During the early 90s, Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge yet. When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction of Transformers known as the Maximals, led by Optimus Primal, to save Earth. Planet eater, Unicron, sends his Terracons and Predacons, led by the treacherous, Scourge, to obtain the Transwarp key. It is a device that can open portals in space-time, which Unicron will use to travel to as many planets as he wants for devouring. The Autobots also want the key so they can get to their home, Cybertron and will fight against the forces of evil for it. I enjoyed this new instalment in the live-action Transformers movie franchise, but it isn't part of the first 5 Bay-verse films. It follows on from the reboot story of the Bumblebee (2018) movie, where Rise of the Beasts continues the story of the Autobots residing on Earth in the year 1994 since the previous adventure, during 1987. With time having passed, the Autobots want nothing more than to get back home after having been trapped on the planet for so long, despite only intending to use it as a base to regroup. However, once the key is activated, it becomes a race to claim the device before the enemy uses it to bring about Earth, and their home's destruction. I loved seeing the Autobots again in their iconic G1 style we caught a glimpse of in the previous film. There have been some changes, especially with characters like Wheeljack, whose design has drastically changed, and I want to say for the worse, as I preferred his last look, which was more accurate and honestly perfect. Every other character looks fine and extremely cool with my favourite new addition being Mirage, who gets some of the most screen time. His ability to self-duplicate with holograms is brilliant both in terms of practicality and appearance. He is also the funniest character and delivers some great comic relief whilst remaining a helpful ally in times of need. I was so happy to see Bumblebee again after the last movie now dawning his Chevy Camaro look. I appreciate the acknowledgement of his experiences in the last feature however, I was disappointed that he wasn't in this a lot. He comes into play much heavier in the final 3rd where he steals the show with some phenomenal moments. The biggest highlight from B was his arrival to the final battle where he lept out of the plane in a sequence that had me grinning instantly. I could understand his departure since he had his own one already, but it was still a shame. I equally liked Optimus Prime's design and that we get to see him undertake quite a bit of development. His demeanour to humans is drastically different to the one we are familiar with in the early Bay movies, only caring for his people until he works with humans Noah and Elena, but also, the way the Maximals have befriended and trusted people, even with their most prized possession. Speaking of the Maximals, they make their debut in live-action pictures following their show Beast Wars: Transformers (TV Series 1996-1999), which I hadn't seen at the time of watching this. Although we don't spend much time with them (and even when we do), it is with a selective amount, with other members taking the limelight till the final battle, which they are pretty awesome in. Another returning concept was the planet killer himself, Unicron, who first appeared in The Transformers: The Movie (1986) He looked simply magnificent. His depiction felt like it was lifted straight from the film and it was a true sight to behold, but alas, he bearly made an appearance leaving me very disappointed. I absolutely adored the final 3rd of this flick, which is where it truly shines with that huge battle full of explosive action. Seeing the robots transform during their fights was insane and had beautiful special effects present. Overall, I had lots of fun with this latest Transformers outing. Knowing what the other movies entailed helped me prepare for what I was getting into, making this viewing more entertaining. I will never grow tired of seeing giant space robots duking it out. If only they would lose some of these human elements. Definitely not a bad addition to the franchise, but not one of the best.
Ray Tango and Gabriel Cash are narcotics detectives who, while both being extremely successful, can't stand each other. Crime Lord Yves Perret, furious at the loss of income that Tango and Cash have caused him, frames the two for murder. Caught with the murder weapon at the scene of the crime, the two have no alibi. Thrown into prison with most of the criminals they helped convict, it appears that they are going to have to trust each other if they are to clear their names and catch the evil Perret. I adore this cheesy 80s buddy cop movie. There are plenty of aspects to love like: the hilarious comedy, the all-out action sequences and the overwhelming amount of fantastic quippy dialogue. The buddy cop sub-genre was clearly at its peak during the 1980s with multiple brilliant variants out there, such as Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Dragent (1987), Lethal Weapon (1987), Running Scared (1986) and many more. They are easily identifiable with the frequently played sax music alongside some epic synth riffs, crazy hairdos, muscular men, extreme action segments full of explosions and, of course, that sweet hysterical banter. This film takes the cake by combining them all into this perfect product of this genre. Both Tango and Cash are the best of the best but have different ways of doing things. Tango is more to the book in terms of how he works and acts whilst still kicking ass with his incredible shooting, whereas Cash is more carefree in regards to some of the rules, always cracking jokes and frequently showing love for his weapons. The two don't get along, however, since they both see themselves as the better cop, best seen in one of my favourite pieces of dialogue, Tango (directed at Cash): "I hear you're the second best cop in L.A." followed by Cash's reply, "That's funny, I hear the same thing about you." That snippet from one of their snarky remarks is only an inkling of the phenomenal banter these two share throughout this action-packed thriller. From the get-go, we are shown both of their skills as cops, from Tango's takedown of a cocaine shipment to Cash's survival from a hitman. They are great at their jobs, but taking down so many criminals and completing many busts is likely to cause problems in the long run, which finally comes back to bite them. The problem with having captured so many criminals, it makes figuring out who has set them up much harder, with there being so many possible candidates. Their main antagonist, Perret is a superb villain whose plan to get back at the two detectives was well thought out and came astronomically close to succeeding. After setting them up and getting them in court, Perret bribed different members to ensure their conviction, where they are then 'accidentally' sent to the wrong prison. Once in confinement, the movie becomes a prison break, which is full of cool sequences. We see the two battle inmates (including that guy with the huge chin, which is impressively big!), continue to throw about some jokes and escape in a very tense fashion leaving you on the edge of your seat. Upon their narrow, yet successful, escape the two go separate ways to find the people who put them away to get answers as to who is the mastermind behind it all. Upon collecting much information Cash looks for Tango through his sister, Kiki, who helps bring them together. Kiki's dance scene at the club where Cash finds her is a memorable one as they play the song 'Don't Go' by Yazoo, which is a fabulous tune and an iconic part of this film. The final confrontation to take on Perret is simply packed with explosive conflict as the two cops drive in their armoured prototype "RV from Hell". It is an instant highlight for me as they battle it out, all guns blazing, jumping through flames and crashing into stuff. The fight against Perret and his top goons was also exciting and dangerous with some clever tactics on display as they take them all on. Overall, I had an unbelievable blast with Tango & Cash. It's one of those movies that knows its audience and goes all out. Anyone looking for some witty humour, high-stakes action and an overwhelming dose of the 80s will be pleasantly content with this crime thriller. A rollercoaster of fun worth viewing.
