logo

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.

Read through the Privacy Policy to understand better

 Go Back

Movie Review: Who let the beasts out? New 'Transformers' tries but fails to energize the saga

By MARK KENNEDY - Jun 06, 2023, 09:30 AM ET
Last Updated - Aug 12, 2024, 07:32 AM EDT
chatGPT_logo
Much too late come the titular stars of the show — the beasts. There's Optimus Primal, a 13-foot-tall metallic silverback gorilla voiced by Ron Perlman; Cheetor, a cheetah the size of a small truck voiced by Tongayi Chirisa; Airazor, a peregrine falcon who shoots fire, voiced by Michelle Yeoh; and Rhinox, a battering ram on legs, voiced by David Sobolov. The film comes to life with them

With the “Transformers” franchise clearly at a crossroads, its protectors have turned to their deep bench

With the “Transformers” franchise clearly at a crossroads, its latest protectors have turned to their deep bench of characters. But just adding more robots won't transform this tired series. 

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” returns the franchise to its galaxy-wide self-importance after taking a nice detour with 2018's smaller “Bumblebee.” We have a new cast of animal robots and a very evil enemy in the planet-eating Unicron, but they're not used right and the movie limps from fight to fight. 

Sponsored

The key to the film is actually a key, some sort of ancient glowing shaft that will open a portal in space and time. Everyone wants it — to go home, to kill planets or to save planets. The audience may also want to use it to beam into a more interesting movie. 

Directed by Steven Caple Jr. — using a screenplay by Darnell Metayer, Erich Hoeber, Jon Hoeber and Josh Peters based on a story by Joby Harold — “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is a big swing that seems to portend a multi-film arc nestled in time after “Bumblebee” and before the first live-action “Transformers” movie. 

By continuing to use this site, you agree to our terms and conditions
Sponsored
Sponsored
Sponsored
Our Offices
  • 10kInfo, Inc.
    13555 SE 36th St
    Bellevue, WA 98006
    Phone: +1 (425) 414-0184
  • 10kInfo Data Solutions, Pvt Ltd.
    Claywork Create
    11 km, Arakere Bannerghatta Rd, Omkar Nagar, Arekere,
    Bengaluru, Karnataka 560076
    Phone: +91 80 4902 2100
4.2 20250324