It isn't saying much, but this is probably one of only three decent Transformers films. Bumblebee proved to be a good sequel, or as good as a Transformers sequel can get, and Rise follows along. It's plot isn't as convoluted as a lot of the sequels and it has a decent mix of familiar elements. Anthony Ramos of In The Heights and Dominique Fishback, coming fresh off Swarm, are the only humans featured and they're about as good as is required. Ramos' Noah is sympathetic, has charm, and is endearing enough to carry the film. Fishback is good, but her role feels undercooked, as half her job seems to only exist to push the story along.
The Transformers are as good as we've known them to be, but at this point, there's very little magic to their being brought to life. Optimus Prime, typically the beating heart of the franchise, it dull here. We get the same thing we've gotten in practically every film and it's no longer interesting. When he's in action, he's great, but every other time it's the same nobility mixed with learning how to be a better Transformer. The highlights here are Mirage, who provides much of the comic relief and has great chemistry with Noah and Razorwing. Having Michelle Yeoh voice the character adds much to her and makes her endearing.
Overall, while this isn't terrible, it's practically the same as what we've seen before. There's a thing everyone is fighting over, a bunch of bad guys who act like bad guys, and a race to stop the end of the world. The fact they bring in fan favorites, The Maximals, feels almost inconsequential. Optimus Primal, a name that got a good chuckle out of my audience when iterated, feels like a carbon copy of the Optimus Prime we've come to know, except that he turns into a gorilla instead of a vehicle. The rest, save for Razor Wing, feel practically non-existent, except when they need to spring into action.
Speaking of action, it's good here, but much of it also feels like what we've seen before. There are plenty of chases and plenty of robots fighting. Noah gets a surprisingly meaty piece of the action in the climax which, admittedly, might be one of the best action sequences of the franchise. It's enough to keep people entertained, but those who have grown weary of this franchise won't find any renewed love for it here and will likely be bored of it by the end.
Fans will probably get a good kick out of this, but I expect everyone else to feel mostly either bored or serviced by this very typical, very by-the-numbers iteration. I suppose, at least, we can be thankful that it's not as bad as the sequels we got after the original film.
The Transformers are as good as we've known them to be, but at this point, there's very little magic to their being brought to life. Optimus Prime, typically the beating heart of the franchise, it dull here. We get the same thing we've gotten in practically every film and it's no longer interesting. When he's in action, he's great, but every other time it's the same nobility mixed with learning how to be a better Transformer. The highlights here are Mirage, who provides much of the comic relief and has great chemistry with Noah and Razorwing. Having Michelle Yeoh voice the character adds much to her and makes her endearing.
Overall, while this isn't terrible, it's practically the same as what we've seen before. There's a thing everyone is fighting over, a bunch of bad guys who act like bad guys, and a race to stop the end of the world. The fact they bring in fan favorites, The Maximals, feels almost inconsequential. Optimus Primal, a name that got a good chuckle out of my audience when iterated, feels like a carbon copy of the Optimus Prime we've come to know, except that he turns into a gorilla instead of a vehicle. The rest, save for Razor Wing, feel practically non-existent, except when they need to spring into action.
Speaking of action, it's good here, but much of it also feels like what we've seen before. There are plenty of chases and plenty of robots fighting. Noah gets a surprisingly meaty piece of the action in the climax which, admittedly, might be one of the best action sequences of the franchise. It's enough to keep people entertained, but those who have grown weary of this franchise won't find any renewed love for it here and will likely be bored of it by the end.
Fans will probably get a good kick out of this, but I expect everyone else to feel mostly either bored or serviced by this very typical, very by-the-numbers iteration. I suppose, at least, we can be thankful that it's not as bad as the sequels we got after the original film.