Transformers: Rise of the Beast (released 6/9/23)

While I appreciate the effort of trying to be faithful to the cartoon from back in the day, it does the usual plot devices. I think they are trying to erase a lot of the other movies. Technically, Dark of the Moon has Omicron. They reference Mark Walberg, the performer/actor which has weird implications if the Michael Bay movies are canon. This has the usual macguffin device and previously unknown or mentioned robots want it. I’m starting to think the only intelligent life outside of Earth is different robot races. This movie I would say is the second-best attempt at a Transformers movie. Bumblebee is the gold standard for the franchise. This felt hit or miss for me, but definitely better than the Bay pentalogy. Also, the title totally should have been “Rise of Omicron”. The beasts were in maybe a third of the movie but Omicron was the overarching villain of the week. It’s good, but really only needs to be seen if you grew up with the cartoon or love the franchise as a whole.

Story - 16%

Characters - 18%

Pacing - 17%

Spectacle - 19%

Entertainment - 17%

Total score: 87%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here