In the sequel to Bumblebee, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts moves to New York City in 1994. A former military electronics expert Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) breaks into a sleek Porsche. It just happens to be a juvenile Maximal named Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson). Meanwhile, a young artifact researcher Elena (Dominique Fishback) studies what looks like the real Maltese Falcon. Doing so o triggers the hidden key hiding Maximals, which their enemies, the Terrorcons, have been looking for. Thus, begins the first of a series of battles in which the Maximals and their leader, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen, the O.G. of the animated series) seek to take out the Terrorcons and their leader, Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage) in an effort to return to their home planet.
Full disclosure, I never was into Transformers when I was a kid, so I have been watching the entire franchise going back to the first film in 2007 just from a neutral perspective. Watching not as a fanboy probably affects me. Some of the links between the movies might not connect with me. The prequels, I will say, do give a refreshing look at the whole franchise and away from the stale Michael Bay-directed features for new blood to take a stab at directing it. Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) does a good job in handling this batch of characters and the action in both urban and rural settings, the latter in Peru.
Being a throwback to a recent period, it has plenty of good early 90s rap, including the Wu-Tang Clan, Digable Planets, and A Tribe Called Quest. Bumblebee communicates by replaying lines from movies he has seen at a drive-in. Even funnier, there’s a line Mirage says to Noah about “Marky Mark” Wahlberg splitting from the Funky Bunch to try acting and scoffs. The film creates vibes like Terminator 2: Judgement Day, echoed later when Bumblebee tells Noah and Elena, “Come with me if you want to live.” There’s no suspense in the story since we know their fates. There is a surprise appearance (or not) at the end, which lays the bridge to the next film for the franchise.
I like that the two leads, Ramos and Fishback, have separate stories. It contrasts what Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox started. They play characters that I actually care about, there is no cheesy love story, and each has their own thing to care about. For Noah, it’s his younger brother who has sickle-cell anemia but he cannot afford the medical bills. For Elena, she wants to show her worth as an archaeologist. All the big names – Cristo Fernandez, Michelle Yeoh (right after her Oscar win), Coleman Domingo, and Ron Pearlman – were doing the voiceover work.
Is there sensory overload with the sights and sounds of these characters? Yeah. Is it stuffed? Yeah. The kids will love it. The inner child in those who grew up with the toys and cartoons will love it. I enjoyed it despite the weaknesses in the story and unremarkable CGI. One hundred and twenty-seven minutes is enough for a Transformers film.
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