Kathryn Bigelow is the perfect person to handle an inordinately tense, gripping and powerful near-real time military thriller. Less a war film more a story of the buildup to potential conflict, it marks her successful return to moviemaking following the less-than-enthusiastic reaction to 2017’s ‘Detroit’.
And this is a talent who deserved better than to sit on the sidelines for years.
Script and Direction
Kathryn Bigelow attends the Netflix film ‘A House of Dynamite’ NYFF Main Slate Premiere and Q&A on September 28, 2025 in New York City. Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.
Noah Oppenheim, an NBC news veteran, has been behind scripts including ‘Jackie’ and the recent Netflix series ‘Zero Day’, and pumps up the tension with a structure that resets the clock on the story across three acts, telling the same story of a missile headed to the US from an unknown aggressor from different viewpoints up and down the command chain from isolated military bases to the hubs of the White House and the Pentagon.
While the switch in focus means some characters are better served than others, and some of the more movie-ish peeks into personal lives dip precariously close to cheese, it still works.
Bigelow keeps the camera moving and the tension levels high for this one, aided by Volker Bertelmann‘s doomy, evolving score. It’s the director’s best in years and deserves to be seen.
With such a big cast to service, it’s impressive how many big names Bigelow has recruited here. Standouts include Rebecca Ferguson’s steely, but human operations officer at the White House, Jason Clarke as her boss, Gabriel Basso as a nervy National Security Advisor thrust into a new level of responsibility and Jared Leto as Secretary of Defense Baker, at once outraged by the lack of efficiency in his country’s response to the weapon headed its way a terrified for his estranged daughter (an underused Kaitlyn Dever).
If there’s a weak link here, it’s Idris Elba, who never really convinces as the President.
Marvel’s TV output continues to be something of a mixed bag, though things have certainly taken an upturn with the likes of ‘Agatha All Along’ and ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’ Now here comes ‘Ironheart’ aiming to maintain that momentum, utilizing the Riri Williams character from the comics whose youthful genius rivals that of Tony Stark even if her bank balance and living situation certainly don’t.
The Williams character was a key component of Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, but couldn’t stop sometimes feeling like she was jammed in to add something else. And in her own show, she’s a definite highlight even if not everything about the limited series around her works as well.
The tone of ‘Ironheart’ can sometimes vary wildly, with some scenes feeling like they come from a gritty, emotional drama about grief, loss PTSD or crime and others looking to bring some wackier, Freeform-level comedy. They don’t always fit together as well as they might.
Still, the team has a clear handle on the Riri character, her desires, frustrations and trauma (her stepfather and best friend were shot dead in front of her), and they launch her on an entertaining new adventure, even managing to find rational reasons why she wouldn’t simply pick up the phone and ask for help from Shuri (Letitia Wright) and the Wakandans when things get thorny.
Riri’s interaction with the AI she accidentally created from a scan of her own brain, which is embodied in the form of her late friend Natalie, is always entertaining, the two written believably as best friends. Likewise, the moments with her mother Ronnie are also effective.
Also on the plus side is the Joe McGillicuddy character, a fun addition to the story who becomes something more –– and has a connection to someone that Riri admires that you might not see coming.
The villains are less well drawn –– Parker Robbins, AKA “The Hood” and his magic outfit can’t help but look like he’s cosplaying as Little Red Riding Hood sometimes, and the character, despite some much-needed depth in some family connections, is often written as one-note, and that note is B-flat.
Directors Samantha Bailey and Angela Barnes bring some varied styles to the show, but it works together as a whole. There are some well-conceived and realised action set pieces, especially one set at a high-tech greenhouse complex.
Dominique Thorne has put in some great performances in the past, including in ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ and brings real soul and depth to Riri. Given the space to explore the character without needing to be part of a bigger blockbuster tapestry, she’s always good here –– whether she’s having a quiet moment with friends or being badass.
Alden Ehrenreich is a highlight, his Joe character one of the more entertaining in the show. While he takes a slightly predictable turn later on, Ehrenreich keeps him entertaining and he plays well off of Thorne in moments such as the pair belting out an Alanis Morissette track or bonding over biotech.
Anthony Ramos struggles slightly with the big bad role, burdened by the fact that, for all of his inventive elements, Parker Robbins is a slightly dull dud as a character. Ramos plays him cool and composed, mostly staying away from campy villain tropes, but it doesn’t really register.
Lyric Ross is an energetic delight as Natalie –– or at least the AI drawn from Riri’s memories –– bringing needed energy to the series, but also a healthy dash of emotion that helps supplements our lead’s storyline.
Around Ramos is a varied bunch of criminals who are fine for what they need to be, but the group does rather waste the comic talents of Eric André as tech guru Stuart, who so desperately wants to be known as “Rampage”.
Finally, Anji White makes an impact in a smaller role as Riri’s mother, Ronnie Williams, a woman with her own grief, but also a deep amount of care for –– and no-nonsense attitude to –– her daughter.
Despite its tonal issues and a frankly unsatisfying final scene that falls into the Marvel trap of nodding to the future without really resolving the present, ‘Ironheart’ makes better use of the Riri Williams character than ‘Wakanda Forever’ ever could.
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What’s the plot of ‘Ironheart?
Set after the events of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ Marvel Television’s ‘Ironheart’ pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) — a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world — returns to her hometown of Chicago.
Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins, AKA “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos).
(from left) Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell) in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Opening in theaters on July 19th, ‘Twisters’ is real throwback movie making –– which makes sense, since it effectively follows (though rarely directly references) the 1996Jan de Bont-directed original.
Which means you don’t have to have seen the 1990s movie to enjoy the new one, which serves as a callback to that era of filmmaking. It’s sitting firmly in big-scale event-movie territory, and the hand of executive producer Steven Spielberg can be felt, if lightly.
(from left) Lily (Sasha Lane) and Tyler (Glen Powell) in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
At one point, it looked as though ‘Twisters’ might be headed down the road of a sequel to the original that would feature the daughter of Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton’s characters. But the path has instead led it to a much more standalone place, drawing only on the concept of storm chasers (and, early on, including a nod to the storm-monitoring device known as “Dorothy” from the 1996 movie).
It’s a smart move, as ‘Twisters’ is allowed to mostly stand on its own, and it provides enough entertainment value to blow past any problems.
‘Twisters’: Script and Direction
(from left) Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and director Lee Isaac Chung on the set of ‘Twisters’.
With a script that nods back to ‘Twister’ in credits form (the original movie’s writers Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin score a “based on characters created by” mention, the new film is written by Joseph Kosinski (the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ director flirted with making this a few years back in its development stage) and Mark L. Smith (yes, the man behind ‘The Revenant’).
In many ways, it leans more towards Kosinski’s blockbuster sensibility, in both the positive and negative senses. The screenplay is a slick machine, running you from windy set-piece to spinning scenes of destruction, but taking its foot off the pedal enough to fill in some decent character detail for at least Edgar-Jones’ Kate and Powell’s Tyler.
Yet with that shape come the predictable cliches that always seem to be swept up too. There are shortcuts to emotional drama and some of the supporting characters might as well carry signs reading “uptight martinet” or “nervy reporter” instead of seeming like real people. Still, the movie around them is fun enough to handwave that away.
‘Minari’ director Lee Isaac Chung is probably tired of people being surprised that he went from directing an intimate, personal drama of family struggles to a huge-scale thriller where cars and people go flying. But he brings some echo of his past work to this latest effort, dialing down on what makes the lead characters tick, while, along with cinematographer Dan Mindel and the talented effects team, make the tornado scenes work. And the personal stakes don’t end with our heroes –– there are scenes of locals impacted by the terrifying twisters and even some sneaky chat about climate change.
‘Twisters’: Performances
(from left) Dexter (Tunde Adebimpe), Lily (Sasha Lane), Ben (Harry Hadden-Paton), Boone (Brandon Perea), Dani (Katy O’Brian), Javi (Anthony Ramos), Tyler (Glen Powell) and Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
From the marketing, this could well have been re-titled “the Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell Show”, with a subtitle of “also featuring Anthony Ramos and some other people”. While the focus is mostly certainly on the lead duo, Ramos and one or two others do get moments to shine.
Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Cooper
Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Daisy Edgar-Jones is our focus here, her storm expert Kate enjoys the lion’s share of the characterization, including a dramatic, tragic introduction and a full arc that finds her re-discovering her passion for tackling tornadoes (she’s less looking to chase them, more find a way to shut them down).
And in the actress, Chung could not have picked a more luminous lead –– several moments work because Edgar-Jones’ expressive face make that happen, and she’s certainly got the dramatic chops to carry the storyline. Plus, her chemistry with Powell is palpable, even if the romantic side is more bubbling under than raging storm.
Glen Powell as Tyler Owens
Glen Powell as Tyler in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Between ‘Hit Man’ and now this, Glen Powell is spending 2024 proving that he has full-on star power. His introduction ladles on the smug-but-likeable charm and partly thanks to the actor, Owens has more depths that you might suspect from first glance. Sure, he’s cocky and arrogant, but Powell infuses him with those extra layers.
Anthony Ramos as Javi
Javi (Anthony Ramos) in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Anthony Ramos is probably regretting signing on to this latest big-scale film –– after being overshadowed by Optimus Prime in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’, he’s now playing third fiddle to his co-stars. Still, Javi is enough of a solid character to prove worthy of the actor.
Maura Tierney as Cathy Cooper
Maura Tierney as Cathy in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Appearing as Kate’s mother, Maura Tierney makes the most of her couple of scenes, playing well against Edgar-Jones and Powell.
Supporting Cast
(from left) Mike (Stephen Oyoung), Peter (Alex Kingi), Scott (David Corenswet), Javi (Anthony Ramos) and Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
As we mentioned in the scripting section, the rest of the characters are largely archetypes, with future ‘Superman‘ David Corenswet essentially a reboot of the snooty, profit-chasing character Cary Elwes played in the original. The rest of Tyler’s storm-chasing team are a fun bunch, but only get the occasional moment to impact the story.
‘Twisters’: Final Thoughts
(from left) Tyler (Glen Powell) and Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
With a film such as ‘Twisters’, there’s always a debate to have whether it justifies its existence. But by not (mostly) looking to reboot the 1996 movie or go the legacy route, it proves to offer enough fun, its nostalgic nature not tied directly to ‘Twister’ but instead the sort of movie that one typified.
It’s driven by two great leads and certainly throws enough at the screen (literally in certain scenes) to make its basic concept work.
‘Twisters’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Twisters’?
‘Twisters’ stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos as equal forces, with opposing motivations, who come together to try to predict, and possibly tame, the immense power of tornadoes.
Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Carter, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi (Ramos) to test a groundbreaking new tracking system.
There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better.
As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler, Javi and their crews find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.
A new ‘Bob the Builder’ animated movie is in development.
Jennifer Lopez is on board to produce the movie.
Anthony Ramos will voice Bob in a story set in Puerto Rico.
Here’s a story we’re not sure we saw coming: ‘Bob the Builder’, the classic animated kids’ show is getting its shot at a big screen movie. So far, so unexpected.
But then you learn that Jennifer Lopez is producing the film, with Anthony Ramos taking over voice duties for a story that will see the construction-minded character heading to Puerto Rico. And it’s backed by rights holder Mattel, who are still riding high on the success of ‘Barbie’.
For those who don’t have kids or a love of children’s’ TV output, Bob as a series follows the adventures of Bob, a general contractor, specializing, along with his colleague Wendy, various neighbors, and friends, and equipment, and their gang of anthropomorphized work-vehicles, Scoop, Muck, Dizzy, Roley, Lofty and many others.
The show began life in the UK, where it ran between 1999 to 2011 before the format was sold to Mattel and it came back for a new series in 2015.
As for the movie, it’ll see Roberto (aka Bob) travelling to Puerto Rico for a major construction job. According to the logline, audiences will see Bob as he “takes on issues affecting the island and digs deeper into what it means to build. Bob’s journey will celebrate the vibrant and colorful textures of the Caribbean Latin nations and their people.”
Anthony Ramos stars in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
“For years, ‘Bob the Builder’s characters have inspired young people around the world. A movie about friends working together, a celebration of a beautiful home they share, and how love can help to conquer any obstacle in your way. Can we fix it? Yes, we can!”
Robbie Brenner, president of Mattel Films, had this to say:
“Pairing Anthony and Felipe’s genius vision for the story will capture this beloved character in a manner that audiences who grew up with Bob will recognize, and all-new audiences will enjoy,” said Robbie Brenner, president of Mattel Films.
And this was the sentiment from Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas of Lopez’ Nuyorican Productions company:
“The show’s ability to promote positive thinking, problem-solving and empowerment with a completely original story set in Puerto Rico puts a new spin on a beloved brand. We can’t wait for new and existing fans to connect with these amazing characters.”
What else is on the way from Mattel?
Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
With ‘Barbie’ having made more than $1.44 billion at the box office, Mattel is naturally eager to adapt other products. The current development slate includes ‘American Girl,’ a live-action ‘Barney’ movie with ‘Get Out’ star Daniel Kaluuya, the Vin Diesel-led ‘Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots,’ and Lena Dunham’s take on ‘Polly Pocket.’
In theaters everywhere on September 29th, ‘Dumb Money’ is a funny, sharp satire of the GameStop stock story, which had people gripped in early 2021.
Following what happened when “retail investors” seized upon the idea of driving up the value of the games store and Wall Street’s reaction, it’s an entertaining true account of one of the most fascinating financial stories of the last decade.
‘Dumb Money’ is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world’s hottest company.
In the middle of everything is regular guy Keith Gill (Paul Dano), who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock and posting about it.
When his social posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich –– until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.
In some ways, ‘Dumb Money’ feels like a companion piece to Hulu’s ‘Pam & Tommy’ from earlier this year, though that might primarily be thanks to the presence of Rogen, Offerman and Stan in front of the camera, and director Craig Gillespie behind it (Gillespie was a producer and director for the series).
But in several ways, it is much better than that show, since it chronicles a subject that doesn’t haven’t such personal, painful ramifications as for Pamela Anderson. It also tells its story in more compact form.
Gillespie, here working from a script by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo (who first met as reporters on the Wall Street Journal and have several TV series under their combined belts, and adapted Ben Mezrich’s book ‘The Antisocial Network’), dials down on what really made the Gamestop stop impactful, as well as drawing out real laughs from certain moments.
A big positive for the movie was widening the scope beyond the story of Keith Gill and the billionaires whose world he disrupted with his YouTube channel and Reddit posts.
Smaller personal stories such as those of GameStop employee Marcus, college students Riri (Herrold) and Harmony (Ryder) and nurse Jenny (Ferrera), help to explain the central narrative while letting the solid performers (Ferrera is especially good, and between this and ‘Barbie’ it proves she deserves many more opportunities to shine).
Which is not to say that Dano isn’t fantastic as Keith, who posts under the name “Roaring Kitty” and is using his financial analyst smarts to advise others and take big share bets himself. As his on-screen fortune (and infamy grow), Dano and co-star Woodley (as his wife, Caroline), offer up a compelling portrait of a couple confronting an outrageous situation.
On the hedge fund side, Rogen is particularly good as Gabe Plotkin, who has risen from humble beginnings to run a hedge fun dealing in the billions. He’s certainly let the power that money has brought go to his head and is introduced yelling on the phone at a realtor representing a fancy house he wants to buy simply to tear down so he can build a tennis court to use during the pandemic.
Elsewhere, Offerman is typically funny and gruff as the even wealthier Ken Griffin, who smugly dines on incredibly rare food at exclusive restaurants and offers to help Gabe out when he gets into trouble, only to find himself in corporate hot water when his company works with the startup that lets ordinary people buy shares without commission.
The whole thing is told with verve, energy and humanity, and marks it out as one of the most impressive examples of the social comedy form to happen along since Adam McKay switched from the goofy likes of ‘Anchorman’ to his own sharpened satires.
And perhaps the biggest recommendation I can make about the movie is that it uses Pete Davidson in a way that is not completely annoying. Playing Keith’s boisterous slacker brother, Davidson’s particular energy is on display in a useful, fitting way. Give it an Oscar for that alone!
‘Dumb Money’ does take its time at first to set its scene, occasionally falling into the trap of repeating information. It might have you checking your watch initially. But that setup is necessary to set the scene –– somehow it doesn’t have the same energy as the rest of the movie.
Likewise, were it not for the fact that they are real people, the likes of Gabe, Ken and fellow rich type Steve Cohen (D’Onofrio) would come across as cartoon characters in a fictional film. Here, they are all too terrifyingly confident in their ability to stop the “dumb money” amateur investors.
As with most true stories of this kind, there is a certain dose of cold water awaiting you by the end –– despite the movie’s claim that the GameStop situation changed Wall Street’s way of doing business for the better, you’re left with the lingering feeling that we’re just counting down to the next financial scandal as the division between rich and poor grows.
That, though, is more to do with the real world than the movie’s story.
If you’re fascinated by how the “little people” can get on over on the rich types (at least for a while) and want to watch it happen in entertaining and clever fashion, ‘Dumb Money’ is well worth a bet at the theater.
(L to R) Optimus Primal and Optimus Prime in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
Autobots, roll out! The latest installment of the Transformers franchise ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ transports the audience to the home world of the Maximals and introduces Unicron – also known as the Chaosbringer, who consumes planets.
The official synopsis for ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is below:
“Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ’90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformer — the Maximals — to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons.”
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ was released domestically on June 9, 2023.
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Maximals On The Big Screen
(L to R) Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Wheeljack and Arcee in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
This is the first time the Maximals faction is introduced in the ‘Transformers’ franchise. They are descendants of the Autobots and in their fight with the Terrorcons, they are forced leave behind their homeworld and hide out on Earth until the Terrorcon figured out their location.
Similar to Autobots, the Maximals can also transform. Instead of transforming into vehicles and aircrafts, Maximals transform into Animal-like robots. The Maximals in the film are Optimus Primal, Apelinq, Airazor, Cheetor, and Rhinox.
Before they made their big screen debut, the Maximals were Introduced in Beast Wars – a computer animated TV series from 1996. There are four factions in Transformers – Autobots, Decepticons, Maximals, and Predacons.
Where Does This Take Place In The Transformers Franchise?
(L to R) Arcee, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
The first ‘Transformers‘ film was directed by Michael Bay and was released in 2007, starring Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox. Since then, there have been six Transformers movies, include ‘Rise of the Beasts’. Director Michael Bay helmed the first five films until the franchise received a “soft reboot” in 2017 with Travis Knight’s ‘Bumblebee’, which starred Hailee Steinfeld and fan-favorite Autobot Bumblebee.
Knight’s film took place in the 1980s while Steven Caple Jr.’s film takes place in the 90s, serving as a sequel to ‘Bumblebee’. In the film, there was a small nod to the 2017 film where Optimus Prime acknowledges that Bumblebee has made a human friend during his initial arrival on Earth.
Paramount has already confirmed there will be two more sequels to follow, though it is unclear whether stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback will be involved. There is also a scene in the film that eludes to the Transformers franchise potentially having a cross-over with another Hasbro property. If this cross-over does happen, it would be the first time in live-action for these two Hasbro IPs exist in the same movie.
Where Can I Watch ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
Mirage in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
The movie held its premiere at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on May 27, 2023. It was released domestically on June 9, 2023, and is currently playing in theaters in formats such as IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby cinema, and 4DX. Be sure to check showtimes on Moviefone below.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ below:
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As of July 11, 2023, the film has been made available on digital for rent or purchase. Services such as Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, Microsoft, Redbox, and Google Play will have it for $19.99 or $24.99 respectively.
For DVD and blu-ray release, that’ll come on October 10, 2023. Bonus content will include:
‘Human Affairs’ – In a world of robots, machines, and aliens, we explore the humans who help save the world.
‘Life in the 90s’ – The filmmakers discuss how the music, set design, fashion, and cultural references transport viewers to New York in the 90s.
‘Heroes’ – Get an inside look at the inspiration and thought process behind designing the Autobots and the Maximals.
‘Villains’ – Watch as the filmmakers bring the Terrorcons and Predacons to life.
‘The Chase’ – Meet Mirage, a new Autobot that converts into a 1993 Porsche, and experience the adrenaline-filled car chase through New York City.
‘The Battle of Ellis Island’ – Join the cast and crew as they go behind-the-scene of the epic battle sequence between the Autobots and the Terrorcons at the museum.
‘Into the Jungle’ – The Transformers franchise has been filmed all over the globe. This time, join the cast and crew as they explore the new and exotic location of Peru.
‘The Switchback Attack’ – Witness the wild and intense driving sequences filmed on location in Peru where the Autobots fight the Terrorcons through a town square and into the mountains 15,000 feet up.
‘The Final Conflict’ – Get a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s epic climax. Watch as the Autobots, Maximals, Noah, and Elena attempt to save the world
‘Extended/Deleted Scenes’ – Includes an alternate opening and ending to the film.
Director Steven Caple Jr. on the set of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ got a mixed reaction from the critics, but certainly appears to have connected with audiences, knocking ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ from the top of the of the domestic box office for a $61 million opening and almost $80 million globally. Which has Paramount, of course, throwing early development of another entry in the franchise into a higher gear and, kicking off formal talks with ‘Beasts’ director Steven Caple Jr. to return.
Talking to Deadline’s Crew Call podcast, Caple Jr. confirmed that he was certainly talking to the studio about a return engagement while specifying that he hasn’t been hired yet. Still, as he said, there’s a lot of “we” going around as he discusses the next film with the producers and studio executives.
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So, what is the future of the franchise?
Before we continue, if you have not yet seen ‘Rise of the Beasts’, you might want to stop reading now…
What might the next film entail? If you’ve seen the most recent entry, you’ll know that a final scene ends with a reference to ‘GI Joe’, that other big Hasbro property that has had even more mixed fortunes on the big screen than Optimus Prime and co.
Here’s what Caple Jr. had to say about the potential crossover…
“For me, it would be for sure. I would love to. I have some ideas of how to branch out that IP in the franchise. And if I can do thew crossover I want to do, I think we can still feed ‘Transformers’ fans while doing something cool with that other legendary Hasbro property that I have loved since I was a kid. There are characters and elements that have never been used before, so I’d be thrilled to incorporate them and do something cool.”
Mirage in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
For Caple Jr., the idea was inspired by his own love of a graphic novel run that saw the ‘Transformers’ characters crossover with the Joes. He had to be secretive about it, though…
Caple Jr. revealed the lengths he went in order to make sure the Joe connection didn’t leak:
“When I was developing the script, it wasn’t in the original script. I got to the end of the movie, and I said, ‘we’ve got a really cool arc with the Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) character and the military, it’s kind of bittersweet about his experience and has a mark on his record, he can’t provide for his family. It would be cool if the military or a government organization took care of his problems. I was going through the different organizations –– CIA, FBI, Sector 7 –– and none of them really sang. ‘Is there anything else in this franchise?’ And then I remembered the graphic novel, I own a few of them and thought, ‘this is kinda crazy, I don’t know if the studio’s going to like this.’ I remember pitching it to Lorenzo (Di Bonaventura, producer) first. ‘This is what I’m thinking’. His eyes lit up and he did remember the graphic novel. He didn’t know how it was going to play with the studio, but we put it in the script. So, I didn’t pitch it to the studio, we just placed it in the script, and they were excited. It took two years to get everybody on board with the concept. We shot two versions with actor Michael Kelly –– some people saw a Sector 7 card in test screenings. We didn’t even let Michael read the other script until the shoot day because we were keeping it so close to the chest.”
Paramount has yet to confirm that Caple Jr. will be back, but it’s certainly sounding promising for the director. And there’s also no release date for the next movie but expect that to follow before too long.
Director Steven Caple Jr. on the set of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’:
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is produced by Skydance, Paramount, di Bonaventura Pictures, Bay Films, New Republic Pictures, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production, Hasbro Studios, Entertainment One, and Amblin Entertainment. It is set to release in theaters on June 9th, 2023.
What is the plot of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers, the Maximals, to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback about their work on ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,’ their love for the franchise, their characters, and working with the beloved robots.
(L to R) Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback star in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Ramos, Fishback, and Tobe Nwigwe.
Moviefone: To begin with, Anthony, how familiar were you with the ‘Transformers’ universe before making this movie?
Anthony Ramos: Very. ‘Beast Wars: Transformers’ was a childhood favorite and I love all the Maximals. I went crazy when Optimus Primal in the movie says, “Maximals maximize.” I promise you, I jumped out of my seat. That moment got me more hyped than the Autobots roll out, because ‘Beast Wars’ was such a huge part of my childhood, so I’m deeply connected to these characters. Then, I saw the ‘Transformers’ movies after that, so I’ve been a big fan.
(L to R) Arcee, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Dominique, how about you? Were you a fan of ‘Transformers’ before being cast in this film?
Dominique Fishback: Actually, when Anthony was watching the cartoons, I was watching a bunch of romances, so I was not aware. But I loved ‘Even Stevens,’ and I loved Shia LaBeouf in that show, and I was a huge Disney fan. I always wanted to be an actor. So when he went from ‘Even Stevens’ to ‘Transformers,’ I was like, “Oh man, okay.” I was mapping it out in my head, like, “Okay, I have to do something like that, a show and then a movie like ‘Transformers.’” I never thought that it would actually be ‘Transformers’, so it’s really incredible.
Anthony Ramos stars in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Anthony, can you talk about why Noah is so willing to help the Transformers and join forces with them?
AR: He’s broke. There’s a lot of things you’ll do when you are not making money, but he’s also desperate. He’s desperate too, and that desperation comes for his love for his family and wanting to be able to help them and support them and his sick brother. It almost seems like he feels like this is a last resort. Obviously, he probably eventually would’ve gotten a job, but I think it’s a movie about robots and Transformers, and it only seems right that his last resort is to join these robot aliens.
Dominique Fishback stars in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Dominique, can you talk about Elena’s growth as a character throughout the course of the movie?
DF: I think the growth is just being intentional with (director) Steven Caple Jr. and saying, “Okay, in acting school, you learn how is a character different from the beginning of the movie to the end of the movie, from the beginning of the scene to the end of the scene.” So she starts off, the beginning of the movie, really engaged in her books and not going for the adventure. I think too, she’s a little bit scared to put herself out there. She lives behind her books, and I think even in the beginning, it’s like, “Oh, you want me to go?” Then, by the end, there’s a sense of, “I’m here for this fight as well, and I’m not leaving either,” type of thing.
(L to R) Dominique Fishback and Anthony Ramos star in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’
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‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is produced by Skydance, Paramount, di Bonaventura Pictures, Bay Films, New Republic Pictures, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production, Hasbro Studios, Entertainment One, and Amblin Entertainment. It is set to release in theaters on June 9th, 2023.
(L to R) Optimus Primal and Optimus Prime in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
In theaters June 9th, ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ offers the usual combination of robo-clashes and half-hearted human characters while proving that the franchise is really starting to run out of invention or momentum.
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What’s the story of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
‘Rise of the Beasts’ opens on the planet of the Maximals, a group of Transformers who arrived years ago and assumed the forms of native fauna in order to blend in (sort of). But when Scourge (Peter Dinklage), the henchman of living planet Unicron (Colman Domingo) seeking a vital McGuffin, the heroic Maximals are forced to escape, ending up on Earth thousands of years before the Autobots.
Cut to Brooklyn of the 1990s, where Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) is trying to support his single mother and ailing younger brother while being turned down for various jobs. Drawn into a heist by an acquaintance, he accidently ends up stealing a Porsche that is actually the Autobot Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson) and is suddenly thrust into a battle for the future of both the robots and the planet –– as Unicron, Scourge and their other evil associates have tracked the Maximals to Earth.
Noah agrees to help Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and the other robots to find what they need to defeat Unicron, and that ends up pulling museum researcher Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) into the mission. Soon, they’re racing to stop Unicron’s plan to devour the Earth, with the help of Maximals such as Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman) and Airazor (Michelle Yeoh).
(L to R) Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback star in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
Who else is in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
Director Steven Caple Jr. on the set of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
Robots in Disappointment
If this was supposed to be Paramount’s big return for the ‘Transformers’ franchise, it is, sad to report, a big miss.
Directed by Steven Caple Jr. (who has already done decent work on a sequel with ‘Creed II’), the new movie mostly boasts re-heated plot elements and ideas, while throwing in very little that is fresh or new.
It’s yet another hunt for an energy thingy that will save or destroy everything, leading to very little that will engage all but the youngest cinemagoers.
Most annoyingly, while the movie does its best to hand wave the idea that humanity at large isn’t aware of the giant robots in their midst until the 2000s setting of the first Michael Bay film, the events that transpire here simply don’t support that.
Unicron, meanwhile, is far from a compelling baddie, mostly seen through communication with Scourge like an angry boss who keeps ranting at his employees. Scourge himself, despite the best efforts of the effects team, is a stock lead henchman who threatens our heroes.
(L to R) Nightbird, Scourge and Battletrap in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
And most annoyingly, he has a particular power used against one of the Maximals later in the film that is so effective you have to wonder why he doesn’t employ it more often. Maybe it takes a lot out of the poor guy. Not that anyone is expecting careful logic from a ‘Transformers’ movie, but it makes the experience of watching it that much more frustrating.
The action is relatively perfunctory, though clearer than the later Bay movies, even if Caple Jr. can’t compete with the stylish levels of “Bayhem.” There are still moments, though, where it’s tough to figure out which hunk of metal is battling which. And don’t get us started on a final act moment that comes across as the laziest rip-off of ‘Iron Man’ possibly conceived, suffering from cheap effects and a ludicrous deus ex Maximals.
Plus, between this and his useless cameo in ‘Fast X’, it might truly be time for a moratorium on movie appearances by Pete Davidson –– he’s such a one-note performer and Mirage is rarely as funny as he thinks he is. Thank goodness for Cullen, who, even when he’s playing a weirdly angry Optimus, does so with some flare.
As for the Maximals, they’re less believable performances from respected (and in Yeoh’s case, recently Oscar-winning) actors, and more the bored sound of people crammed into a voice booth and asked to recite trope-heavy dialogue that you’ve heard in a hundred movies such as this.
Oh, and because no giant studio movie can escape the lure of franchise building and potential crossovers, there’s a scene after the credits that nods towards connections with another big Hasbro property that has faltered on the big screen. It’s less likely to make fans cheer than make them sigh and wonder when the movie was going to earn this.
Bumblebee in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
What works?
The ‘Transformers’ movies have tried to nod towards its human characters’ storylines (‘Bumblebee’ most effectively), and ‘Rise of the Beasts’ offers Ramos and Fishback at least something to do outside of running and reacting to the giant metal creatures.
They’re pleasingly not forced into the cliched love story, and actually contribute to the narrative, even giving the likes of Noah’s ill younger brother something to do beyond look cute and be a driving force for him changing his life.
(L to R) Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Wheeljack and Arcee in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
Fans will be excited to see the Maximals enter the movie canon, though like the Dinobots before them, they largely end up as reasons for our heroes to go on a new mission rather than truly believable as characters in their own right.
The ‘Transformers’ team appears to have learned only a few lessons from ‘Bumblebee’, and ‘Rise of the Beasts’ mostly feels like a backwards step in a franchise that peaked with the 2007 original. It’s not entirely without merit, but the entertainment value could use more energon crystals.
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ receives 4 out of 10 stars.
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ rolls out into theaters on June 9th.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’:
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is produced by Skydance, Paramount, di Bonaventura Pictures, Bay Films, New Republic Pictures, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production, Hasbro Studios, Entertainment One, and Amblin Entertainment. It is set to release in theaters on June 9th, 2023.
Premiering on Starz beginning April 14th is the second season of the TV series ‘Blindspotting,’ which is a spin-off/sequel of the popular movie of the same name from actors, writers and executive producers Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs.
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What is the premise of the show ‘Blindspotting?’
Six months after the events in the movie, Miles (Rafael Casal), Ashley’s (Jasmine Cephas Jones) partner of 12 years and father of their son, is suddenly incarcerated, and the situation leaves her to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she and her son Sean (Atticus Woodward) are forced to move in with Miles’ mother (Candace Nicholas-Lippman) and half-sister (Jaylen Barron).
Who is in the cast of ‘Blindspotting?’
‘Blindspotting’ stars Jasmine Cephas Jones (‘Hamilton‘) as Ashley Rose, Jaylen Barron (‘Shameless’) as Trish, Candace Nicholas-Lippman (‘Grey’s Anatomy’) as Janelle, Benjamin Earl Turner (‘Snowfall’) as Earl, Atticus Woodward (‘MO’) as Sean, Leland Orser (‘Taken‘) as Carl, Anthony Ramos (‘A Star is Born‘) as Yorkie, Oscar-winner Helen Hunt (‘Twister‘) as Rainey, and Rafael Casal reprising his role from the film as Miles.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Helen Hunt about her work on ‘Blindspotting’ Season 2, what fans can expect from the new season, her character, balancing comedy and drama, receiving the show’s scripts, and working with series creators Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs.
Helen Hunt in Starz’s ‘Blindspotting’ season 2.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Hunt, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Jaylen Barron, Candace Nicholas-Lippman, Benjamin Earl Turner, Rafael Casal, and Daveed Diggs about ‘Blindspotting’ Season 2.
Moviefone: To begin with, what can you tell us about the plot of ‘Blindspotting’ Season 2?
Helen Hunt: We pick up with Jasmine’s character, who’s at the center of the show, right on the edge. My character is pretty much on the edge, although she puts a happier, funnier wrapping around it and through the course of these episodes, everybody expresses the best and the worst of themselves. Nobody does well in a family when one of their members is put in a cage.
MF: Can you talk about the challenges of balancing the show’s comedy and drama?
HH: Somehow this show manages to be about this devastating, exquisitely painful topic while being sitcom level funny and there’s dance and there’s poetry. So I just feel like it’s just this offering of art, beauty and humor that I hope people, those who didn’t watch last year, catch up quick and jump in because I’m really proud to be part of it.
(L to R) Margo Hall, Helen Hunt, and Jasmine Cephas Jones star in Starz’s ‘Blindspotting’ Season 2.
MF: In the new season we discover that Rainey no longer believes in God. Is that because of what happened to Miles?
HH: That’s a good question. I think what I played is that that was never a really strong lane for her but that she is in such despair, she actually has to go, “I don’t know if you’re up there, but help.” So she is on her knees because she’s on her knees.
MF: What’s the status of Rainey and Ashley’s relationship in Season 2?
HH: You’ve got to watch all the way to the end to find out. I mean, again, having the person in the center of your family airlifted out and locked away is going to make everyone pray and grab at their chance to spend time with him. The best of people come out in this show and the worst of people, and that’s sort of what the season is. I think it’s like my character does a lot of trying to keep the spirit of the family up and the spirit of the grandson up, and while that doesn’t go away in season two, there’s some big angry cracks in it.
(L to R) Daveed Diggs, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Rafael Casal on the set of Starz’s ‘Blindspotting.’
MF: What’s it like working with series creators Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, who also wrote the film that the show is based on?
HH: I mean, it’s everything. This show is literally born out of their friendship, their home, their love of Oakland and their love of family, so the show lives in the space between them and inside them. So I’ve just tried my best to soak that up and express it on film.
MF: Finally, how much were you told about your character’s full arc for this season before you began shooting? Were you given all the scripts at once, or did you only receive them before shooting the next episode?
HH: Somewhere in between. You don’t have all of them, for sure. Every show starts off wanting to do that and no show can do that. It’s just too hard because every script goes through ideas, then outlines, then first drafts, then they’re rewritten, then the showrunners look at them and then the actors look. So there’s no way to get them all. But showrunning is a really tricky job. You have to be the creative force and the administrator who makes sure things are happening on time and talks to the network, and they just did that flawlessly and I’ve seen it done by a lot of people, but never better than by the two of them. We talked through where she’s headed. I knew where it was going. I had a meeting with the writers at the beginning of the season where they asked questions and I talked about the things that I’m interested in seeing in her. So by the time we started, I knew what I needed to know about where it was going. it’s been very collaborative from the beginning. I just wanted to be sure that I could step out of my own Birkenstocks and into her Birkenstocks and believe 100% what I was doing. So they were willing to and wanting to be super collaborative about it.
(L to R) Helen Hunt and Candace Nicholas-Lippman star in Starz’s ‘Blindspotting’ season 2.
