“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (2023) is finally up and running on Paramount+, and it is high time to go through the plot of the film. “The Transformers” franchise lacks the potential to establish a strong connection between the civilians of Cybertron and the humans of Earth. It was not until the release of Bumblebee, the prequel to Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, that we saw the heartwarming establishment of Bumblebee and Charlie. In “Rise of the Beasts,” too, we find a similar atmosphere where both the humans and the Autobots feel the necessity of saving their loved ones.
The characters in this Transformers film at least have the motivation to fight against the almighty Unicron, who is on his way to destroy the world. So, the plot thickens, and without further ado, let’s get into it.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) Plot Summary And Movie Synopsis:
The film starts with a centuries-old historical event that took place on Earth. We are introduced to the omnipotent, vile god Unicron, who destroys planets to fuel himself. He targets Earth this time, and his prime objective is to obtain one of the finest technologies that have ever existed, the Transwarp key. It is a key that can open a space-time portal.
Once he is in possession of the key, nobody in the universe will have the potential to beat him. He sends his most vicious weapon, a transformer named Scourge, to obtain the key on his behalf. But the key is protected by the Maximals, who will go to any extent to save the world from the destruction that Unicron or the Scourge can bring.
We are then introduced to the Maximals, descendants of the Autobots, who transform into beasts rather than cars. Well, we are talking about a centuries-old incident, so it makes sense. Anyway, the leader of the Maximals, Apelinq, is trying to protect the key from the Scourge. He is joined by his team: Optimus Primal, Airazor, Rhinox, and Cheetor. Apelinq decides to fight with the Scourge so that the rest of the Maximals, now led by Optimus Primal, can escape with the key.
Everything goes according to plan except for the fact that the Scourge is too powerful to be defeated alone. So he kills Apelinq, grabs his insignia, and puts it on his crest. Whenever Scourge kills a transformer, he does the same. But, thanks to the sacrifice of Apelinq, the other Maximals are able to escape from the hands of the Scourge and secure the key.
Will Noah Choose Survival Over Morality?
Cut to 1994, and we see a man in his late 20s, Noah Diaz, trying to get jobs and getting rejected. He is good with machines, and he has a brother who is suffering from a disease that might kill him. Noah is supposed to take care of his little brother. However, since he has no income and their mother hardly brings any money to feed the family of three, the hospital denies the treatment because of the due bills. Noah is in a fix, and he needs to get a job, or else he might lose his beloved brother once and for all. He visits the place where he is supposed to have an interview, but as soon as he goes to the desk, he is told that there is no interview. Noah’s stellar military record was tarnished by his brother’s illness, according to his former CO.
This is the reason the interviewer thinks Noah is unreliable for the job. Noah is frustrated, and he meets with a guy in the neighborhood. Their job is to steal premium cars and make money by selling them. Noah unlocks the car and goes inside. Coincidentally, that is an Autobot named Mirage. Mirage basically saves Noah from getting caught.
Will the Artifact Spark a Battle Between Humans and Transformers?
On the other hand, we see Elena, a historian who works as an intern at the Ellis Island Museum. There she sees an artifact that looks like Airazor. She mistakes it for an ancient Nubian Horus statue. She has never seen such symbols that are drawn on the crest, so she starts studying them. Later that night, when everyone is out of the Museum, we see Elena trying to decode the symbols of the artifact. In this process, she somehow breaks the statue. Inside, we see one-half of the Transwarp key. The key releases a signal that is only visible to the transformers around the universe.
Optimus Prime sees the signal first and calls in all the Autobots. We see Bumblebee and Arcee, who see the signal and find out that the Transwarp key still exists. Optimus Prime believes that with the help of the key, they can open up a portal so that they can all go back to Cybertron, their home. Little do they know that Scourge and his team are also waiting for the moment to grab the key.
Since Noah is inside Mirage, he is introduced to the rest of the Autobots. Optimus Prime does not like Noah being there in the discussion, but it is not his primary concern. He plans with the rest of his team that they must obtain the key and return to their homes when there is a chance. They make a plan and ask Noah for help. Noah agrees to help them. In return, Mirage tells him that he can sell him to earn money. Anyway, Noah goes inside the Museum, and there he first sees Elena. Scourge is already there, and he sends in the Terrorcons to grab the key.
Can a Divided Key and a New Alliance Stop Unicron’s Herald?
The Autobots stand against the Terrorcons, and a huge fight takes place outside the Museum. With the help of his comrades, Freezer, Nightbird, and Battletrap, Scourge is able to obtain the key. Moreover, in this fight, Scourge almost kills Bumblebee while he tries to protect Optimus Prime from him. The Autobots have lost one of their comrades and the key, too. Right at the moment when Scourge is almost going to strike a killing blow, Airazor comes in, reigning fire from the sky. Since the Terrorcons already have the key, Scourge decides to leave the scene and deliver the key to his master, Unicron.
Airazor tells the rest of the Autobots that the key is divided into two pieces. They still have the chance to grab the other half so that they can stand a chance against the Scourge and co. The Maximals broke the key to protect it from falling into the wrong hands. However, Airazor did not know where the other half was. But Elena tells her that while she was doing the research on the Nubian Statue in the Museum, she found mention of Peru there.
So they think that the other half of the key must be in Peru. Optimus Prime blames Noah for losing the key. Mirage, however, tries to protect him. In the end, Noah tells Optimus Prime that since the life of Earth is dependent on the key, he will go along with them to make sure the key is in the right hands. Since Prime has failed to protect Bumblebee, Noah does not trust Optimus Prime alone with this task. Prime understands his concern and allows him to come. Airazor asks Elena if she will come and show them the right path to the key, and she agrees. She is an intern, and she is into history more than anything. Exploring an Indiana Jones-like adventure is what she has always dreamed of. How can she say no?
Will a Secret Chamber and a Stealthy Mission Lead to the Key?
On their way to Peru, Noah tells Elena that they must destroy the key. Elena tells him that the Autobots need the key to return to their home, but Noah tells her that without the key’s existence, no one can bring destruction to Earth. They are traveling in Stratosphere, an Autobot that can transform into a cargo plane. After reaching Peru, the humans and the Autobots receive detailed information from the local Autobot named Wheeljack.
He tells them that he has located the possible location of the key from the coordinates he has received from the Autobots. The key is somewhere inside Santo Domingo, a church that the Spanish built on top of an old Inca temple. However easy it sounds, the Autobots cannot enter the courtyard because of the Inti Raymi festival, which shuts down the whole city. But it will be easier for Noah and Elena to be in disguise and reach the courtyards of Santo Domingo, where they can easily have access to the key. They plan accordingly, and the Autobots are looking out from the outside so that the Terrorcons cannot interfere.
Noah and Elena discover a secret door, and inside, they discover a giant place hidden from the outside world. Meanwhile, Scourge and his squad are also in Peru, looking for the other half of the key. Scourge tells them not to engage with the Autobots. He sends in Freezer, the Terrorcon, who seeks to grab the key from Noah and Elena and bring it to him directly. But Elena is unable to find the key because it is not where it is supposed to be.
Can Autobots and Maximals Overcome Distrust to Secure the Key?
Soon, they find out that they are being followed by one of the terrorists, and they run. Mirage gives Noah a gadget that can be tracked easily. Autobots follow them, and there is another fight sequence between them and the Terrorcons. The fight could have gone on longer, but Airazor interferes and stops the fight. But, in this process, Scourge shoots a Dark Energon at Airazor, which will eventually open up her mind for Unicron — a deadly weapon by all means.
In the meantime, Noah shoots the Freezer with the help of the gadget and ends up in the hands of Optimus Primal. Soon, the Autobots and the Maximals are almost on the verge of fighting each other when Airazor comes and tells them everything. Knowing the sacrifices they have made so far, Optimus Prime becomes very polite to them. Primal then asks them to follow him as he leads them to the other half of the key. We see that the Maximals trust Amaru, a human, the last descendant of a tribe that has been in a good relationship with the Maximals for centuries. Optimus Prime cannot imagine how humans can trust humans with something like this. But, as time goes by, he starts to see things from a different point of view.
Optimus Prime and Noah: The Protectors of Their Families
Seeing Optimus Prime in such a devastating state, Primal tells Airazor that he does not imagine such an extraordinary warrior in such a manner. Later, he comes to learn that since he has lost Bumblebee in front of his eyes, he is unable to think selflessly at that moment. He only wants to save his tribe, just like Noah. Noah has a dying brother at home waiting for him. He wants to give him the best life possible, and it cannot happen if the world does not exist. He needs to destroy the key so that none of Unicron’s threats take place.
On the other hand, Optimus Prime must obtain the key, open the portal, and go back to Cybertron so that he can try and save Bumblebee from dying. The perspectives of the brothers from different tribes are soon to collide. Meanwhile, Primal shows Optimus the Energon that can bring life back to Bumblebee. It only exists in these mountains. But to activate the full potential of the Energon, it requires a huge amount of power to ignite it in the first place. Primal tells Optimus that humans have taken care of the Maximals for centuries and that they are worth saving. Optimus Prime finds another reason to fight for the key. It is not only the urge to return to the home now; it is also saving the one in which they have been living.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
Is Scourge Dead? Will Unicron Return?
The following morning, we see that Airazor has completely lost her mind, and Unicron has taken over her conscience. Airazor starts attacking the Maximals, Autobots, and humans. Noah tries to destroy the key they have, but Optimus Prime tells him that to save both worlds, they must protect the key. Noah listens to him, but unfortunately, Airazor grabs the key and delivers it to Scourge. Scourge now has the two halves of the key, and he opens the portal so that Unicron can come in.
In the meantime, Optimus Primal has killed Airazor, having no other option but to save her. Since there is no hope left, the Autobots, Maximals, and humans try their one last chance to stop the portal. Since the portal is opened, a huge amount of energy covers the surface of the Earth, igniting the Energon. Bumblebee is back. The plan is to reach the key, disable it with a password, and close the portal. But Scourge and Unicron will try their full potential to stop this from happening.
The Maximals and the Autobots fight bravely, and Elena successfully generates the password. However, before closing the portal, the system takes a hit, interrupting the process. Now, the only way to stop the portal is to destroy the key, which will turn the whole portal into a catastrophic explosion. Optimus Prime has successfully killed Scourge, and they ask everyone to leave the portal.
We see Mirage transform into a suit worn by Noah during the fighting. When Optimus Prime finally destroys the key, the portal creates a gravity influx, and everything around it is sucked inside. Optimus Prime is almost sucked in when Noah, with the help of Optimus Primal, saves him. The whole portal is destroyed, and both worlds, Earth and Cybertron, are saved.
What deal takes place between Noah and G.I. Joe?
At the end of “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (2023), Noah is called in for an interview, and there, we see a suspicious character telling Noah about his alliance with ‘big friends.’ He even tells Noah that he knows everything about what he is doing in Peru. After all this, he tells Noah that he is a government official who works for a secret organization.
They are trying to save the world from unknown threats, and he wants Noah and his friends to be a part of it. We see a secret door open up in front of Noah, where the preliminary stages of a huge organization are going on. The man offers him free treatment for his brother, Kris. He guarantees that he will get the best doctors and that they will not be bothered about the money. Noah knows something huge is about to take place. He sees the visiting card handed over to him by the official; in it, he sees the name of the organization: ‘G.I. Joe.’
It may come as a surprise, but since both Transformers and G.I. Joe have the same parent company, Hasbro, it is inevitable that this universe will exist. Also, Rise of the Beasts takes place before the original Transformers films. Even the ‘Snake Eye’ spinoff of the G.I. Joe franchise shows the early days of the franchise. So, perhaps we will be seeing a whole new set of Transformer films where G.I. Joe will be an essential part of them. But what will happen in the future can only be understood once the release of the upcoming film is confirmed. But there surely will be a G.I. Joe in the upcoming Transformers film, where they will fight together to bring an end to Unicron once and for all.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) Mid-Credit Scene Explained:
Noah has perhaps taken the offer of G.I. Joe, as he seems pretty relaxed in a garage. He is customizing a car from old parts that look exactly like Mirage’s version. He is trying to bring his old friend back to life. And we see Noah is successful in doing so. Mirage transforms successfully from the car. Mirage protected Noah from the deadly blows of Scourge and gave him a suit to help Optimus Prime in the fight. It is now Noah’s turn to give something back to Mirage. The potential for a harmonious future between Autobots and humans hangs in the balance. Now is the time to capitalize on this opportunity, fostering cooperation for a better tomorrow.
Read More: Where to Stream ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)’ Online?
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) Trailer
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) Links: IMDb, Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Velez
