Summary

  • Negative from fans about the scale and lack of explosive action in Bumblebee shaped the creative approach to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
  • Bumblebee remains the most character-driven movie in the franchise so far, earning less money at the box office than its predecessors but earning very positive reviews.
  • Transformers: Rise of the Beasts earned mixed reviews and is the new lowest-grossing movie of the franchise, suggesting that it may have been better off leaning into what made Bumblebee feel like a breath of fresh air.

stars Hailee Steinfeld in the most character-driven entry in the franchise yet.

Now, Bonaventura and Vahradian reveal in the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Blu-ray special features (via Slash Film), that complaints about Bumblebee shaped how the new movie came together. As the producers explain, there was a conscious effort to increase the stakes and add more action. Check out the comments from Bonaventura and Vahradian below:

Bonaventura: "Well, one of the interesting things about 'Bumblebee' was, while people seemed to really love the movie, a lot of the fan base was not entirely happy with the scale of it. It was very intimate, and it was consciously intimate, and there was one refrain that came out of a large group of them, which was, 'Where's the explosions? Where's all the stuff?'"

Vahradian: "So, it was a lesson to learn that. And coming into this movie, while bigger is better in of spectacle, what is more important than that is that people care about those characters and their successes in those set pieces."

Did Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Take The Right Approach?

Optimus Prime standing atop a mountain in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

None of the Michael Bay Transformers movies were critical darlings, with his highest-rated entry being the 2007 original. Although the movies proved generally more popular with audiences, the release of Transformers: The Last Knight suggested that franchise fatigue was starting to set in. Then, in 2018, Bumblebee was released, serving as a breath of fresh air for the franchise.

Director Travis Knights' Bumblebee is the highest-rated movie in the franchise by far, holding an impressive 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie excels with a more character-driven story, with Steinfeld proving herself a compelling new addition to the franchise as Charlie. Instead of continuing her story, however, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts takes a different approach, introducing a new set of characters and clearly attempting to marry the styles of Bay and Knight.

The result, however, while certainly better than some of Bay's entries, falls short of telling a story as compelling as Bumblebee's. The movie also falls short of its predecessor comemercially, with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' box office currently serving as a new franchise low. While Transformers: Rise of the Beasts features some interesting ideas, characters, and action sequences, the sequel may have been better off following in Bumblebee's footsteps instead of course-correcting.

Source: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Special Features (via Slash Film)