Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs

4. It Lacks The Charm Of Bumblebee

Transformers Rise of the Beasts
Paramount

Bumblebee in many ways brought the Transformers series back from the brink of death - after The Last Knight underwhelmed at the box office and signalled overall audience fatigue with the IP, the prequel reinvented it as a lighter, less-problematic, and more source-faithful franchise.

All Rise of the Beasts really had to do was follow in that lead, even without Bumblebee's appealing protagonist Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld).

But the girl-and-her-pet-robot charms of Bumblebee are largely cast aside here for a film that feels decidedly more mechanical while making far less of an effort to force a meaningful bond between its human and metal characters.

After Bumblebee felt like such a necessary course-correction for the franchise if it was going to survive cinematically long-term, this follow-up can't help but feel like a disappointing step back.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.