilites.

I also like Mirage, to he's colour scheme but he's really the voice actor. Pete Davidson or (my prefer way of saying he's name) Petey Pete Mirage Davidson.

The Issues: Okay, there are sereval problems I had with the movie.

The CGI looks werid and characters just pop out background, considering this movie is made during the 2023 strikes and the current state of rushed VFX artist.

I know what your thinking-

Leonard:"But you said the CGI looks good earlier, did you contridicted yourself?!"

No Leonard, I said the designs looks great not the actual animation on the sets is because they looks wonky. Like I get Transforming a Transformers is probably the most complex way to animated and I apperciate they are trying to make them real machines but the colour palette is all washed out.

For example when Optimus pick up Noah. It just feels, disconnected here like this is just a green screen.

The final fight scene is probaby the worse offender, the open world looks so bland and they trying to emulate End Game's Battlefield and it's just so dual looking with the colour mostly grey.

Like the fighting scenes stands on their own fine but for a momment if your comparing any action scenes from the Bayformer films. It stick out like a sore thumb. Sure the bayfilms are fundamentally and sure their designs are (to best put it) overly-design but it dose work because Bay himself is quite talented of pulling off an action scene that make you go "wow".

To my research, the first movie is also with live-action car sets and the same budget with Rise of the beasts (150 million) but it's the way they setup, the first movie's climax is in a city with small obstacles and every day humans.

My point is the action take place while over the top, the Transformers inter-react the environments and it dose makes the scenes look fun and that is (to my knowledge) Transformers' most important key: Fighting and Action.

Rise of the Beasts, didn't pass the exam. Steven (in some ways) is trying to capture the style of Micheal bay, but the problem is that. You can't truly mimmick someone elses style, despite your best efforts because we as human beings are not truly the same, sure that's fine if you want to homage some else's work but don't try to mimmick the master art.

You can never re-created Vincent Van Gogh's art work, sure you can always copy them and there's nothing wrong with that but if you want to make your audience remembered any piece of work, it has to stand on it's own to seperate the competition out there. Just compare an action movie like any Marvel movie and then compare to a recent movie Red One. Red One is trying to appeal to everyone but it fails miserably because it's trying to mimmick the MCU.

Now I know off track but I think you get my point and not every movie have be revolutionary but it must stand out in some way.

For the plot, it's pretty serviceable. Nothing too awful except when Air Razor for some reason gets infected by Scourge and just brush it off as she says: "I'll be alright."

Like, you know all about Scoruge and you should have telled the others and instead doing absolutely nothing, it's such a convenient way to progress the plot so Scourge gets the key.

The thing with the characters, they are mostly generic characters particualrly the Maximals (what they call) are just so nothing, the Rhino, the Cheeta and even Primmal has barely any personality. Like I get jugging this many characters are a choir but the way they are written fells off and they barely get any dialogue.

Even the Auto-bots are fine but the movie did soemthing interesting with Bumblebee. They killed him, then bring him back and says random movie quotos. Like I get Bumblebee is the one with a radio voice but he is constantly repeating movie lines for some reason.

Also, the title "Rise of the Beasts". I just didn't ge the title, the Maximmals just appear out of nowhere and they only fight Scourge.

Scourge sucks as a villain, he's voiced by Peter Dinklage (same guy who voiced Captain Gutt from Ice Age 4, peak character) and he gives the most awakard performance I've ever heard. He is just so werid in some way I can't point out and he's motive of stealling the key so Unicorn can take over the planet is pretty generic.

"Master, the reinforcements!"

This line just stuck to my head because it's so awkward in a funny way.

Closing Thoughts: So overall by the end of the day.

I'm not trying to make paint like Steven is a failure by any means, he is a talent person, he is capable of making good movies and he is doing he's best. While I hear Creed 2 from reviewers a good movie, but that's a competely different from an Action Si Fi movie.

I do like the movie but at the same time I didn't like it. It's that I don't think this movie is well executed and it's a shame to say that the audience are going to forget this.

It's not the worst action movie, it's just passable. It's not ashamed to be a Transformer movie, it dose has potential but it just wasn't there.

So that's everything I got to say!