2018's Bumblebee marked the first time since Michael Bay's original blockbuster that a live-action Transformers film performed well with critics and audiences alike. Compared to prior sequels, Autobots and Decepticons actually resembled their G1 models, human leads weren't obnoxious or hyper-sexualized, and most impressively, the film told a compelling story in under two hours. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts continues this winning streak, delivering an entertaining, action-packed adventure that, occasional pacing issues aside, earns its popcorn flick stripes with solid choreography, heart, and a sense of fun.
Like Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts works as a solo film and retroactive prequel to Bay's original Transformers chronology. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. (with Bay returning as producer), its story jumps from 1980s California to 1994 Brooklyn, now following Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), a veteran struggling to find employment in the big city. Job opportunities aren't coming his way, and to make matters worse, medical bills for his brother Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez) are piling up. A borough away on Ellis Island, museum researcher Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) is fascinated by the discovery of a mysterious bird-shaped artifact, theorizing -- much to her boss' indifference -- that it's older than anyone realizes. Then she unwittingly exposes the artifact's true contents just as Noah, in financial desperation, attempts to steal the undercover Autobot Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson), disguised as an expensive Porsche.
One thing leads to another, and soon, the duo is working alongside the remaining Autobots on Earth, including Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), Arcee (Liza Koshy), Mirage, and Bumblebee. Rise of the Beasts revolves around the hunt for a Transwarp Key -- an alien MacGuffin capable of opening portals to other worlds -- brought to Earth millennia ago by Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman) and his animal-themed Maximal warriors. Now their old adversary Scourge (Peter Dinklage) seeks it to free his master, the planet-destroyer Unicron (Colman Domingo). The Maximals wish to protect the key at all costs, while the Autobots see it as their best chance to return home to Cybertron. For Noah and Elena, however, the bigger question is whether the key should be used at all if activating it risks Earth's survival.
Past Transformers movies suffered from a tendency to prioritize their human characters at the expense of the Transformers' rich backstories and animated lore. Bumblebee aside, it was rarely for the better. But Rise of the Beasts finds a nice balance between human and Autobot stories so audiences can understand what both sides are fighting for. It helps that all these heroes are likable, including Noah, whose bond with Kris and the self-assured, eccentric motormouth Mirage lends Beasts its emotional heart. Caple Jr., of Creed II fame, possesses a good eye for fight scenes and quiet moments, both of which ground the cartoonish action so it can go over the top without devolving into unhinged mayhem.
Supporting Autobots like Wheeljack (Ted Lasso's Cristo Fernández) still feel like extras, and only the peregrine falcon-inspired Airazor (Michelle Yeoh) and Primal receive proper characterization amongst Rise of the Beasts' Maximals. The biggest victim, sadly, is Unicron. Despite perfectly replicating his animated movie form, Unicron doesn't get much to do here. He's more of a ticking clock than a goal-oriented foe, with Scourge and his allies performing the bulk of Unicron's heavy lifting on Earth until the CGI-heavy final act. This, in turn, gives the heroes a reason to punch and blast evil robots across New York and Peru while occasionally spouting alien technobabble exposition.
Thankfully, these fights are a blast. Rise of the Beasts' Transformers CGI is more fine-tuned than ever before, capable of seamlessly morphing from robot to vehicle and back during conversations or robot-on-robot brawls. Heroes and villains battle with a clarity that has evaded earlier entries in the franchise. Combined with the Maximals' animalistic forms, this G1/Beast Wars crossover has all the charm and magic of a kid gleefully inventing team-ups in their room with action figures.
Special mention, of course, must go to Peter Cullen's Optimus Prime. The longtime Transformers voice actor returns for more than just an extended cameo, instead taking center stage as a grizzled, weary Optimus shouldering the burden of his team's continued exile on Earth. Thankfully, Beasts doesn't push this attitude too far, retaining the Autobot leader's natural heroism while gradually allowing him to see the value of humans as allies in their cosmic war. Cullen's performance elevates Optimus' story, another reminder of why this character has remained an icon for nearly 40 years.
Despite not telling the most original story, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts succeeds at capturing the anime-like spectacle Transformers fans have wanted to experience on the big screen since 2007. The movie's final twist is bound to generate online hype for years to come. If this is Transformers' Hollywood future, perhaps there's still life in its spark after all.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters on June 9.