Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

"Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" is the new movie based on the Takara toys that Hasbro exploited and have been brought to television, movies and comics. In this new film, the result is kind of almost bad, a soulless and simple script that could have been told in 90 minutes and not in an excessive length of 127 minutes that become slow. The performances are ordinary and the director's work does not stand out. The production is not used, the soundtrack has no essence and the cinematography is quite conventional. The biggest negative point is the costume design and the setting, since the film takes place during 1994 and fails to take us to that year, with the exception of some retro objects and extras that wear 90s costumes, the protagonists really look very 2020's. Another flaw is the digital special effects that fail to be entirely realistic, the green screen and After Effects giving themselves away for much of the length of the film. A totally forgettable production.

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.

Most of this movie is boring, even when there is action on the screen. The first 1h30 should have been cut to an hour, and it would have been more entertaining. Up until this point, it was a middling 5/10 for me, just like the rest of these movies (bar 1 perhaps).

HOWEVER, the final act/fight is honestly stellar - I actually sat up and properly enjoyed the battle, the fact that the people were actually involved (due to what I thought was a pretty neat, if cliché device).

It actually felt like there were some stakes too, both on large and small scale. The music, both soundtrack and needle drops were on point. Just a pity that the rest of the movie didn't have this level of quality.

Where do I start? Let's start with the positive; the CGI was amazing. The bad; the acting, and the casting was terrible. I don't know who wrote the script, but it was awful also. Nothing against the actors, but some of them seem so miscast in their roles. The girls voice was absolutely annoying. Sometimes over acting, sometimes not acting at all. But all in all just terrible. Sometimes great dialogue can say bad acting, in this case, the dialogue was just as bad. Cringe worthy. I was hoping for more as I love the transformers movies. I wanted to stop watching within the first 15 minutes, but I also wanted to give it a chance to see if it would get better. It didn't. If this is the best they've got they should stop now.