One of the greatest sci-fi franchises is completely desperate

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the seventh Transformers film, hits theaters today, June 8th. It’s been five years since the last adventure that took us back to the 1980’s and told the origin story of Bumblebee. Now we find ourselves in New York in the 1990s and learn more about Optimus Prime and Co.

The new Transformers movie not only brings back the beloved Autobots, but introduces us to the animalistic Maximals that were nearly wiped out centuries ago by the dangerous Terrorcons. His biggest surprise saves Transformers: Rise of the Beasts for last.

Attention, follow spoiler!

The big reveal at the end of Transformers 7 explained

In the final minutes of the film, we learn what has become of the main characters. Things get particularly exciting with Noah (Anthony Ramos), who applies for another job as a security guard. In an office he meets one mysterious mancredited as Agent Burke (Michael Kelly).

The trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts:

Agent Burke knows all about Noah’s life and is well informed about him Planet Eater Unicron and the alien robots that can transform into cars. Burke offers Noah a job, leaves him his business card and disappears into a huge underground facility that resembles a military base.

Based on the previous Transformers movies, you might think this is a Sector 7 reference. The secret government agency was already involved in the adventures of Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). However, Agent Burke’s business card says a different organization: GI Joe.

Wait, isn’t GI Joe a completely different movie series?

Yes, in the past there have been three GI Joe films that were released completely independently of the Transformers series. It is a matter of:

What connects the two lines? Both Transformers and GI Joe go to brands des toy manufacturer Hasbro return. In the 2000s, he teamed up with the Paramount film studio to bring the toys to the big screen in live-action guise. So far, however, there has not been a crossover. But that’s exactly what Rise of the Beasts hints at now.

The trailer for GI Joe: Secret Mission Cobra:

As random as the GI Joe revelation in the final minutes of the new Transformers film may seem, the two brands have often crossed paths in comic form. The event already existed in the late 1980s GI Joe and the Transformers. Between 2014 and 2016 was also Transformers vs GI Joe published. Theoretically, there is a template for the indicated cinema crossover.

Are Transformers and GI Joe repeating the Superman mistake?

With a look at the development of both film series, it works prospective crossovers extremely rushed. Since the departure of Michael Bay, who directed the first five films, Transformers has been trying to reinvent itself as a series. Bumblebee chose a 1980s setting, Rise of the Beasts moves a decade further into the 1990s and introduces us to a new generation of Transformers heroes.

You will look in vain for a sophisticated mythology like that of Marvel. With GI Joe it’s even more chaotic. Basically, each of the three live-action films does its own thing. A well thought-out series cannot be seen. Rise of the Beasts wants a big universe stomp out of the ground, for which there is no basis. Transformers and GI Joe must first find themselves before they merge.

The GI Joe integration in Rise of the Beasts is reminiscent of the days when every Hollywood studio tried in vain to Movie universes based on MCU models to found. Most of these ventures have failed after a film. The most bitter example is the Dark Universe, where all the universal monsters were supposed to come together, but only the mummy made it to the reunion.

Looking to the past, there is little hope that a thriving Transformers/GI Joe universe awaits us any time soon. Even Henry Cavill’s Superman return at DC turned out to be an empty promise after years of waiting. As soon as the beloved hero returned to the big screen, a new Superman movie without Cavill was announced. The lesson: Never trust a post credit scene.

Podcast: Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Worth It?

In the new edition of the movie podcast canvas love, our colleagues from FILMSTARTS talk about Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and reveal whether it’s worth taking a look at the sci-fi blockbuster.

Is the new Transformers film in the tradition of Michael Bay’s megalomania or is it more of a comparison to the cozy spin-off Bumblebee? In the podcast you will learn everything you need to know about the rise of the beasts.

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