Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is an 2023 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Caple Jr.. Based on Hasbro's Transformers toy-line and primarily influenced by the Beast Wars storyline, it is the seventh installment of the live-action Transformers film series, a standalone sequel to Bumblebee (2018) and a prequel to Transformers (2007). The film was directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber. It stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, as well as the voice talents of Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Liza Koshy, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pete Davidson, Colman Domingo, Cristo Fernández, Tongayi Chirisa, and returning franchise regulars Peter Cullen, John DiMaggio and David Sobolov.
Following the critical and commercial success of Bumblebee, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro announced a sequel in early 2019. In November 2020, Caple was hired as director for the film. By 2021, Ramos and Fishback were cast in the lead human roles, and details for the film were revealed that summer in a virtual event held by Paramount. Michael Bay, who directed the first five live-action Transformers films and produced Bumblebee, once again serves as producer. Principal photography took place from June to October 2021, with filming locations including Los Angeles, Peru, Montreal, and New York City.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts had its premiere at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on May 27, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 9, 2023, by Paramount Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its action sequences and improvements over its four pre-Bumblebee installments, though criticism was aimed at its climax.
==Plot==
The homeworld of the Maximals, an advanced race of Cybertronians with beast modes, comes under attack from the planet-eating dark god Unicron. His heralds, the Terrorcons and an army of Predacon scorpions, led by Scourge, seek to obtain for their master the Maximals' greatest piece of technology, the Transwarp Key, which can open portals through space and time. The Maximal leader Apelinq sacrifices himself to allow the other Maximals to escape the planet before Unicron devours it. Now under the command of Optimus Primal, the Maximals use the key to flee to Earth.
In 1994 Brooklyn, ex-military electronics expert Noah Diaz struggles to find a job to support his family, and is convinced by his friend Reek to steal a Porsche 911 to sell, only to discover that the car is the Autobot Mirage in disguise. Concurrently, museum intern Elena Wallace studies an ancient statue of a falcon bearing the Maximal symbol and winds up breaking it open to reveal half of the Transwarp Key hidden inside. The key releases an energy pulse that is detected by Optimus Prime, who summons the other Autobots; Mirage is contacted in the middle of Noah's attempted theft, and Noah winds up being roped into the robots' mission to recover the key so they can use it to return to their homeworld, Cybertron.
Drawn by the key's signature, the Terrorcons arrive on Earth, and Elena is caught up in the conflict when the villains attack the Autobots outside the museum. Scourge deactivates Bumblebee and steals the key half before the Maximal Airazor arrives and drives him off. Airazor explains to the Autobots that the Maximals have been hiding on Earth for thousands of years, and split the Transwarp Key in two to keep it out of Unicron's hands. Despite the danger, Optimus Prime is insistent that the key be reassembled so the Autobots can use it to return home, while Noah secretly plots to destroy the key in order to keep his world safe.
Elena's studies allow her to deduce that the other half of the key must be located in a hidden temple in Peru, and the group heads out aboard the rattletrap cargo plane Autobot, Stratosphere. In Peru, they meet up with locally-stationed Autobot Wheeljack, who leads them to the temple, but it is soon discovered that the other half of the key is no longer there. The Terrorcons attack once again, and the battle ends with Scourge corrupting Airazor with Unicron's dark energy. Subsequently, the Autobots meet Optimus Primal and the other Maximals, who explain that they moved the second half of the key, entrusting it to a human tribe they have worked with over the millennia. Scourge's corruption overtakes Airazor, driving her mad, and Primal is forced to kill her to save Elena. In the chaos, Noah attempts to destroy the second half of the key but is convinced not to by Optimus, only for it to instead be stolen by Scourge, who then reassembles the two halves atop a volcano, erecting a tower and opening a portal above Earth through which Unicron will soon arrive.
Seeing where their self-serving motives have led them, Optimus Prime and Noah agree to work together to defeat the forces of evil. While the Autobots and Maximals battle the Terrorcons and Predacons, Noah and Elena sneak in close to the Transwarp Key, planning to deactivate it with an access code Elena has uncovered. In the battle, Mirage is gravely wounded by Scourge, but transforms his damaged body into a powered exo-suit for Noah so they can fight together. The energy pulse released by the key activates a dormant Energon deposit beneath the valley where Bumblebee was kept, which infuses his deactivated body with Energon and restores him to life, his revival turning the tide of the battle. Optimus Prime kills Scourge, but not before the latter damages the control console to prevent it from being shut down. Willing to sacrifice himself, Prime destroys the key and collapses the portal, but Noah and Primal are able to save him from being sucked into the imploding vortex.
In the aftermath of the conflict, Elena receives recognition for discovering the temple in Peru, while Noah attends an interview for a security job, but finds he is actually being invited to join the secret government organization G.I. Joe.
In a mid-credits scene, Noah manages to repair Mirage using junk Porsche parts from Reek, who learns that the car is a Transformer.
==Cast==
===Humans===
*Anthony Ramos as Noah, an ex-military electronics expert who lives with his family in Brooklyn, trying to support them.
*Dominique Fishback as Elena, an artifact researcher at a museum whose boss keeps taking credit for her work.
*Luna Lauren Vélez as Breanna Diaz, Noah's mother.
* Dean Scott Vazquez as Kris Diaz, Noah's younger brother who suffers from sickle cell disease.
* Tobe Nwigwe as Reek, a companion of Noah and Elena during their global trek. Nwigwe's character in the film was based on a mutual best friend of Caple's, who died prior to filming in 2021.
* Sarah Stiles as Jillian, Elena's boss, who keeps taking credit for her work.
* Michael Kelly as Agent Burke, an undercover recruiter for G.I. Joe.
===Transformers===
====Autobots====
*Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobot resistance who transforms into a 1987 Freightliner FLA semi truck
*Bumblebee, an Autobot scout who transforms into a modified yellow and black second-generation 1970s Classic Chevrolet Camaro with all-terrain extensions.
*Pete Davidson as Mirage, an Autobot spy who transforms into a silver-blue Porsche 964
*Liza Koshy as Arcee, an Autobot commando who transforms into a red-white Ducati 916 motorcycle.
*Cristo Fernández as Wheeljack, an Autobot scientist and mechanic who transforms into a brown and white 1970s Volkswagen Type 2 panel bus
*John DiMaggio as Stratosphere, an Autobot Air-Soldier who transforms into a cargo plane.
====Maximals====
*Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal, the leader of the Maximals who transforms into a gorilla
*Michelle Yeoh as Airazor, a Maximal who transforms into a peregrine falcon
*David Sobolov as Rhinox, a Maximal tech expert and second in command who transforms into a rhinoceros
* Tongayi Chirisa as Cheetor, a Maximal scout who transforms into a cheetah
====Terrorcons====
* Peter Dinklage as Scourge, the leader of the Terrorcons and a trophy hunter, who transforms into a black Peterbilt 359 logging semi truck
*David Sobolov as Battletrap, a Terrorcon who transforms into an orange 1980s GMC TopKick C7000 tow truck
*Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as Nightbird, a Terrorcon who transforms into a Nissan Skyline GT-R R33. Rodriguez is the first Transgender actress to voice act in the franchise's history. 
*John DiMaggio as Transit, a Terrorcon who transforms into a School bus
*Freezer, a Terrorcon who transforms into weapon artillery for Scourge and his fellow Terrorcons
====Others====
* Scorponok, a Predacon who transforms into a moss-covered scorpion, true to his namesake like previous incarnations
* Colman Domingo as Unicron, a world-devouring Transformer who serves as the Terrorcons' master
==Production==
===Development===
In December 2018, when asked about the future of the Transformers franchise, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura stated that another big Transformers movie "would be produced and that it would be "different than the ones that we've done before". He described the process as more of an "evolution", saying that there is more freedom to create and what they can do with it. After the success of Bumblebee, he acknowledged that the series will make some changes in tone and style, inspired by the film.
Director Travis Knight said his goal was to return to his animation studio Laika, though he acknowledged that he has a few ideas for a Bumblebee sequel. John Cena expressed interest in reprising his role in a sequel. Writer Christina Hodson said that "[she] knows where [she wants] to go with the next one". In late January 2019, a sequel was announced, due to the film's international box office performance. In March, di Bonaventura confirmed they were developing a script for a Bumblebee sequel.
In January 2020, Paramount Pictures was reportedly working on two different Transformers films, one written by James Vanderbilt and another written by Joby Harold. In November, Steven Caple Jr. was hired to direct Harold's script. On February, it was revealed that the film was going under the working title Transformers: Beast Alliance, hinting the introduction of characters from the Beast Wars franchise. During a virtual event held by Paramount in June, di Bonaventura and Caple revealed the official title as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (revealing to be both a Bumblebee sequel and Beast Wars film in one), and confirming that it would feature the Terrorcons, the Maximals, and the Predacons. The visual effects for the Beast Wars characters will be provided by the Moving Picture Company. The film's tone and action were heavily influenced by Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
In an April 2023 interview, Di Bonaventura stated that the film's story will have a character arc for Optimus Prime prior to the 2007 film, akin to Bumblebee in his self-titled film. In May, Caple said that the events of the 2007 film will be preserved, but also that the story would standalone and that "Ultimately, all you need to know is that they’re trying to get back to Cybertron."
===Casting===
In April 2021, Anthony Ramos was cast for the lead role in the film. Later that month, Dominique Fishback was cast opposite Ramos. It was also revealed that Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters had been hired to rewrite Harold's screenplay. Ultimately, Harold, Metayer, Peters, along with Erich and Jon Hoeber received screenplay credit, with Harold solely receiving story credit, while Ken Nolan, Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor, and Vanderbilt received "additional literary material" credit off-screen. In June, actress Lauren Vélez revealed that she has a role in the sequel. In the same month, Peter Cullen was confirmed to return as Optimus Prime for the film, and Ron Perlman was announced to be reprising his role as Optimus Primal from the Power of the Primes web series a week later. In July, Tobe Nwigwe revealed that he had a role in the film. In October 2022, Caple Jr. revealed that Michelle Yeoh and Pete Davidson will voice Airazor and Mirage, respectively, in the film. On December 1, 2022, additional members of the voice cast were announced, consisting of Peter Dinklage as the film's antagonist Scourge, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as Nightbird, Liza Koshy and Cristo Fernández as Arcee and Wheeljack, replacing both Grey DeLisle and Steve Blum from Bumblebee and returning voice actors John DiMaggio and David Sobolov from previous installments in newer roles. With Sobolov being the sole cast member from the Beast Wars animated series voicing both the Maximal Rhinox and the Terrorcon Battletrap in the film.
Caple revealed more members of the voice cast would be revealed in the coming months and expressed interest to bring Mahershala Ali to provide voice work. On April 6, 2023, two months before the film's release, Tongayi Chirisa was announced to be voicing the Maximal Cheetor. Cheetor's original voice actor, Ian James Corlett expressed his support to Chirisa in the role later in that same month. On April 27, 2023, after the release of the second trailer, Colman Domingo was announced to be voicing Unicron.
===Filming===
Principal photography began on June 7, 2021, in Los Angeles. Filming also took place at Machu Picchu, Montreal and Brooklyn. On October 20, it was announced that filming had officially wrapped.
==Release==
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts had its world premiere at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on May 27, 2023, and was released theatrically in the United States and India on June 9, 2023, by Paramount Pictures. The film was delayed from its initial release date of June 24, 2022. Internationally, the film is being released on dates ranging from June 6, 2023 (in South Korea), to June 22, 2023, the film's Australian release date. The film will be released in Japan on August 4, 2023.
===Marketing===
Paramount showed a sizzle reel of the film at their Cinemacon presentation in April 2022. 
A teaser trailer was released on December 1, 2022. In an interview with BET, Caple discussed his decision to handpick the trailer's song, a remix of "Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G. He explained it as the "perfect" choice since Notorious B.I.G.’s album "Ready to Die" was released in the 1990s, the time period the film is set in. He further said that Notorious B.I.G.’s "voice and what he meant in that era and time" captured much of what they were doing in the film. The trailer garnered 238 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours, more than any previous trailer in Paramount's history, and was in fourth place for that 24-hour cycle behind two Avengers: Endgame (2019) trailers and the first Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) trailer. In addition, the trailer also achieved 494 global, cross-platform views in the first week, more than the view count of other film trailers released that week, such as those for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
A 30-second Porsche advertisment as a TV spot aired during Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023. Optimus Prime was featured at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 4, 2023 for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Then following a debut over a month later in Coachella 2023, presenting a performance from one of the film's stars Tobe Nwigwe.
The trailer was released on April 27, 2023. It uses "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" by DMX. Many commentators highlighted the appearance of Scourge and Unicron as the main villains for the film, though some noted the trailer song of the film, which didn't come out until 1998 due to the film being set in the year 1994.
==Future==
In February 2022, the film was announced to be the first entry of three new installments in the Transformers series.
==Box office==
In the United States and Canada, Rise of the Beasts is projected to gross $50–60 million from 3,673 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $25.6 million on its first day, including $8.8 million from Wednesday and Thursday night preview screenings, up from the totals of The Last Knight ($5.5 million in 2017) and Bumblebee ($2.85 million in 2018).
==Critical reception==
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 150 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Thanks to some genuine human drama between the set pieces and palpable affection for the title characters, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is one of the franchise's more enjoyable outings." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled at PostTrak gave it an 83% overall positive score, with 68% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.
==Videos==
Transformers- Rise of the Beasts - Teaser Trailer - Paramount Pictures Australia
Transformers- Rise of the Beasts x Porsche - Big Game Spot
Transformers- Rise of the Beasts - Official Trailer (2023 Movie)
Transformers- Rise of the Beasts - Official Final Trailer (2023 Movie)
==References==
==External links==
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