Transformers Rise of the Beast REVIEW -Spoilers-

 

What a fun and wild ride. Yes I have finally seen Transformers Rise of the Beast! It's everything I wanted in a movie and more. Coming from a G1 fan perspective, this cinematic experience ticked all the right boxes. Just like Travis Knight's Bumblebee, still the best live action Transformers movie in my book, this story inherits the best parts of the Bumblebee movie. You get the impression that just like Travis Knight before, Steven Caple Jr is a true fan of the franchise. We get G1 designs for our main Autobots, maybe not as much as some OG fans might like, but he does do a great job of marrying the best of the Bayverse designs and G1. As mentioned in my previous preamble blog to this review, he borrows a lot from the G1 cartoons, from the brilliant 1986 animated movie, and even sneaks in musical inferences from Vince De Cola's Unicron's theme, as well as the brilliant 'Arrival to Earth' theme from Steve Jablonsky. This production has a good amalgamation of old and new, and it's sure to please the 80's kids with the live adaptation of Unicron and the Autobots and Maximals, as well as newer fans who grew up with the Bayverse. Steven does away with excessive anal and sexiest humor and imagery and instead focuses on the two human leads, played by Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, leading to more fleshed out characters, as well as allowing much more time for our Transformers to shine. I really enjoyed the pacing of the scenes and didn't once feel like there were redundant exposition to drag out the runtime. Sure there is a MacGuffin that everyone is chasing after, but that is pretty much present in the OG  cartoons. To say that the movie played out like a big budget Saturday morning cartoon would be an understatement.

This movie picks up where Bumblebee left off, with only a handful of Autobots forming team Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Mirage, Wheeljack and Stratosphere. The Autobots have been stranded on Earth for seven years with no way to get back to Cybertron. Enter the MacGuffin, the Trans Warp key. The keepers of this piece of technology are the Maximals. The opening sequence, much like Bumblebee's fall of Cybertron scene sets up the story. We see Unicron enter the frame, sending his herald Scourge to the surface of the Maximals planet, with some Scorponok's to strike a bargain with the leader of the Maximals, Apelinq for the Trans Warp key. We are introduced to the main Maximals, Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Rhinox and Airazor. Apelinq stays behind to confront Scourge and buys time for his brethren,but is killed by his nemesis. The Maximals escape to Earth while their home planet is consumed by Unicron.

Cut to present day Earth and we are introduced to Noah Diaz, a ex military electronics expert and his counterpart Elena Wallace a intern archeologists working in the museum. Noah is struggling to make ends meet to look after his sick little brother Chris, who has sickle cell anemia. Out of options, he takes up a grand theft auto job with his buddy Reek. This is where fate intervenes. He steals a car that turns out to be an alien robot, Mirage. As this is happening, Elena's innate curiosity entangles her as she unexpectedly uncovers part of the Trans Warp key that sends a signal into the sky, alerting the Autobots, as well as Unicron. Noah is accidentally embroiled in the Autobots plan to obtain the key.

Both factions make a beeline for the museum and a battle ensures. The Autobots try to protect Noah and Elena, but are totally outclassed by the dark energon enhanced henchmen of Unicron. Even Optimus Prime is over powered by Scourge and almost loses his life. Bumblebee bravely stops Scourge but loses his life. Airazor swoops in and stops the slaughter, but not before Nightbird secures the key. Optimus takes his rage out on some pieces of scrapes, and even blames Noah for their failure. Airazor tells them of the other Maximals and how they split the key into pieces for safe keeping. This is where Elena's research comes into play. All signs point towards Peru. Unfortunately Unicron realizes this as well.

The human Autobots alliance continues, to the consternation of Prime, who still seeks the key for selfish reasons, to return his crew to Cybertron. Little does he know that Noah is in it for his own reasons, to destroy the key and prevent Earth from destruction. Two sides of a coin but barreling down the same road. The Autobots realize that in order to locate the second half of the key, Noah and Elena are their best bet. Scourge and his minions track the Autobots and tail them, leading to another confrontation at the mountain side. An enraged Prime manages to to gain the upper hand in his fight with Scourge. Airazor has to break up the fight by bringing down the bridge, separating both combatants. Elena and Noah are still underground seeking out the key. Scourge sneaks in a corruption bug as he shoots Airazor.

Noah and Elena exits the caves after finding an empty crypt and are confronted by Optimus Primal and the Maximals. Airazor is reunited with her comrades and informs them of how the heralds of Unicron now have one half of the key. The Autobots are introduced to the Maximals and learn the location of the second half of the key. Primal educates Prime about the history between the humans and how he has grown to trust them and why all life is sacred. He doesn't agree with giving up the keys to put Earth in harms way as he presents his human tribe to Prime. The villagers show Prime a sacred resting place, which so happens to be rich in inert energon for Bee. Unfortunately Airazor is corrupted and gives their position away to Scourge. Noah has a chance to destroy the key but Prime begs him not to. In a moment of hesitation, Airazor flies off with Elena and the key. Primal gives chase but it's too late, Scourge gets the second half of the key. Primal is forced to put a possessed Airazor down to save Elena.

With the completed Trans Warp key, Scourge, Battletrap and Nightbird set up a transdimentional portal to welcome their master Unicron. When they open the portal, a wave of energy envelopes Earth, and activates the energon and restoring Bee. Prime and Primal lead the offensive as Unicron sends in his Terrorcons to overwhelm our heroes. A newly restored Bee is flown in by Stratosphere. He arrives in the nick of time and takes out Nightbird in midair while Prime and Primal take down Battletrap. Using the frontal assault as a diversion, Noah, Elena and Mirage attempt to get to the control panel with the hope that they can shut down the portal with a code Elena had deciphered from the markings on the totem and the crypt holding the keys. Primal believes that they can avoid destroying the keys, while stopping Unicron. 

Mirage bravely confronts Scourge in a kamikaze move reminiscent of Jazz in the  2007 movie with the hope that Noah and Elena can make their way to the controls via the underground tubes. Scourge realizes this and grabs Noah after incapacitating Mirage, and sends a Freezer after Elena. As Scourge is about to kill Noah, Mirage sacrifices himself to save his best bud, and to keep his promise to Noah's little brother. Mirage doesn't die. Due to extensive damage, he gives Noah full control by becoming Noah's exosuit. Prime joins the fight and takes Scourge out, but not before he destroys the control panel. Despite Elena succeeding in evading the Freezer and getting the code in, there is now no way to close the portal. Prime decides that life on Earth is too precious and volunteers to destroy the device and sacrifice himself. He smashes the panel and is sucked towards the portal opening. Primal and Noah saves Prime to the strain of Steve Jablonsky's Arrival to Earth!