The latest Transformers reboot hit theaters last summer and the reviews were a mixed bag. In fact, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts put the franchise back in rotten tomatoes territory. Rise of the Beasts is a massive step up from most of Michael Bay’s films as it isn’t just non-sensical action porn for two-plus hours. However, one lingering issue is that the brand keeps focusing on the wrong set of characters: Humans.
Reviewers have made it clear that they’re the weakest link in the latest entry, but it isn’t just an issue that’s plagued the current film. It’s been a problem since the first Transformers movie. Audiences pay their ticket to see the robots they grew up idolizing in their childhood. Humans do have value in the Transformers world, but the series needs to stop making these characters the focal point of the series.
It’s Been Proven In The Past That Audiences Can Identify With Characters That Aren’t Human
The Lion King is dominated by animals. So is Bambi, Babe, and Zootopia; the list goes on and on about films that choose to focus on animals instead of humans. Granted, this is animation, so the typically majestic and vibrant world works better with animals at the forefront. However, one of the best modern reboots mainly features animals: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.
The entire trilogy focused on Caesar and the dominant species navigating a post-apocalyptic world. There were humans in each of the films, but they were never the main draw. Caesar was the main protagonist and with each passing film, his character developed with social themes such as the dangers of us vs. them, the clash of culture and ideologies, and the destructive nature of revenge. The key factor is tapping into the human element that audiences can identify with. Caesar was able to love, pain, sorrow, and anger in an organic and perfectly fleshed-out manner. This is why the Planet Of The Apes reboot was so brilliant. It tackled complex themes that mirrored reality, yet the scope of a different perspective documenting the world.
The Transformers Themselves Needs To Be The Focus
This is what Transformers needs to be. The Transformers mythology is certainly a unique concept that should be explored. However, that should come from the perspective of Optimus Prime (or Optimus Primal in Rise of the Beasts) and his misfit band of robots. The reason the franchise feels so stale is because these characters never evolve.
The tired formula of, “Humans come in contact with transformers who racing to save Earth from a catastrophic war caused by a group of evil Transformers,” limits the stories that the franchise can tell because there’s only so many times you can originally rehash the same story.
It’s not a personal one that dives deep into Optimus Prime or his cohorts. Granted, Transformers is supposed to be an action/adventure series so something deep and philosophical shouldn’t be expected. However, the Planet Of The Apes reboot benefitted from its grounded approach to storytelling. There’s action, but the main conflict comes from the drama surrounding Caesar trying to keep himself and his family alive in a post-apocalyptic world. The Transformers need to develop so it feels like we’re watching something new every time.
The Humans Don’t Serve Much Of A Purpose
It’s okay to have humans in the Transformers films. However, they don’t serve much of a purpose to the overall lore of the series. The status quo for these characters does change once they meet a transformer. However, any dimension and growth from these robots are halted because the focus is on the humans. The human characters in Rise of the Beasts are better written, but if you take them out of the film then it would’ve served the story better as well.
Focusing on the transformers and their rivals would allow us to get a better understanding of the mythology and go beyond them being robots who can deliver incredible action sequences. More importantly, it would severely cut down the needlessly long run times of these films. Transformers should be straight and to the point. Of course, character development and other storytelling beats are important. On the other hand, human characters are not vital to the series. They don’t serve much of a purpose and these films would be so much better if that element of the series was dropped.
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