During the preview of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, there were two distinct moments in the third act that elicited audible gasps from the audience – myself included.
No spoilers here, but they proved that this seventh instalment in the Transformers live-action film series still has fuel in its engines to keep the franchise fresh and revved up.
Unlike the Michael Bay-directed films, which were mostly panned as noisy, thinly plotted and explosion-heavy, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts delivers a fun and entertaining story with a dose of heart. It’s not as touching or emotional as Bumblebee, but director Steven Caple Jr makes up for it with new robots, interesting human characters and plenty of spectacular action.
As for the timeline, it sits between the movies, making it both a prequel and sequel. It is set seven years after Bumblebee but before the events of Sam Witwicky (the protagonist in the first three Transformers movies). The producers have taken pains to point out that this is not a reboot despite some continuity issues (we’re looking at you, planet-eating Unicron).
We meet former U.S. Army private Noah Diaz, played by Anthony Ramos, in 1994 Brooklyn, the era of hip hop, pagers and Air Jordans. In a series of events, he gets behind the wheel of the wisecracking Autobot Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson) and meets three other Autobots in hiding, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), Bumblebee and Arcee (voiced by Liza Koshy).
Meanwhile, researcher Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) unknowingly triggers an alien beacon hidden within an ancient statuette. The two join forces in a globetrotting adventure from urban New York to the primordial jungles of Peru with the Autobots and a new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – in the battle for Earth against the Terracons.
Ramos, in his first big-budget flick since In the Heights, is a commendable action star and convincing fellow buddy to Mirage, while Fishback, fresh from her lead role in Swarm, plays it up with her inquisitive character. The stronger human connection just about prevents the film from being another Michael Bay blockbuster.
Fans of the classic ’90s animated television series, Beast Wars: Transformers, would be no stranger to the Maximals, a group of Transformers beasts led by gigantic robot gorilla Optimus Primal. Also making their debut are Airazor, Cheetor, and Rhinox, although they could have been given a little more screen time. In the end, despite all the publicity on the beasts, it is Mirage that steals the show and gets the best lines.
Accompanying the big set pieces are hip-hop classics from the era. Tracks like Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.”; A Tribe Called Quest’s “Check the Rhime”, Black Sheep’s “The Choice Is Yours,” LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out,” and “Hypnotize” by Notorious B.I.G. drive the film – no pun intended. Then there is the lone original song on the film “On My Soul”, from Tobe Nwigwe, Nas and Jacob Banks.
So grab the popcorn and strap in, because this is an entertaining two-hour joyride that checks all the boxes.
On the red carpetOn Jun 27, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) rolled out the red carpet for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts world premiere in Singapore. Fans were out in full force at the MBS Promenade to catch the cast and crew of the blockbuster movie. They were greeted by the 4.5-metre life-sized statue of Autobot Mirage outside ArtScience Museum, and had the chance to get up close with director Steven Caple Jr., producers Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian, as well as cast members Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and Tobe Nwigwe on the red carpet. The evening culminated in a spectacular light and pyrotechnics show against the stunning backdrop of Marina Bay.
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opens in theatres islandwide in Singapore on Jun 8.
