Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is closing in on cinemas, looking all but ready to prove that Michael Bay was the problem this whole time. Of course, Revenge of the Fallen being a film born out of the 2007-08 writers’ strike probably did most of the damage in that instance, but we digress.
This time around, the latest plight of the Autobots was placed in the very capable hands of Steven Caple Jr. of Creed II fame, and the director brought with him a very unique strength to the Rise of the Beasts chair; namely, he’s a longtime fan of the giant cybernetic shapeshifters.
And Wwhile being a fan of the source material isn’t always a plus when it comes to big IP films, it was certainly one of Caple Jr.’s biggest strengths. In an interview with Collider, the Rise of the Beasts helmsman revealed how he channeled his inner Transformers geek to give life to many of the film’s nuances, not least among them the highly anticipated debut of Unicron.
“I just felt like, as a fan, we’ve been tip-toeing around Unicron, and all the other films kind of hinted towards him towards the end, and I just really want to expand the universe, and I felt like he was a perfect source to do so because he tells us there’s another world out there, there’s more Transformers out there, it’s not just Autobots and Decepticons. And then, of course, the exosuit, that was my idea; it was an homage to the ‘80s cartoon.”
Indeed, it was exciting enough for Transformers fans to finally get the Beast Wars storyline adapted for live-action, all without Bay in tow no less, but finally bringing the planet-devouring Unicron into the fold was a whole other echelon of ecstasy, and we can thank Caple Jr. for that; sometimes, it pays to think like a fan.
Of course, the Maximals, Terrorcons, and Unicron weren’t enough to save Rise of the Beasts from a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes critic score (a 56 percent approval rating at the time of writing), but we all know that the true metric for films like these lie with the opinions of the fans, so the true consensus is one we’ll have to wait a few more days for.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will release to theaters on June 9.