Ex-soldier Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) lives with his mother, Breanna (Luna Lauren Velez). He’s an electronics expert, recently turned down for a job. Little brother Kris (Dean Scott Vasquez) has sickle cell disease, but they have no medical insurance to get help. Noah only wants to provide for his family. Can he get a leg up?
Meanwhile, Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) is an intelligent intern at a prestigious art gallery that deals in ancient artifacts. The owner Jillian (Sarah Stiles) believes a new acquisition is ancient Sumerian, but Elena has her doubts. The insignia etched into the side appears to be from another era. Oh, and Jillian is an arrogant boss who always takes credit for Elena’s work. Can she catch a break?
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts boasts a comparatively more coherent and straightforward narrative for this franchise. Coming off the reboot started by Bumblebee in 2018, this standalone sequel continues the trend for quieter, more human-driven tales infused with robots. Don’t worry. There are plenty of CGI action setpieces to dazzle long-time fans. In the ultimate battle, the all-powerful Unicron (Colman Domingo) commands his minions of Terrorcons led by Scourge (Peter Dinklage) to attack the planet of the Maximals, which includes Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman) and Airazor (Michelle Yeoh). Does that sentence mean anything to you? If not, then we are of like mind. Nevertheless, the chronicle is relatively streamlined, with fewer individuals to follow. I acknowledge those improvements. Pete Davidson is amusing as the voice of an Autobot named Mirage. The human story is this contrived portrayal of marginalized victims oppressed by “The Man.” The robots allow the underestimated to succeed and realize their true potential. Eh, it’s a mixed bag.
I did appreciate that director Steven Caple Jr.’s account is a period piece set in 1994. Classics from hip-hop’s golden age play throughout to emphasize the action on screen. I remember what happened based on what song was playing. We hear “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” (Digable Planets) when Elena sneaks into the museum at night. “The Choice Is Yours” (Black Sheep) plays during an exciting car chase, “Hypnotize” (TheNotorious B.I.G.) when the gang regroups before flying to Peru, “Mama Said Knock You Out” (LL Cool J) announces a triumphant appearance of Autobot Bumblebee, “Check The Rhime” (A Tribe Called Quest) at the conclusion. There are others. The soundtrack is stellar.
Many film series kicked off with a great entry, then became terrible at some point: Jaws, The Terminator, Die Hard, Shrek…uh, Police Academy. As far as I’m concerned, even the first Transformers movie wasn’t so glorious. I prefer less bombast. But hey, that’s just me. You, dear reader, may enjoy another episode. Millions do. A review should offer readers the insight to make an educated decision; Should I watch this? For me, the short answer would be “No,” but there are qualifications. The seventh installment in the Transformers series is not what I would call a good movie. However, it’s not as turgid as the five pictures directed by Michael Bay. This is one of the better installments. Rise of the Beasts is closer in spirit to Bumblebee, but I enjoyed that more than this. You’ve read my thoughts. You can watch this, or you can watch that. The choice is yours.
06-13-23
4 Responses
This was enjoyable. I’m a fan of a Hispanic lead in a major action movie. Anthony Ramos did a good job, however, he’s a better actor than this movie allowed. See “In the heights”, instead. 3 ⭐️
Yeah, I preferred Anthony Ramos in Hamilton and In the Heights but a big-budget action extravaganza is what pays the bills. That’s progress in Hollywood I guess.
I’m just wondering if it would have been as good as it was without the amazing soundtrack.. hmmm
The soundtrack really elevated the entire production for me.