*No Spoilers In This Review*

After almost five years without a live action movie, the Transformers franchise has returned to the big screen with “Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts”. This film is the sequel to 2018’s “Bumblebee” and takes place seven years after it, featuring a wider array of Cybertronians (another word for the Transformers) than its predecessor. Just like any other movie, Rise Of The Beasts has some good and some bad, and this review will detail both aspects with minimal spoilers.

The Good

CGI

Dating back to the Bayverse films, live-action Transformers movies have always had a focus on CGI, and Rise Of The Beasts is no anomaly in that regard. Luckily, the CGI in this film clearly had a lot of work put into it, making it one of the strongest aspects of the movie. To start with, the designs of the various Autobots, Maximals, and Terracons are nothing short of gorgeous; everyone looks cool, fun, intimidating, or whatever feeling their design is meant to invoke. The special effects are another standout, with all of them looking authentic and awe-inspiring. That goes for the classic explosions as well as the many blasts of energy Rise Of The Beasts utilizes; everything looks great. Truly, this film is a masterclass in crafting realistic CGI for the big screen, rivaling even films like Avatar in that aspect.

Action

Nothing screams Transformers quite like huge robots engaged in battle. Those fights have been a huge focus of the franchise in many iterations, and Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is a prime example of that. The many fights and chase scenes that take place in the film can be described with a single term: poetry in motion. Despite the ludicrous concept of vehicle-robot hybrids with laser blasters and other strange traits battling it out, the action scenes in this movie are actually very well choreographed. Fights are easy to follow, and with all the sci-fi bits that Transformers specializes in, the many ways Cybertronians engage in battle are bound to keep viewers amped up and entertained.

Displaying Theme

For everything the Transformers franchise is known for, deep relevant themes certainly don’t make it onto the list. Especially in the live-action films, this franchise is built around action and spectacle, which makes Rise Of The Beasts a breath of fresh air for fans. This film’s themes of life and unity are seamlessly weaved into the narrative, and their importance and presence are constantly displayed throughout the film. These subjects are relevant to people of all ages and the film can certainly get people thinking about them.

The Bad

Plot

The plot of Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is very simplistic, lacking any real depth or interesting bits. It’s a run-of-the-mill adventure story, with the main cast and antagonists traveling across parts of the globe. The narrative doesn’t really try to display or expound on the culture of these places, which is a bit of a missed opportunity. The basic plot doesn’t ruin the film, but it certainly hinders how it’s able to write and explore characters and themes.

Depth Of Themes

While this film certainly displays its themes well, it doesn’t really dive into them much. They’re clearly important parts of the narrative, but the story never goes into deeper questions about unity or life. Why would one decide not to respect certain lives? Is that necessarily a good viewpoint? Is unity something that should be maintained at all costs, or are there limits to it? The film fails to tackle these deeper questions, making it feel less impactful than it otherwise would be. Rise Of The Beasts doubtlessly has a message behind its narrative and characters, but the lack of depth the themes of that message have in the film prevents it from being a profound work. Viewers may think about its themes for a couple days, but Rise Of The Beasts isn’t a film that’ll be analyzed for years to come. It simply didn’t write its themes with enough depth for them to truly touch people.

The So-So

Characters

The one part of the film that I personally find neither good nor bad is its characters. On one hand, Rise Of The Beasts doesn’t give much depth to most of its characters. They have minimal development, and only a select few are really fleshed out over the course of the film. At the same time, this movie is an absolute masterclass in writing personality; many members of the cast are funny, likable, and distinguishable. There’s a lot of heart in both the Cybertronian and human characters featured in Rise Of The Beasts, which helps the audience empathize with and care about them. Overall, the character writing is so-so in its quality. It’s nothing beautiful or groundbreaking, but the writing of the characters makes them fun and entertaining. The only characters written notably poorly (and who also had a solid amount of screentime) were the antagonists. Their motives were clear, but things like their philosophies, psychologies, or even just their personalities are things Rise Of The Beasts doesn’t display. This doesn’t hurt the film too much, however, because even the antagonists aren’t really given a lot of focus in the story.

Overall

All in all, Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is a phenomenal piece of entertainment. It’s an incredibly fun watch, filled to the brim with great action and CGI, and clearly displays its theme throughout the narrative. That said, the film’s actual plot is quite basic and hinders the storytelling opportunities it has. Its themes aren’t explored with as much depth as they could’ve been either, making it feel less impactful than other films and maybe even a bit immature in its storytelling. The characters are alright, with likable personalities but lackluster depth for the most part. Rise Of The Beasts is thoroughly fun, but it fails to be anything beyond just entertaining. Still, the film has relevant messages to communicate to the audience, even with their lack of depth, preventing the movie from feeling like it has nothing to say. I’d personally rate Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts as a four out of five-star film, or a seven out of ten if you prefer that type of scale. It’s safely above average in its entertainment factor, but those looking for a profound film won’t find one with this.