Beast Wars Movies

[Baldomero Prado]

TheTransformers film series may not be the cinematic heavyweight it once was, but the Beast Wars movie could be the key to reinvigorating the franchise. Here's why the Transformers movies have declined in audience appreciation, and how Transformers: Rise of the Beasts can save them. Based on the wildly popular Hasbro toy line, Transformers movies kicked off with Michael Bay's trilogy, but by the time 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight arrived, interest had significantly waned. Bumblebee served as something of a soft reboot and was a modest box office success, and Bumblebee 2 is one of two Transformers films on the way. First to come though is Transformers 7, a much more radical reinvention based on the Beast Wars cartoon.

What went wrong with the Transformers movies can hopefully be changed by the new Beast Wars film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Based on the late 90s subline of the same name, Beast Wars is a massive departure from what's come before in the Transformers film franchise. It's the sort of radical status quo change that could potentially resuscitate a franchise that's been on life support for a while now. But what is Beast Wars, and how will it work in the context of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts? To understand how the new Beast Wars movie could be the future of Transformers, it's helpful to take a look at its history, and how Beast Wars could potentially save the Transformers franchise from obscurity just like it did with the animated show in 1996.

Fundamentally, Beast Wars changed the way Transformers told stories. Instead of the sprawling casts of the Generation 1 fiction, Beast Wars concentrated on only a handful of robots, making for much more character-driven narrative arcs, which Rise Of The Beasts looks set to do too. The Beast Wars animated series was set approximately 300 years after the events of the G1 cartoon and comics, Beast Wars chronicles the adventures of the Maximals and Predacons, descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons, respectively. A new Megatron follows the instructions of a mysterious golden disc back in time to prehistoric Earth, though he's followed by a Maximal science ship. Both ships crash-land on prehistoric Earth, where they find massive deposits of Energon and a strange second moon. The Cybertronians soon find they can't properly absorb the planet's Energon in robot mode, and adapt beast modes to survive.

Over the course of three critically hailed seasons, it's eventually revealed that Megatron has come to Earth to change the past. In the original Generation 1 cartoon, the Autobots' ship crash-landed on Earth millions of years ago. In the era in which Beast Wars takes place, the ship is still dormant, buried in a volcano in the American northwest. The new Megatron plots to kill the Autobots while they slumber, and Optimus Primal (no relation to Optimus Prime) and his group of Maximals have to stop him before he rewrites the future so that the Decepticons win the war. Beast Wars was an evolution in Transformers storytelling, featuring nuanced narrative arcs and concepts previously thought impossible for the franchise. From what's already been seen of the Rise of the Beasts live-action movie, Beast Wars looks set to repeat this trick with the Transformers film series too.

Still, the time is right for another Transformers reinvention, and general audiences in the 2020s are much more familiar with some of Beast Wars heavier sci-fi concepts. Bumblebee felt more like a course correction than a remake, something the movie's somewhat modest box office would seem to confirm. It followed a similar template to the Bay movies, it just executed it in a much more impressive fashion. Beast Wars would be a massive change that would re-contextualize what the franchise is capable of.

Just as Beast Wars reinvigorated the Transformers cartoon series, based on the latest footage, it looks like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts could do the same for the dying franchise. The Transformers timeline is somewhat difficult to follow. However, Rise of the Beasts is a prequel to Michael Bay's original movies, set after the events of Bumblebee. Since the new Transformers movie is set in 1994, it acts as both a prequel and a sequel within the wider Transformers universe. Already it looks like the Beast Wars movie is set to change the franchise for the better, just as the animated Beast Wars series did in the 90s for the show. The previous Transformers movies lost their way when they departed from grounded human stories in favor of CGI-heavy action sequences. Rise of the Beasts seems to be taking a different route than its predecessors, injecting new life into the franchise.

Not only that, but the Beast Wars movie gets rid of the tired Decepticons and Autobots feud to focus on new stories about the Maximals and Terrorcons. While there are some Autobots in the film, such as Optimus Prime, the Maximals are the stars of Rise of the Beasts. By introducing new mythos and lore into the Transformers franchise an expanded universe can be explored, and new stories can thrive. The footage from the trailer promises the high-octane action sequences that audiences are used to, but also introduces a slew of new Transformers and a new hero in the form of Anthony Ramos' Noah. The new Transformers movie rightfully distances itself from the previous films by focusing on the Beast Wars narrative, something that could potentially save the Transformers brand once again.

We all know what the problems are with the Transformers films: The plot and mythology make little sense, the Transformers are guest stars in their own movies, too many humans, dumb jokes, too many explosions, and everything that involves director Michael Bay. However, Transformers: The Last Knight underperformed at the box office and there are rumours that the series may be given a facelift. Now, this would be a good opportunity to actually make this franchise work, but with Bumblebee: The Movie coming out next year, my hopes are not high.

With such disregard for basic storytelling, each new film becomes increasingly worse. I will say that at least the first, third, and fourth films attempted to tell cohesive stories, but with great difficulty and little effort. A simpler story and less baggage would help out a lot.

Beast Wars, the sequel series to the popular 1980s cartoon, discussed themes including the events of the past affecting future generations, and acts of extremism in the name of the greater good. Its own sequel Beast Machines invokes spiritualism, fighting for freedom, and totalitarian fascism on a conquered Cybertron. Transformers Animated reimagined the Autobots as a group of inexperienced repair robots who must take on the role of protectors against the Decepticons. Transformers Prime was the most ambitious of the cartoons, delivering a story which relied heavily on characters suffering from PTSD, a need to right wrongs, and making world changing decisions. These robots in disguise have grown much beyond fighting over Energon cubes.

Such highlights include Shia LaBeouf screaming like a lunatic, John Turturro dropping his pants in an extreme close up, Mark Walberg delivering cheesy, inspirational speeches, and Megan Fox getting humped by a robot. Wonderful. Read the past two paragraphs and there is much more variety and promise to the series than the pathetic efforts of the movies.

Cybertron would definitely be a fantastic place to set a film. An enormous machine planet of futuristic tech and interesting architecture, it would make for a great setting for a reboot, or at least a prequel. It would allow proper screentime and character growth for the Transformers without a single human in sight.

The most suitable storyline would be essentially an origin story focusing on the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Or more specifically, the relationship between Optimus and Megatron. While most interpretations of their relationship have just been arch enemies and leaders of opposing forces, the Prime continuity made them former friends torn apart by pride and power. That would make a decent framework for the film.

Spending time on Cybertron would not only allow us to explore the world of the Transformers, but to get to know these characters, their relationships, and reasons for being. In others: WE WILL CARE ABOUT THEM! Even in the original 1980s cartoon, people cared about the characters and the reaction to the death of Optimus Prime in the 1986 movie proved this. The likes of Beast Wars, Transformers Animated, and Transformers Prime took great effort in fleshing out their characters in both factions. The movies, ironically, made Megatron almost the hero, and Optimus became a raving, bloodthirsty warmonger. I only hope they give him a redemption arc in Transformers 6 (or whatever dumb title it will have).

The idea of setting the film on Cybertron would also allow the script to nosedive into thirty years worth of Transformers mythology. Primus and Unicron, the Matrix of Leadership, Energon cubes, Vector Sigma, the Plasma Energy Chamber, the Quintessons, space bridges, beast modes, cosmic rust, I could go on. There is a treasure trove of world building waiting to be brought to the silver screen. Any potential sequels could be set on Earth, but Cybertron should come first.

One of the major complaints of the films was that the designs for the Transformers were too complicated and it was hard to tell most apart. The designs have become more streamlined as the series has gone on though. I do not believe directly adapting the blocky designs of G1 would work well on the big screen (at least in live action). Since Earth would not appear until a sequel, the Transformers would have alien yet familiar vehicles for disguises, though on Cybertron, they would just be used for modes of transport. On Earth, the Autobots and Decepticons would have vehicles based on their 1980s alt. modes, with some exceptions like Megatron (who was a gun) and Soundwave (a tape deck). Instead, they would have a tank and a sinister surveillance van respectively.

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