Film Journal 2023: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Film Journal 2023: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Directed by Steven Caple Jr.

Positioned somewhere between Bumblebee’s not so subtle rewriting of the timeline when it came to Bay’s ever growing mythology, and Bay’s original Transformers, the jury’s out on whether to call this a sequel, a prequel or a reboot. And while it shares certain characteristics with both of those aforementioned films, blending Bay’s reverence for the source material with the pure storytelling and clear sentimentality of Travis Knights reimagined stand alone entry, Steven Caple Jr. (Creed 2) brings his own distinctive touch to the franchise.

Thematically speaking, one of the things that becomes abundantly clear in the early going of Rise of the Beasts, following an opening sequence designed to set the stage for the larger story and essential conflict, is the space Caple Jr. wants to give to the human counterparts. The story, set as it is near the beginning of the timeline, features a rough and gruff Prime suspicious of humans and their motivations, and uses this to say something about the essential human relationship to the alien Transformers. A shared plight (the literal end of the universe) parallels the subsequent journeys of Prime and Anthony (featuring a solid performance by Noah Diaz), establishing an intimate concern for the journey underneath the bombastic action of the larger narrative. This is a surprisingly patient film when it comes to the pacing, trading a lot of the busy action of Bay’s films for one on one interactions.

This also affords Caple the ability to give attention to the detail and design of the Transformers and the landscape that they occupy. There is some nice work on the cinematography front, and the clarity of the alien machines is sharply rendered in their “transforming”. Mirage is a particularly cool addition. It is a world that is meant to be appreciated as much as it’s meant to be enjoyed.

I’m actually a considerate fan of Bay’s entries. I feel like he gets grossly misunderstood, and his fans can certainly attest to the fact that the care he gives to the lore and catering to the fandom is clear, littering his films with the smallest details designed to capture the attention of those invested in the comics and the different iterations of the story. Say what you will about Bay’s stylings and the over expansiveness of his storytelling approach, there is a certain awareness that he has of the franchises sensibilities and style that absolutely deserve praise and acknowledgment.

If Caple has made a film that should win over some who find Bay’s cinematic tendencies offensive and grating, it might also isolate, as Bumblee did, die hard Bay fans. There is a world where you can see this standing as a definitive response to the over abundance of those previous films. However, at the same time, one of the clear strengths of Rise of the Beasts is it’s straight up homage to the stories 90s. This is playing directly off the popular “beasts” series, and more than this is calling back to the stories I grew up with. Set in 1994, my graduating year, it functions as a glorious call back to the franchises original heyday, captured wonderfully in a recreated New York City. The “liberating” playlist is super fun, the vibe is super fun, and it all serves as a reminder of what made this franchise fun back in the day. And given where this film ends up, the best is yet to come.