I have been a lifelong fan of the Transformers since their debut in 1984. When I first saw the trailers for the first live action movie in 2007, I was hooked.
Since that time I have eagerly sought every piece of spoilery Intel that I could find on each of the films, while hunting down every toy before the film’s release.
When I first learned of Transformers Rise of the Beasts, I was admittedly not enthusiastic about the film incorporating the Maximals.
I was not a fan of Transformers Beast Wars, and didn’t think much of the concept. As time went on however, I learned more about Rise of the Beasts, which piqued my curiosity.
I became intrigued enough to want to see the film for myself. I was to say the least, curious, and perhaps even optimistic that the movie would not be a disappointment.
So, this afternoon I had the opportunity to go and watch Transformers Rise of the Beasts in the theater; What follows is a very conservative and unbiased review of that film from a fan of the franchise.
Opening Sequence / First Act
I thought that it was very disappointing to have a different character do the voice over for the intro. The monologue by Peter Cullen has become synonymous with the Transformers franchise, and something that I really look forward to.
I was really impressed by the opening sequence, and how it introduced the Maximals, despite not being a fan of their alt mode.
Apelinq’s reference to other worlds was something of importance, in connecting it to an identical statement made by Optimus Prime in Bumblebee.
The fact that there are other worlds in the galaxy to which Autobots have fled for refuge, or otherwise have been created like Cybertron, is a key plot device for the franchise moving forward.
It gives lateral creative storytelling that hasn’t been seen before in the live action continuity. What I found shocking was the choice of music for this movie.
That is particularly disturbing in view of it being made by a toy company, that is supposed to be family oriented.
It would have been taken much differently if the music were confined to one scene, to introduce a single character, as in previous films, but that unfortunately was not the case.
The Director’s choice for music was singular to a specific part of American culture and society, and it felt as if this genre of music were being forced on us against our will.
It in my opinion detracted from the movie, and was impossible to ignore. All throughout this film was some really impressive cinematography, as well as scenes with tremendous gravity.
Unfortunately, it was all ruined by the rap music blasting away behind the action and the dialogue. It really detracts from and stands in contrast to the emotion being portrayed in some of the scenes in which it is featured.
If you go back and review the previous Bayverse movies, the score sets the tone for the scenes being depicted.
What we hear as an audience is as important as what we see. Unfortunately, the Director’s choice for the music inherently make the film appear to be a hip hop interpretation of alien robots waging a war on the Earth.
In my opinion, a franchise like this is best at telling the story through the use of instrumental scores, rather than modern day music of any genre.
Cursing is also much more prevalent in this movie than any of the previous live action movies before it, with even the robots themselves using curse words.
The unbridled use of vulgar speech implies that the Director believes it’s acceptable for children and youth to hear such vulgarity.
It presumes that their lives are inundated by it, and that their parents should accept it as normal when it is anything but that.
It really undermines the very moral foundation and principals that characters such as the Transformers have been used to portray over the decades.
It odd almost as if the director was deliberately attempting to pervert these characters and what they stand for, into a subliminal message from the woke culture.
Second Act
The battle sequence at the history museum has to be one of the best ever done in a live action film. The interaction between Optimus and Scourge was some of the best dialogue that we’ve seen yet between protagonists and antagonists in a Transformers film.
Woke Perspective
There is unfortunately an overwhelming attempt to push woke ideology in this film that depicts white people in a negative light.
This was really disheartening to see depicted in a Transformers live action movie, and it was clearly done to again promote woke ideology and racism against white people in America.
It begins with a derogatory statement made by Ms. Diaz about white people, and Is followed by Elena’s interaction with her boss, a white female.
The last attempt to push this down our throats is an interaction between Noah, and a potential employer who is also a white man.
Though the scenes may have depicted fictional events, It all had very racist undertones within its context, and should never have been included in a family friendly movie.
This alone was enough for me to decide that my son could not watch this film. It is really disappointing to me that Hasbro would allow such a move on the part of the Director.
This is in opposition to the fact eighty percent of their revenue is going to be from the sales of adult Caucasian consumers between the ages of eighteen and forty five years of age!
This isn’t to imply that only Caucasians buy and collect toys; nonsense! What it does imply, is that two thirds of their revenue comes from a group of people that are intentionally and unfairly portrayed in a negative context.
They are for all intents and purposes indoctrinating viewers of the movie with racism. This type of thing is really disappointing to see perpetrated on the impressionable minds of children and young people.
It does nothing to promote fun, peace and unity, as the Transformers themselves have done for the past forty years through storytelling. Instead, it maligns the innocent and causes a tear in the koral fabric of our society.
Third Act
Most of the scenes in the final act were good, and the introduction to the Maximals on Earth by Optimus Primal was really awesome.
The way that their backstory is explained makes them a much more plausible race of Transformers within the live action continuity.
One of the standout characters in this act is Airrazor, and throughout the movie she serves as a plot device of sorts.
Both Cheetor and Rhinox were under used in the film, but what we did see of them was very intriguing.
The final battle scene was tremendous, but once again ruined by two scenes: the first being with Bumblebee’s appearance overwhelmed by rap music, and his use of cursing.
This was completely inappropriate when considering that children would be watching this movie.
The final nail in the coffin for me on this film was the use of a mech suit for Noah from a dead Mirage.
It was the most ridiculous use of a human character in any of these movies to date, and it seriously detracted from the story.
The movie ends with a much-reduced speech for Optimus Prime, and goes on to include a speech by you guessed it, Noah! It was deplorable, and at that point I stood up and left the theater.
Final thoughts
Transformers Rise of the Beasts had tremendous potential to become a pivot point for the franchise.
Instead, it blundered its way through two hours of non stop inundation to the woke culture, while the film itself was unwatchable due to the cursing and blaring rap music.
Surprisingly the visual effects were sub par, and failed to resemble anything like the previous iterations of the Transformers.
The greatest tragedy of all with this film is that it should have done more to honor the life and legacy of Peter Cullen, whose voice over work in this film was his last as the voice of Optimus Prime.
He deserved to be honored in this film, and to have Optimus at the foreground. Instead, Optimus was relegated to a grumpy old Transformer who just wanted to go home.
It is truly disappointing to see this direction left in the hands of a racist director, who used this movie to weave bigotry and hate into its narrative.
I cannot in good conscience recommend Transformers Rise of the Beasts to fans of any age, or to parents. If anything, Transformers has stood as a foundation for ethics, morals, and values for children from all over the world, for the past forty years.
Rise of the Beasts was a missed opportunity to continue to promote family friendly fun, through a classic franchise.
Till all are one…..
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