Transformers: Aufstieg der Bestien

First, I have really enjoyed a number of the Transformers movies despite the usual criticisms. They were, generally, fun, well thought out intl terms of action scenes and had a few key actors to give them a little more appeal. This one seems to have the casting and script all wrong. The supposed academic is barely able to string a sentence together and is wholly unconvincing as someone who could work out how to get out of the bathroom let alone anything else (also the actress is dire but hardly the point). The main actor is uninspiring and deals with the awful script with seeming boredom (I doubt it is genuine boredom as this is presumably his big break) and the cutesy nod to the 90s for the transformers themselves seems, well, meh? Overall, boring, badly acted, shocking casting and a sad epitaph.

Well, it's about robots from outer space so just turn your brain off for maximum enjoyment. If you told me the script was AI-generated, I'd believe it.

But is it entertaining? Depends on your definition. If you want to see robots and humans hunting MacGuffins, clashing and brawling for their respective fates, painfully cringe dialog and jokes, and a predictable plot? Then yes, it's entertaining.

I'm a sucker for 90s hip-hop, so hearing Tribe and Wu-Tang was a pleasant surprise. I also appreciate the dynamic lighting and how the robots are integrated into their environments. They don't stick out too much or look odd.

Until they talk. Then most of the immersion goes right out the window. Nearly every robot-spoken word is delivered with the gusto of the movie trailer voiceover guy bellowing cliches like ancient creeds.

And yet, as the 3rd act progressed I found myself starting to be won over, almost like a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Maybe because I stopped thinking about it. Maybe the movie itself became a visual lobotomy.

I almost want to recommend this. Not because it's good, but because it's bad in ways that are endearing and sort of fun.

At no point did these characters pull me into this movie, there was just zero connection. I have no idea who any of them are! How is that possible for such a big franchise such as Transformers? Is this all they could find when casting? Mirage was the only entertaining character and carried the movie.

Also is it just me or did it feel like it took a long time for the movie to take off? I understand we need to develop characters but at times in the first part of the movie I forgot I was even watching a Transformers movie.

I felt like the CGI was a little overdone too. I feel like some parts the bots looked almost cartoonish compared to the grungy look from previous movies.

This is obviously just a cash cow, made for no reason other than to fill the pockets of the Hollywood producers, knowing that the masses will go watch ANOTHER Transformer movie in the summertime anyways...no matter how bad the reviews may be...

The bad: this edition is without any famous actor and that hurts the movie, big time. The 2 (unknown) leading actors for sure arent terrible, but they sure as heck arent able to carry this movie by themselves either. Bummer.

More bad: what about the thrill and spectactle? This movie is severely lacking in real thrill and spark! I mean after 30 minutes I already got bored watching this movie. And getting bored is the last thing I desire when watching an action movie for petes sake!

Not any good then? It'll do for the masses, but be sure to bring along a lot of popcorn though, because any junkfood you will eat, will guaranteed give you more satisfaction than watching this mediocre franchise edition.

After the success of 'Bumblebee' I was hoping that this instalment might offer a more rewarding viewing experience than the previous cash grab Transformers outings, but I was sorely mistaken. It is unfortunately a rather drab affair.

Within about 5 minutes every cliche possible is ticked off the list. The dialogue is grating and so corny it hurts. The action is messy and disorienting. The newly introduced 'Maximals' are severely wasted with limited screen time. The plot centres around a silly doohickey that is hard to care about. The human characters are kind of annoying and poorly written. None of the humour really lands and neither do any of the emotional story beats. The story sags a little in the middle. I could go on.

Saying all that, this film is mildly entertaining and does have its moments, although they are too few and far between. I guess it's worth watching if you are into your Transformers films, but the casual movie goer should probably save their money and skip this one.