Two unsuspecting humans find themselves on a globe-trotting journey in search of a very special object that could save humanity and Transformers from the brink of destruction. I could be describing any of the previously released live-action Transformers movies (of which there are 5, not including 2018’s Bumblebee), but the latest, Rise of the Beasts, falls into the same plot trappings, so there’s really no difference. The bar is pretty low, but the latest Transformers movie is about what you’d expect: a smorgasbord of CGI battles, quippy one-liners from humans who find themselves in the middle of an intergalactic struggle, and an inexplicably named MacGuffin that drives the plot around the globe and back to Brooklyn. It’s a serviceable summer blockbuster with two charismatic lead performances, but its familiar plot and mindless CGI muddles an obvious attempt to relaunch a franchise that might be better off dormant.
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts introduces two humans, Anthony Ramos’ Noah Diaz and Dominique Fishback’s Elena Wallace. Both find themselves thrust into the ongoing battle between the Autobots and the forces of darkness (this time it’s the Terrorcons, led by the planet-eating Unicron). This time around, Optimus Prime gets some help from the Maximals, Transformer-animal hybrids. To stop Unicron from eating Earth, Noah and Elena must find the Transwarp Key that will take Optimus and the Autobots back to Cybertron, all while Terrorcons chase them around the globe.

Dominique Fishback and Anthony Ramos in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. 

If that plot description sounds familiar, that’s because it is. For all the talk of sparks, interdimensional portals, and beautifully shot locales, Rise of the Beasts’ plot is so paint-by-the-numbers it’s a painful reminder of where we’re at in the current IP-laden blockbuster landscape. This story has played out numerous times in thousands of multiplexes over the last decade and a half. That this film is releasing a week after Across the Spider-Verse, a brilliant and visually imaginative sequel, makes this all the more obvious. With a plot so predictable, the clear reason for this film to exist should be its technical achievements, but even the action feels middle-of-the-road.

Director Steven Caple Jr., who, until now, is probably best known for his work on Creed II, does his best to stage some of the action with personality. A chase through the mountains of Peru allows some flair to shine through, but by the time Rise of the Beasts reaches its conclusive battle on a browned-out landscape, all personality is lost in favor of pure CGI spectacle. Even the Maximals get very little time to show off their animal-like powers despite the fact that these new characters are presumably the selling point of the movie.

The only new characters (human or robot) that stand out are Noah and Elena. The pair is reminiscent of Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky, a character that made Michael Bay’s first Transformers film such a delight. I was reminded of this joy when watching Ramos and Fishback navigate their newfound positions as Earth’s saviors. Even as they talked about “transwarp keys” and “Earth sparks,” it was hard not to be enthralled by the pair giving it their all. Both have a knack for comedy that plays well against the outrageous events that transpire, including the introduction of Mirage, an Autobot voiced so distinctly by Pete Davidson that he’s essentially playing himself (he even gets a dick joke in there for good measure).

Fun will certainly be had for some — at my Rise of the Beasts screening, there were cheers, claps, and plenty of laughs — but the ending, an obvious attempt at Hasbro brand synergy and a possible launching of a new shared universe, induced as many gasps as it did groans. There are a few bright spots in Rise of the Beasts, but these are largely overshadowed by a lot of generic parts that would not be out of place in any of the previous six Transformers movies.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters on Friday, June 9. The film is 127 minutes long and rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.