The movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts directed by Stephen Caple Jr. is the latest installment in the Transformers franchise and acts as a sequel to the movie Bumblebee. This movie surpassed my low expectations based on the previous movies under the Transformers name which have not been the best. I believe firmly that this is the third best movie in the Transformers franchise (below the original, and Bumblebee). This movie had good effects, a great soundtrack and a likable lead that made for a very entertaining and fun movie.

Starting with the plot, this movie falls into the basic Transformers tropes. It centers around an old relic that when in the wrong hands could cause the end of the world. While this movies characters and focus around natural aspects of the world in the 2nd and 3rd acts makes the plot seem more fresh than its predecessor, it still falls flat. For me, it could have been better. A large part of the marketing around this movie focused on the “Beasts” or the “Maximals” every time they were on screen, I just wanted more of the Autobots. I think this movie would have benefitted from more or less of the “Maximals” to better flesh out their characters.

In terms of other characters within this movie, The main character, Noah, played by Anthony Ramos is a great addition to the Transformers family. I would make the argument that his character in this movie surpasses Shia Labeouf’s work in the original trilogy. And while he did not surpass Hailee Steinfeld in the movie BumbleBee, his character was very well played, comedic(especially when paired with pete davidsons character), and easy to root for. He was the heart of this movie and one of its best parts.

Following this up were the effects. 90% of the effects in this movie are great. I really enjoyed the character designs in this movie and the functionality of these characters. From the fight scenes to the car chases this movie’s effects worked out really well. There was only one issue for me and that came in the third act of the movie. SPOILER WARNING FOR THE END OF THE MOVIE (If you want to skip please proceed to the following paragraph). While I found the choice to give Noah a suit very cool, the design and effects surrounding that suit were not. Something about the way his face was mapped onto the suit digitally took me out of it as a viewer and made some scenes weird to watch.

Finally, the soundtrack. The movie, which takes place in the 90s, often plays old R&B music from this era. It makes for an immersive watching experience and a weirdly great fitting with the Transformers crew. I could see myself or my father putting this soundtrack on in the background just for the fun of listening to some good throwback music.

Overall, I would rate this movie a 3/5. While it definitely wasn’t the best movie, it was fun and entertaining with cool fight scenes and a lot of solid jokes. It will make for a good summer blockbuster and a fun family trip to the movies.