Rise of the Beasts: Prime’s Sacrifice Play Doesn’t Help Spotlight The Maximals

Rise of the Beasts is yet another stepping stone in what seems to be a metaphorical stairway of Transformers prequel projects. As Paramount Pictures not only attempts to flesh out the lore of the IP. But also distance the film franchise from the overly bombastic nature of the Bay-led features.

Rise of the Beasts is thoroughly unique, in that while it features fan favourite Autobots sporting new surprises as regards their team roaster as well as character arcs. It also features the live action induction of animal-esque Transformers, The Maximals.

In the wider lore of the Transformers, the Maximals are known to predate the Autobots. But given the isolated nature of their adventures, it’s no wonder its taken this long to make their live action debut.

However, the Steven Caple Jr. led feature is far from perfect with some problems being more glaring than others. A major problem being, majority of the Maximals have no agency in the film. Despite the movie’s subtext implying that the movie is more their story than that of the titular, Robots in Disguise.

The argument can be made that “they are in fact in [almost] every scene”. But speaking to that, a counter would be, “there is a difference between being present and being active”. However all this didn’t seem to phase audiences who gladly trooped in their numbers to go see the larger than life robots duke it out against their latest threat.

As the movie would go on to gross well over 400 million at the global box office against an estimated budget of 200 million. Currently making it the ninth highest grossing film of the year.

Returning back to the main context of this article, one of the ways the movie would have given the Maximals more agency within the film’s narrative would have been in the third act sequence. Specifically, when Prime opts to sacrifice himself by destroying the film’s MacGuffin, the Transwarp Key. The moment never does the job it supposedly tried to do (subjectively speaking of course). And that’s because of the franchise issue.

To clarify, Prime dying in Rise of the Beasts was never going to be a permanent or even prolonged situation.

In fact, similar to Bumblebee’s death & resurrection within Rise of the Beasts was how Prime’s sacrifice could have played out. That is, if he even died in the first place, which of course, the movie never commits to. And the aforementioned franchise issue sets in when it is considered that Rise of the Beasts is confirmed to be a prequel tale akin to 2018’s Bumblebee. Both of which take place within the same cinematic sphere as the Bay-led features.

So from that vantage point, the moment feels largely inconsequential.

Regardless of the intention behind it.

However, if a Maximal had piloted the sacrifice scene. It would have been more evocative.

Simply because of the uncertainty surrounding whether or not the character will resurface in the future; since this is first time they’re being used to in this medium. Not to mention the fact that throughout the course of the movie; two Maximals had already been lost and were not revived in any way, shape or form.

So losing yet another would have been more of a gut punch even through the irony of this being their cinematic debut.

But since most of them make it out alive by the end, it’s safe to say we’ve not seen the last of the Maximals.
For now though, their future remains uncertain.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is now available for remote viewing.