Movies about giant metal aliens shouldn't be this complicated to get right. Yet, for over a decade, the Transformers brand felt like it was trapped in a cycle of explosions that lacked a heartbeat. Then came Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, a film that basically acted as a soft reboot while trying to juggle nostalgia for the 90s and the introduction of the fan-favorite Maximals.
It worked. Mostly.
If you grew up watching Beast Wars on a grainy CRT television, seeing Optimus Primal voiced by Ron Perlman was probably a religious experience. But for the casual viewer? It was a lot to take in. We’re talking about a timeline that follows the 1980s-set Bumblebee but precedes the Michael Bay era, creating a sort of "middle-child" energy that defines the current state of the Hasbro Cinematic Universe.
What Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Actually Changed
The biggest shift wasn't just the change from cars to robotic gorillas and cheetahs. It was the tone. Director Steven Caple Jr. ditched the "Bayhem"—that frantic, hyper-sexualized, and often incomprehensible visual style—for something that felt more like a classic Amblin adventure. It’s grounded. Well, as grounded as a movie about a planet-eating god named Unicron can be.
Anthony Ramos plays Noah Diaz, a guy who isn't a "chosen one" or a super-soldier. He’s just a kid from Brooklyn trying to pay his brother's medical bills. This human element is where Transformers: Rise of the Beasts actually finds its footing. When Noah meets Mirage—voiced with a chaotic, infectious energy by Pete Davidson—the movie stops being a commercial for toys and starts being a buddy-cop flick.
Honestly, the chemistry between a CGI Porsche and a human actor shouldn't be the highlight of a $200 million blockbuster, but here we are. It’s a far cry from the Shia LaBeouf days of screaming and running through desert sand.
✨ Don't miss: Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett: Why Fans Are Still Divided Over the Daimyo of Tatooine
The Maximals: More Than Just Furry Robots
The introduction of the Maximals was the biggest selling point. We’ve had decades of Autobots vs. Decepticons, and frankly, the "good cars vs. bad planes" trope was getting stale.
- Optimus Primal: The leader. He’s weary, protective, and lacks the stoic, almost religious fervor of the original Optimus Prime.
- Airazor: Michelle Yeoh brings a gravitas to this role that the script probably didn't deserve.
- Cheetor and Rhinox: These two honestly got the short end of the stick. They look incredible, but they’re mostly there for the final battle sequences rather than character development.
One thing people often overlook is how the film handles the "Beast" aspect. In the original 90s show, they transformed into animals to protect themselves from Energon radiation. In the movie? It’s more of a cultural heritage thing. They’ve been hiding on Earth for centuries, protecting the Transwarp Key. It’s a MacGuffin, sure, but it serves the purpose of moving the plot from New York to the lush jungles of Peru.
The Unicron Threat and the Scale Problem
Let’s talk about Unicron. He is the "Final Boss" of the Transformers universe. Think Galactus but with more gears. Voiced by Colman Domingo, Unicron represents a shift in stakes. In previous films, the threat was usually "the world might end." In Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the threat is "the world is going to be eaten."
Scourge, the leader of the Terrorcons, acts as Unicron’s herald. He’s actually terrifying. Unlike the generic Decepticons of the past who felt like cannonball fodder, Scourge feels like a genuine threat to Optimus Prime. He collects the emblems of the robots he kills. It’s dark. It’s gritty. It’s exactly what the franchise needed to make the stakes feel real again.
But there is a problem with scale. When you introduce a god-tier villain who eats planets, where do you go from there? The film ends with a massive battle that feels a bit like Avengers: Endgame, but with more metal clanging. It’s a spectacle, but it risks making future individual character stories feel small by comparison.
🔗 Read more: Why Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Actors Still Define the Modern Spy Thriller
Why the 1994 Setting Matters
The soundtrack is a vibe. Period.
Using Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., and Black Sheep isn't just a stylistic choice; it roots the film in a specific cultural moment in Brooklyn. It grounds the "Rise of the Beasts" keyword in a reality that feels lived-in. The fashion, the electronics, the lack of smartphones—it all adds to the isolation the characters feel when they’re thrust into a global conspiracy.
The GI Joe Connection and the Future
If you stayed until the end, you saw the card. The recruitment. The crossover.
The reveal that Noah is being recruited by G.I. Joe changed the trajectory of the entire franchise. For years, fans have wanted a shared Hasbro universe. This movie finally pulled the trigger. It’s a risky move. Shared universes are notoriously hard to maintain—just ask DC or Universal’s "Dark Universe." However, by linking Transformers: Rise of the Beasts to the Joes, Paramount is betting on a "bigger is better" strategy.
This isn't just about toys anymore; it's about creating a sprawling narrative that covers decades of "secret history" on Earth.
💡 You might also like: The Entire History of You: What Most People Get Wrong About the Grain
Addressing the Critics and the Box Office
The movie didn't shatter box office records like Age of Extinction did, but it performed solidly. Why? Because the audience has changed. People are tired of mindless CGI soup. They want characters they actually like. While the film still has its share of "robot-on-robot" violence that can get a bit blurry, it’s significantly more coherent than its predecessors.
Critics were split. Some loved the heart; others felt the plot was too thin. But if you look at the "Rotten Tomatoes" audience score, it’s clear that the fans—the people who actually buy the tickets and the figures—were happy. They wanted a movie that respected the lore while moving it forward.
Technical Details You Might Have Missed
The visual effects in this film were handled by a mix of MPC and Weta FX. You can tell. The way light hits the "fur" on Optimus Primal or the way the rust looks on Scourge’s armor is a massive step up from the shiny, toy-like appearance of the robots in the 2007-2014 era.
There’s a tactile nature to the machines here. You can hear the gears grinding. You can see the oil leaks.
How to Get the Most Out of the Transformers Lore
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world established in this film, don't just stop at the credits. There is a whole ecosystem of storytelling that explains the nuances of the Maximals and the Terrorcons.
- Watch Bumblebee (2018) first. It sets the tone and the timeline. Without it, the Optimus Prime in Rise of the Beasts feels too grumpy. Bumblebee explains why the Autobots are hiding.
- Check out the IDW Comics. Specifically the Beast Wars runs. They provide a much deeper backstory for why the Maximals left their home planet and how their technology differs from the Autobots.
- Explore the 1986 Animated Movie. If you want to understand who Unicron is and why his appearance in live-action is such a big deal, the original animated film is essential viewing. It’s where the "The Touch" song comes from, and it’s surprisingly emotional.
- Listen to the score by Jongnic Bontemps. He blends the classic Steve Jablonsky themes with 90s hip-hop influences and Peruvian woodwinds. It’s a masterclass in thematic blending.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts isn't a perfect movie, but it's a necessary one. It took a franchise that was arguably on its last legs and gave it a pulse. By focusing on the bond between humans and machines, and finally acknowledging the weird, wonderful world of the Maximals, it opened the door for a much larger universe.
The next step is simple. If you want to follow the story, keep an eye on the upcoming crossovers. The groundwork has been laid for a collision between the high-tech world of the Joes and the ancient history of the Transformers. For now, revisit the film with a focus on the background details in the Peru scenes—there are more Easter eggs for the "Beast Machines" era than you might think on a first watch.