I love the Transformers franchise, but I certainly don’t love the Transformers films. None of the previous six efforts have lived up to a simple premise that’s evidently not easy to capture on the big-screen, despite the efforts of Travis Knight’s more laidback, less nauseating prequel, Bumblebee. However, that 2018 effort – by no coincidence the first to not be directed by Michael Bay – marked a new approach, one that continues in this year’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. While it’s not perfect, it’s comfortably the best Transformers film by a mile.

Set in the Wu Tang-drenched 1990s, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts picks Anthony Ramos’ Noah Diaz as its protagonist. He’s a former soldier now struggling between jobs, caring for his younger brother Chris (Dean Scott Vasquez). That is, until a heist gone wrong thrusts him into the path of the Autobots, once again led by the hardy Optimus Prime (an ever-reliable Peter Cullen), as they hold off the incoming invasion of planet-destroyer Unicron.

It’s a simple story, and one that really doesn’t push the boat out when it comes to Transformers plots – but that’s what makes it so refreshing. All of Bay’s films were convoluted, stuffed to the brim with extraneous military organisations, unlikeable human characters, and more than their fair share of runtime-padding. Rise of the Beasts completely trims the fat, telling a story that’s simple enough to grasp if you’re just here for the action, but gentle enough with its characters to prove surprisingly rewarding when pay-offs roll around.

More than anything, director Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) just seems to know what makes Transformers tick. A smaller roster of robots so they don’t all get lost in the clanging of metal, better action that’s clearer to see thanks to a lack of shaky-cam, and a script that’s razor-focused, striking a pleasant balance between bombastic action and narrative.

Unlike the egregiously self-indulgent Bay fare, Rise of the Beasts knows when to hit its bea(s)ts, and just how long it needs to rumble on for. Gone are the 150-minute runtimes, favouring a leaner two-hour adventure that has a much clearer narrative, while also setting up some very exciting roots for future entries. If Bumblebee was a litmus test for whether the series could work with a more focused approach, Rise of the Beasts is a positive result.

It’s not entirely perfect, though: the second act does begin to drag, bogging itself down slightly when the crew heads to Peru for some post-heist excavation. The pacing just drags to a halt as we lose all orientation of the hip Brooklyn landscape of the first act, but by the time the film reaches its climax, that’s much less of an issue. It’s also muzzled by classic prequel conventions – no surprise big-name deaths here, spoilers – but that’s a minor gripe when everything else is much more successful.

Most of all, it’s just nice to see a Transformers film that’s actually fun. Series stalwart Peter Cullen is clearly having a great time as Optimus Prime, blending stoic heroism with a good few back-and-forth puns, and Pete Davidson is a surprise fan-favourite as Noah’s closest Autobot pal, Mirage.

It’s not going to win any awards, and it isn’t even the best blockbuster to release in the last ten days, but Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a hugely refreshing new dawn for a franchise that’s lost almost all of its goodwill over the past 15 years. No longer do we have to trawl through hours’ worth of Michael Bay slog to get to thrilling robot action: now it comes baked into a leaner, meaner, and much more entertaining adventure.

★★★½

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is out in cinemas now.

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