One of the best films of the franchise.
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The Transformers franchise returns with its seventh instalment–Transformers: Rise of the Beasts–a sequel to 2018’s Bumblebee, set before the events of 2007’s Transformers.
Rise of the Beasts begins with introducing the Maximals in their homeworld under attack from the planet-eating Unicron, Terrorcons and Predacon scorpions, seeking to obtain the Transwarp Key – a device that can open portals through space and time. The Maximal leader Apelinq sacrifices himself to allow the other Maximals to escape the planet before Unicron devours it. Now under the command of Optimus Primal, the Maximals use the key to flee to Earth.
Fastforward to 90s Brooklyn, the film now follows ex-military electronics expert Noah Diaz (Athony Ramos) and museum intern Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) as they help the Autobots retrieve the Transwarp Key so they can return to Cybertron. An energy pulse released from the key also draws the attention of the Terrorcons to Earth, resulting in an epic battle of sacrifice.
Transformers fans would be thrilled to see just how stocked this film is characters and references they’ve come to know and love from the mighty Autobots to the legendary Maximals, Terrorcons and the frightening Unicron who finally makes his on-screen debut after having being teased through mentions in the past. The mantle for standout ‘bot, however, goes to none other than Mirage (voiced by a delectable Pete Davidson), an Autobot spy who can project holograms and is to Ramos’ Noah Diaz as Bumblebee was to Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky. Chalk it up to Davidson’s charm to bring the character to life and undoubtedly steal the limelight from all the other Transformers present.
The human also cast hold their own well against the mighty Transformers, calling back to when we were all taken by LaBeouf’s Sam when Transformers first hit the big screens. Ramos oozes with breezy charisma and charm here, matching Fishback’s natural talent. It’s exciting to see what future films will hold for them.
Director Steven Caple Jr’s work here proves he's a worthy successor to the helm the franchise moving forward. His experience with fight sequences from having directed Creed II is apparent here through the battle between the Autobots and Maximals with the Terrorcons. His stylised fight sequences saves the showdowns from looking like a blurry robot frenzy.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts may very well be one of the best films of the franchise, it promises another trilogy in the making and we’re more than excited to see what else they’ve got in store.
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