MovieTalk TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS, Honoring Robots and Enhancing Humanity

Kapanlagi.com -  "What will the TRANSFORMERS franchise look like in 10 years?"

That was the question we asked Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the film producer, when we had the opportunity to chat briefly during the BUMBLEBEE promotion in Hong Kong in 2018. He initially revealed that he hadn't thought that far ahead. However, he later answered optimistically, "We're developing a bigger film scenario, if BUMBLEBEE is successful, we might make a sequel." And five years later, TRANSFORMERS RISE OF THE BEASTS was released. 

Just as Lorenzo said, TRANSFORMERS ROTB is packaged in a larger and more complex story. This development is immediately felt with the arrival of a new robot faction called the Maximals. 

If you've watched the trailer, the Maximals appear in a bionic form, half robot, half animal. The four introduced members of the Maximals are Optimus Primal (Gorilla), Airazor (Eagle), Cheetor (Cheetah), and Rhinox (Rhinoceros).

In the film, they share the same fate as the Autobots, seeking refuge on Earth because their home planet has been destroyed. The difference is that their planet was not destroyed by a civil war like the Autobots versus Decepticons, but rather devoured by Unicron, a planet-sized entity that is always seeking prey. 

The meeting of Autobots with Maximals is proof that Lorenzo and Paramount are packaging an entertaining, larger-scale story that must also feel new to audiences.

1. New Robot Faction in Animal Form

In 6 films, we have been amazed by the Autobots and Decepticons (their enemies) who stylishly transform into cool vehicles. Now, TRANSFORMERS refreshes the franchise with the introduction of the Maximals.

"We debated for a while about including Maximals in the film. Because if Autobots transform, they turn into cars and blend in with the surroundings, while these big animals don't feel natural in the middle of the city. So the biggest challenge was how to make it make sense when we introduced Maximals to the audience," said Lorenzo when we contacted him via zoom.

Although they have the appearance of animals that commonly live on Earth, Maximals still feel extraterrestrial with their height of over 5 meters. Their appearance is far from organic because they have visible mechanical parts in their bodies.
Lorenzo and Steven Caple Jr, the director, admitted that bringing Maximals to the big screen was a difficult challenge. They had to think creatively to make Maximals look natural but still futuristic.

"Cheedor was very difficult because you can imagine the soft fur on his head. The same goes for Optimus Primal. His appearance had to look like skin. That was the biggest challenge, determining what it should look like," said Lorenzo.

Especially for Airazor, who takes the form of an eagle. Steven and the Weta FX animation team were challenged to create a robot figure with biologically realistic feathers.

"Then there's Airazor, who looks like a bird, where he has wings with feathers. And there are wings that overlap with other wings. They all have to look fluid, not stiff. But their movement can't be too random because their feathers are made of metal. It was a difficult challenge to display it," Steven said.

The appearance of the Maximals was not only challenging in terms of how to visualize them, but also how their presence felt necessary for the development of the story. RISE OF THE BEASTS uses them as a bridge to expand the Transformers universe, which usually revolves around Earth and Cybertron but now also looks at other planets.

Introducing the Maximals also means introducing their arch-enemies, the Terrorcons. You will be able to see characters whose wickedness is on par with Decepticons in this film. The Terrorcons are portrayed as the aides of a planet-eating robot named Unicron.

2. Steven Caple Jr's Touch

The task of introducing the new robot lineup was entrusted to Steven Caple Jr, who was previously known for directing the boxing drama CREED II. Steven is considered capable of injecting emotional elements without sacrificing the entertainment value that is the hallmark of popcorn movies like Transformers.

"Through CREED II, he was able to bring that into a popcorn movie. That's what we expected at first. Moreover, it turns out that he has loved Beast Wars since he was a child. It's in his DNA about the details of this story," Lorenzo said.

Until RISE OF THE BEASTS is released on June 7, Steven still feels like he's dreaming of directing his childhood favorite film and the film that amazed him when he was in college.

"I was still in college. It was early in my college years. My friend and I couldn't wait to watch TRANSFORMERS (2007). You know how excited I was to see Autobots for the first time on the big screen. Seeing their transformation scenes in slow motion. We could only say, 'This is crazy,'" he recalled.

In the process of making the film, Steven contacted Michael Bay to ask about the visual effects in the Transformers franchise. "Visual effects are a new area for me," he admitted. And the two of them talked a lot via zoom. At that time, Bay was finishing the film AMBULANCE.

In addition to maximizing visual effects, Steven brings a strong 90s Brooklyn vibe to the setting, costumes, and hip-hop music.

3. A Game Changer in the Franchise

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(kpl/dka)