Starring: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Liza Koshy, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pete Davidson, Colman Domingo, Cristo Fernández, Tongayi Chirisa, Peter Cullen, John DiMaggio, and David Sobolov

Directed by Steven Caple Jr

Paramount, out now

The galactic terror that is Unicron makes his presence felt in the live-action series for the first time.

Set in 1994, Rise of the Beasts makes the most of its timeframe in terms of ambience and soundtrack. The musical choices are in fact a standout feature, formed mostly of classic hip-hop of the era. Although not intrusive, I found myself bouncing along to Wu-Tang Clan as much as I was being introduced to one of the main human protagonists, Noah.

Following on from its predecessor, 2018’s Bumblebee, the human characters are at the heart of the story, rather than vehicle passengers or there for objectification. The introduction and establishment of Noah and Elena as characters occupies most of the first act, with the rest being the foundation of the quest itself.

To take this in that order, Noah is presented to us as a Brooklyn native hustling to survive. We quickly discover that he is ex-army, but he is cleverly painted as appearing to be something of a talented dropout who simply cannot get a break in civilian life, which in itself pushes him into increased desperation. However we are also shown his heart, by way of his mother also financially struggling and his younger brother Kris, who has a condition which requires urgent medical attention. Of course, the US healthcare system proves to be the major cause of their financial hardship and their mutual love for each other a real foundation for audience connection with him. His bond with Kris in particular shines throughout, and indeed plays a major part in the adventure. It is the desperation which leads him to a car heist however and… well, you can guess how this places him in contact with the Autobots, and brings him into the main action.

Meanwhile, Elena is a prodigiously talented museum intern, so much so in fact that her boss literally cannot function without her. If only her boss had given her the credit she deserved for this rather than taken it at every opportunity, she would not have been driven to a little after-hours work, the consequences of which set most of the events which occur in motion. Here, she first encounters both Noah and her first sight of the Transformers, though she is not as fortunate as to meet Mirage first. In both of these cases, our reasons to care for these characters is set up well, along with each collective reason for the quest for the Transwarp Key.

For the Autobots, it primarily represents a way home at first, although their alternative reason soon increases in priority. With Noah and Elena at the forefront of human concern, and already ‘home’, they are far more concerned with the prospect of a planet-devouring chaos god being provided the opportunity to devour Earth. This offers them both personal and global stakes to invest in, and as such widens the lens from Bumblebee whilst keeping the heart to some extent which made that film a surprise success. Of course, this increase in scale does leave each individual less time on an individual basis for such tales, but the human leads remain well served.

Regarding the robots, Optimus Prime, a constant in each of the live-action movies to date and most powerful of the heroic Autobots, is a troubled character, almost hostile to humans at first, with Noah turning up unannounced to their emergency meeting after Optimus had ordered the Autobots to lie low following the events of the previous film. However, this decision has taken its toll. Trapped and isolated from the war on their home planet Cybertron, and with no way home, he’sopted to keep them out of trouble and the public eye, but the weight of responsibility, as well as guilt for placing them in this inescapable predicament, weighs heavily on him. His rather dour character only truly comes to life when he finds himself directly facing an adversary, leaving him almost depressed in his early scenes.

Of the Autobots though, the real standout character is Mirage. Charismatic, good humoured and irreverent, he makes a real impression and bonds quickly with Noah especially, with his personality even somewhat noted in his alternative mode: a particularly rare model of Porsche. Arcee is also memorable, though Bumblebee himself seems oddly more plot device than character in his scenes. It would be less jarring had he not had such a large relegation of prominence, but it seems there are other toys to sell as well.

There are actually three Transformers factions present, and in exception to every other film, none of those are Decepticons. The Maximals are an offshoot of Autobots, who, despite animalistic forms, are actually from a future to the Autobots, with time and space both referenced dimensions here. Their leader, Optimus Primal, if anything upstages his almost-namesake (the naming is in itself a plot point) by providing presence and what appears to be a more defined direction. Airrazor is also prominent within the faction, providing a bridge for several points in the movie. The others are almost cameos though, there being very little time to go into personalities for them.

The antagonists are the Terrorcons, whose storyline references some of the older comics. Their leader is the latest Transformer of several to carry the name Scourge, although he is virtually a hybrid of both his predecessors as well as other elements. His design is almost demonic in robot form, his chest a burning furnace as he carries a pauldron bearing the emblems of his robot kills as trophies. Voiced by Peter Dinklage, he provides a dark mirror to Prime’s character, suiting the style of the movie well as he and the others live up to their title. Able to call upon vast reserves of power, he is a direct servant of the dark god Unicron himself and again offers a comics reference in terms of his enslavement to the entity. His smaller minions add a near horror aspect as they are frequently employed to hunt the humans in tighter spaces, whilst at first he proves overwhelming to even Optimus Prime. There is something of an issue in that there is little explanation for the more evenly-matched confrontations later given this setup, but alternatively this appears to lend credence to Prime’s subplot of not being at his full capacity between the late first and early second acts. Scourge’s direct subordinates Nightbird and Battletrap are similarly menacing, although there is a feeling they could be established more than they are. The former tributes her namesake’s brief cartoon appearance with speed and deadly blades, and the latter a walking weapons platform, who does provide Prime’s only real humorous moment in the film.

The first act is the strongest, introducing Unicron in a manner which directly nods to the 1986 animated original, right down to his theme, and at least telling us why these humans matter – and indeed prove essential. The second and third are weaker, as there are a few missteps with pacing in order to pack in the occasional extraneous fight. Functionally though, the movie is coherent for the most part, should not too many questions be asked, and follows a format reminiscent of the cartoon series with some of the action locations, Peru in particular, not looking too out of place for scenes in a Bond movie.

As is often the case with large, long-running franchises, Rise of the Beasts falls into the dialogue trap of mismatching its balance between bringing in good fan service references and making some of the dialogue sound clunky in order to cram everything in. This is a shame, because a slightly more polished run would have smoothed the flow considerably. Although the action is easy to follow, it can switch the viewer off a little after all the work put into the setup, right down to the importance of the literal plot device of the Transwarp Key. The combat is brutal though, and the tension with the human survival threat strong.

Verdict: This is a solid entry, and the conclusion, even before the final scene, ensures you realise it is intended as the beginning of a much larger story. The final scene itself manages to open an even larger door. It won’t be the film of the year, but then it never set out to be either. And it does claim one of the best playlists in the series (Bumblebee and the original animation comprising the rest of that argument). 7/10

Russell A. Smith