Editor’s note: This review was written by Amit
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a must watch for anyone seeking an action-packed movies featuring some comedy and great visuals. Already one of the biggest movies of the summer grossing over $427 million worldwide it’s now streaming exclusively on Paramount+.
The Michael Bay Transformers movies started out as cultural phenomenon in the 2000s but after a couple of lackluster sequels, this latest entry, along with Bumblebee (2018) have successfully brought the Transformers franchise back.
Set as a prequel to the Bay movies and loose sequel to Bumblebee, "Rise of the Beasts", takes place in 1994 introducing us to Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) a military veteran living in Brooklyn helping take care of his sick little brother. The movie also features a brand new batch of Transformers known as the Maximals from the Beast War Saturday cartoons.
Led by the commanding Optimus Primal, these animal-themed Transformers pay inject new life into the universe with a star voice cast featuring Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson, Peter Dinkalage to name a few. The movie is visually stunning boasting top-notch CGI and battles that are exhilarating to watch. "Rise of the Beasts" manages to strike a good balance between explosive action and actually telling a compelling story about the human characters.
In conclusion, despite a few predictable twists and a third act that’s eerily similar to Avengers Endgame it delivers on being a summer blockbuster. Mirage, voiced by Pete Davidson, is one the highlights of the movie landing some very funny lines and his bond with main character Noah is just as compelling as Bumblebee and Sam (Shia LaBeouf) from the original Transformer movies. There’s a very interesting tease in the post-credit scene that sets up a potential sequel so fans of this movie might not have to wait long to see more Noah and the Maximals.
Rating: 7.5/10
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is now streaming on Paramount+