Autobots and the Maximals unite in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Well into the Transformers franchise, you’d pretty much expect the familiar setup of giant robots in epic battles against a barrage of explosions.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts eventually gets to that as the plot thickens, but if there is one takeaway that separates it from the rest of the Michael Bay flicks is that the story is given a more grounded approach.
The film brings the action to 1994 in Brooklyn, New York. Before all the explosive action happens, the plot opens with a story about Noah Diaz, played by Anthony Ramos, an ex-military electronics expert, who accidentally becomes friends with an alien robot disguised as a car while finding a new job to support his family.
The robot is Mirage of the Autobots and is voiced by Pete Davidson. Both Mirage and Diaz show great chemistry and it’s this playful part of the movie that director Steven Caple Jr cleverly ropes in.
While the story highlights Diaz’s struggles and hardships in finding ways to support his family, the friendship between Diaz and Mirage is a heartfelt one.
Their encounter puts him in the world of Autobots, who are all awoken by the activation of an artifact otherwise known as the Transwarp Key. The artifact, which was discovered by a museum researcher Elena (Dominique Fishback), also holds the key to their home which they all wish to return to.
Of course, it’s no drama if the villains aren’t in pursuit of the key too. Unicron (Coleman Domingo), the planet-sized world eater, and his army of Terrorcons and Predacons. With the assistance of Scourge, the ruthless leader of the Terrorcons, the Autobots are forced to join hands with the Maximals in order to save Earth.
The filmmakers take us on a little backstory of the Maximals, descendants of the Autobots who were transported to prehistoric earth. Optimus Primal, the leader of the Maximals, can transform into a western lowland gorilla, Cheetor serves as the Maximals’ scout, and others in the gang include Rhinox, and Apelinq. Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh makes us proud too, as she lends her voice to Airazor.
But I do feel the filmmakers should’ve explored more with the Maximals, instead of having them serve as background characters.
Diaz and Elena don’t exactly have an easygoing charm, but the characters are likable and relatable. Elena is undervalued by her superiors but she ultimately becomes an important character to saving the world.
As always, evil doesn't reign supreme, but as mentioned, the film is more than just giant robots in a catastrophic fight. The friendships between the robots and humans are well-lifted, even without the romance between the human characters.
The good news is that this doesn’t mark the end of the giant robot-human friendship. Paramount has confirmed Transformers 8 is in the works as part of the new trilogy.
In the meantime, check out the latest Transformers action figures by Hasbro Malaysia, which features multiple play systems that allow fun play for all.
The new toy line is available at any Toys R Us outlet or Shopee and Lazada.
