Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

**Transformers: Rise of the Beasts rescues the franchise from the all-out goofy mess it had become and gives it a fun and promising new beginning.** Transformers: Rise of the Beasts recaptures some of the fun and charm of Bumblebee and the early Transformers films and blends it with the aesthetics and nostalgia of the old 80s cartoon. Rise of the Beasts establishes some decent human leads that aren’t annoying while keeping the focus on the robot conflict. The voice cast was fantastic! Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime will always be the greatest of all time. Peter Dinklage’s Scourge sounds and looks vicious. Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson, and Cristo Fernández provide solid performances, giving their characters a little fun and even some heart. Rise of the Beasts reels the franchise back in from the outrageous goofiness of the Wahlberg entries but still has a good time recognizing its primary audience is kids and parents who grew up on the cartoon. The intensity and pacing of the first 2 acts are superb! The final act gets a little cheesy and starts to feel generic, but it is no worse than the climax of recent Marvel films. Rise of the Beasts isn’t perfect but it sets the Transformers back on the right path.