Director: Steven Caple Jr
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Ron Perlman, Luna Lauren Velez, Dean Scott Vazquez, Peter Cullen, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson, Liza Koshy, Colman Domingo
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: 3 stars
For those uninitiated to this film’s cinematic universe, this science-fiction action film is based on Hasbro’s toy line of the same name.
It is the seventh instalment of the Transformers live-action film series. It serves both; as a standalone sequel to its 2018 released Bumblebee and a prequel to the 2007 released Transformers.
While the film is about the fight for survival, it subtly speaks about loyalty and sacrifices.
In the prologue, we are informed that the Maximals, an advanced race of robotic beasts dwelling in the Jungle planet colonised by Transformers, are attacked by the planet-eating dark god Unicron (voiced by Colman Domingo) and are booted out after their leader Apeling sacrifices himself to allow the other Maximals to escape the planet before Unicron devours it. But before Apeling sacrifices himself, he disposes of their greatest piece of technology, the Transwarp Key, which can open portals through space and time.
A still from the film
Set in 1994, the story tells us how an unsuspecting human Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), a young army veteran ends up becoming one of the most important participants in the longstanding Cybertronian war between the noble Autobots and the devious Decepticons, the intergalactic robots from the planet of Cybertron as they fight over the fate of multiple worlds.
All Noah wants is a job to support his family, which includes his kid brother Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez) and his mom Breanna (Luna Lauren Velez). But destiny has other plans for him. While he attempts to steal a silver and blue Porsche, along with his buddy Reek (Tobe Nwigwe), he is shocked and horrified when the vehicle powers up on his own and is soon involved in a chase sequence with the law, and is soon informally introduced to Autobot Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson).
Just like how Noah and Kris share an emotional bond, the bond between Noah and Mirage forms the emotional core of the narrative, and these are the only moments of the film that holds your interest.
The plot escalates the narrative after Noah bumps into Elena (Dominique Fishback), a researcher at the museum, who happens to decipher the iconography engraved to connect the missing Transwarp Key.
The Autobots have been looking out for the key to help them return home, and Unicron’s followers, the Terrorcons led by Scourge (voice of Peter Dinklage), too are after it.
A still from the film
Thus, apart from a few emotional scenes, you get to see a brilliantly choreographed battle royal involving the Maximals, Predacons, Terrorcons, Autobots, Decepticons, and the humans, but they all seem surface-level spectacular and emotionally weightless.
Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback are good actors but lack the on-screen charisma or charm associated with the lead pair. The voices of the ace stars deliver justice to the characters they essay despite the dialogues being corny and forced.
Overall, the film is entertaining in parts and gets a bit tedious during the action sequences.
