RISE OF THE BEASTS makes for a nice watch.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (English) Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS is about Autobots, Maximals and humans coming together for a greater cause. Many years ago, the dark god Unicorn attacks a planet inhabited by the Maximals. Apelinq, the Maximal leader, sacrifices himself, while the other Maximals escape with a crucial Transwarp Key. In 1994, Noah (Anthony Ramos), an ex-military electronics expert, is trying hard to land a job and support his family, comprising his mother Breanna (Luna Lauren Vélez) and younger brother Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez). With no other option, he agrees to steal a car for a good deal. The same day, Elena (Dominique Fishback), an intern at a museum and an expert researcher, gets intrigued by a bird sculpture that arrives in the facility. At night, when there’s no one in the museum, she starts studying it and while doing so, she accidentally triggers it. It sends out a transwarp signature and alerts all the Transformers in New York. One of them is Mirage (Pete Davidson), the car that Noah breaks into. Mirage rushes to a spot, while a scared Noah is inside him. Noah soon learns that Mirage is a Transformer and he meets other Autobots like Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), Bumblebee and Arcee (Liza Koshy). They realize that the signature is emitting from the museum. Mirage asks Noah to help them retrieve the key in return for a huge amount of money. Mirage agrees and he reaches the museum where he bumps into Elena. Meanwhile, Noah and Elena get attacked by Scourge (Peter Dinklage), who works under Unicorn. The Autobots come to the rescue but get defeated. Scourge leaves with the key only to realize that it’s just one half of the Transwarp Key. Elena, through her findings, concludes that the other half of the key must be in Peru. The Autobots leave for the South American country. Noah and Elena also join in as they realize that if the Autobots lose, planet Earth can also be in danger. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Joby Harold’s story is decent and is replete with some interesting plot points. Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber’s screenplay is fairly entertaining. However, the climax seems clichéd and also the character’s back stories aren’t fully developed. The dialogues are strictly okay.

Steven Caple Jr’s direction is fair. He keeps the duration in check and packs in a lot in 128 minutes. Some of the scenes that stand out are Noah stealing the car and being chased by the cops, the madness at the museum, Noah and Elena discovering the underground trail and the climax fight.

On the flipside, the film falters when it comes to the emotional quotient. A few developments are convenient. For instance, one can imagine Noah risking his life as he was going to be paid in return. But Elena didn’t really have a strong reason to team up with the Autobots for such a dangerous mission. Lastly, the climax fight, though entertaining, reminds one of several such sequences that one has seen in various superhero films.

Speaking of performances, Anthony Ramos puts up a great act. Dominique Fishback has an arresting presence and also does well. Dean Scott Vazquez is adorable. Tobe Nwigwe (Reek) lends able support. Luna Lauren Vélez is wasted. Michael Kelly is nice in a cameo. As for the voiceovers, the ones that are praiseworthy are Pete Davidson, Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh and Peter Dinklage.

Jongnic Bontemps’s music has a cinematic and exhilarating feel. Enrique Chediak’s cinematography is scenic. The locales of Peru, especially, have been shot beautifully. Sean Haworth’s production design is appealing. Ciara Whaley’s costumes are nothing special. VFX is topnotch while the action is spectacular. Joel Negron and William Goldenberg’s editing is neat.

On the whole, TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS makes for a nice watch thanks to its run time, action and comic moments and the action. However, the popularity of the series in India is fairly limited and this will prove detrimental to its collections.