Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the seventh film in the live-action film series, serving as a sequel to Bumblebee. Originally expected to be released on June 28, 2019, the film was delayed due to creative differences. Was scheduled for release on June 24, 2022, but was delayed, the new release is on June 9, 2023. Critics called the film an improvement over the pre-Bumblebee films, though the runtime received some criticism.

Summary

In the year 1994, 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 to save Earth.

Plot

The homeworld of the Maximals, an advanced race of Cybertronians with beast modes, comes under attack from the planet-eating dark god Unicron. His heralds, the Terrorcons and an army of Predacon scorpions, led by Scourge, seek to obtain for their master the Maximals' greatest piece of technology, the Transwarp Key, which can open portals through space and time. The Maximal leader Apelinq sacrifices himself to allow the other Maximals to escape the planet before Unicron devours it. Now under the command of Optimus Primal, the Maximals use the key to flee to Earth.

In 1994 Brooklyn, seven years after the events of Bumblebee, ex-military electronics expert Noah Diaz struggles to find a job to support his family, and is convinced by his friend Reek to steal a Porsche 911 to sell, only to discover that the car is the Autobot Mirage in disguise. Concurrently, museum intern Elena Wallace studies an ancient statue of a falcon bearing the Maximal symbol and accidentally breaks it open to reveal half of the Transwarp Key hidden inside. The key releases an energy pulse that is detected by Optimus Prime, who summons the other Autobots; Mirage is contacted in the middle of Noah's attempted theft, and Noah is roped into the robots' mission to recover the key so they can use it to return to their homeworld, Cybertron.

Drawn by the key's signature, the Terrorcons arrive on Earth, and Elena is caught up in the conflict when the villains attack the Autobots outside the museum. Scourge deactivates Bumblebee and steals the key half before the Maximal Airazor arrives and drives him off. Airazor explains to the Autobots that the Maximals have been hiding on Earth for thousands of years, and split the Transwarp Key in two to keep it out of Unicron's hands. Despite the danger, Optimus Prime is insistent that the key be reassembled so the Autobots can use it to return home, while Noah secretly plots to destroy the key to keep his world safe.

Elena's studies allow her to deduce that the other half of the key must be located in a hidden temple in Peru, and the group heads out aboard the rattletrap cargo plane Autobot, Stratosphere. In Peru, they meet up with locally-stationed Autobot Wheeljack, who leads them to the temple, but it is soon discovered that the other half of the key is no longer there. The Terrorcons attack once again, and the battle ends with Scourge corrupting Airazor with Unicron's dark energy. Subsequently, the Autobots meet Optimus Primal and the other Maximals, who explain that they moved the second half of the key, entrusting it to a human tribe they have worked with over the millennia. Scourge's corruption overtakes Airazor, driving her mad, and Primal is forced to kill her to save Elena. In the chaos, Noah attempts to destroy the second half of the key, but is convinced not to by Optimus. It is instead stolen by Scourge, who then reassembles the two-halves atop a volcano, erecting a tower and opening a portal above Earth through which Unicron will soon arrive.

Seeing where their self-serving motives have led them, Optimus Prime and Noah agree to work together to defeat the forces of evil. While the Autobots and Maximals battle the Terrorcons and Predacons, Noah and Elena sneak in close to the Transwarp Key, planning to deactivate it with an access code Elena has uncovered. In the battle, Mirage is gravely wounded by Scourge, but transforms his damaged body into a powered exo-suit for Noah so they can fight together. The energy pulse released by the key activates a dormant Energon deposit beneath the valley where Bumblebee was kept, which infuses his deactivated body with Energon and restores him to life, his revival turning the tide of the battle. Optimus Prime kills Scourge, but not before the latter damages the control console to prevent it from being shut down. Willing to sacrifice himself, Prime destroys the key and collapses the portal, but Noah and Primal are able to save him from being sucked into the imploding vortex.

In the aftermath of the conflict, the Autobots, now without means to return to Cybertron, proclaim Earth as their new home and vow to continue protecting it along with the Maximals. Elena receives recognition for discovering the temple in Peru while Noah attends an interview for a security job, but finds he is actually being invited to join the secret government organization G.I. Joe.

In a mid-credits scene, Noah manages to repair Mirage using junk Porsche parts from Reek, who learns that the car is a Transformer.

Cast

Autobots/Maximals

Terrorcons/Predacons

Human

Others

Autobots

Maximals

Terrorcons

Predacons

Scorponok

Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos)
Kris Diaz (Dean Scott Vasquez)
Breanna Diaz (Luna Lauren Velez)
Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback)
Jillian Robertson (Sarah Stiles)
Bishop (Aidan Devine)
Mrs. Greene (Leni Parker)
Reek (Tobe Nwigwe)
Amaru (Lucas Huarancca)

G.I. Joe

Agent Burke (Michael Kelly)

Unicron (Colman Domingo)

Quotes

"There’s a legend that precedes the dawn of our civilization: a vile god so large, so powerful, that it consumes entire planets as fuel. Few believed such a thing could be true, until the day we saw Unicron with our own eyes…"

"I'll hold him off, buy you some time."
"Then I'm staying with you."
"This is my fight. Listen, if Unicron were to get the key, he could open a portal through time and space, with no end to the worlds he could destroy. It is now your time to lead the Maximals... Optimus Primal."

"So you're this planet's... great warrior. You have such a beautiful world, filled with an abundance of life. Savory."

"Benefits, to serving the almighty Unicron."

"There's your last chance. Where is your ship."
"Destroyed. To leave you will not possible escaped... You'll never see Cybertron again. You will die here on this miserable planet."
(Optimus Prime killed Transit)[1]

"Okay, what are the rules?"
"Bros before hoes."
(sigh) "Don't be a problem. Don't go looking for a problem—"

"Or else we're gonna have a problem."

"I ain't breaking into a museum for some space robots."

"But what about for friendship?"

"Then what about for cash?"

"You can't handle the truth!"

"I do not want you going to that drive-in theater anymore."

"Stop following me!"

"I'm not following you, I'm just escaping in the same direction!"

"And you call yourself a Prime. Primus would be ashamed."

"I'm going to take back Scourge's key, and then... take off his head."

"I love your fire, Prime, but you're going to die on this speck of dust."

"I can think of no better place to bury you!"

"I am sorry, Noah."

"You were looking out for your own. I can't even be angry at you for that."

"On my homeworld, we believe that the battle with darkness will continue 'til all are one. I lost sight of that. You fought for yours as I fought for mine, when we should've been fighting the darkness together."

"Well I ain't done fighting yet."

"I have come here to kick ass!"

"Time to show you the real power of a Prime!"

"Don't, Prime. I can give you everything you want."

"Then die!"

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We have lost the Transwarp Key, and with it, our ability to go home. But we have gained an ally in our battle against the forces of evil. Forces too powerful for any of us to defeat on our own, but together, we might just have a chance."

"I am Noah Diaz. What is there to know about me? I was raised out in Brooklyn. I got a little bro who calls me Sonic, and if I gotta help save the universe in order to help save the people I love, well then that's what I'm gonna do."

Confirmed information

March 27, 2015 — Paramount Pictures negotiates with Akiva Goldsman, hiring him to create a "writer's room" with the intention of building a cinematic universe. Goldsman goes on to hire a number of writers over the next few months: Steven DeKnight (Daredevil), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man), Christina Hodson (Shut In, The Fugitive), Lindsey Beer (Dig), Zak Penn (Pacific Rim 2), Jeff Pinkner (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Lost), Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man), Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down), and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Involved in the pitching process are Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, Brian Goldner, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Don Murphy.
October 3, 2015 — During his keynote speech at the MIP Junior Conference, Allspark's Stephen J. Davis notes that the writing team has come up with film concepts for Transformers 5, 6, 7, and 8.
February 12, 2016 — At ToyFair, Hasbro reveals the projected release date of Transformers 7, along with the dates for the two preceding films.
September 23, 2017 — At Licensing Europe 2017, Hasbro announces Transformers 7 will have an "entirely new, exciting storyline".
February 16, 2018 — Hasbro clarified at Toy Fair 2018 that the film will be a reset of the franchise and has been delayed indefinitely until a new creative team is in place.
May 24, 2018 — Paramount drops the film from their release schedule.
March 15, 2019 — di Bonaventura states a sequel to Bumblebee is in development.
March 18, 2019 — di Bonaventura claims that the next main Transformers film will be a reboot closely tied to the Bumblebee sequel, rather than a direct sequel to The Last Knight. Either way, Paramount will pick the best script for Transformers 7 and release that first.
January 27, 2020 — Variety reports two Transformers films are being penned, to be produced simultaneously: one written by James Vanderbilt, another to be written by Joby Harold. Deadline reports that Vanderbilt's script is for a spin-off film based on Beast Wars, while Harold's script continues the story from the Bumblebee film.
May 2, 2020 — Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner confirms that a new Transformers live-action movie is slated to release on June 24th, 2022. However, only one between Harold's Bumblebee sequel and Vanderbilt's Beast Wars film will make it to production first.
August 21, 2020 — New Republic Pictures is announced as a new co-financier for Paramount in a ten picture deal in the wake of the success of 2019's Rocketman.
November 16, 2020 — Steven Caple Jr. is announced as the director.
January 17, 2021 — Patrick Tatopoulos is revealed as the production designer. Harold's Bumblebee sequel script is chosen for the film.
February 5, 2021 — The Illuminerdi reports that the working title for the film is "Transformers: Beast Alliance" and it will "have the flavor of a heist film".
April 1, 2021 — Anthony Ramos is in talks for a starring role.
April 29, 2021 — Dominique Fishback is in final negotiations to star in the film.
June 22, 2021 — A Paramount virtual event was held in which the movie's title, premise, and few of the characters and cast were unveiled (revealing to be both the Bumblebee and Beast Wars films in one). The film's logo and official premise were unveiled on official Transformers social media accounts.
June 28, 2021 — Ron Perlman is announced to be reprising his role as Optimus Primal from Power of the Primes. Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters are confirmed as writers, inspired by Joby Harold's earlier draft.
July 11, 2021 — Rapper Tobe Nwigwe announces on Instagram that he's been cast in the movie.
October 6, 2021 — Caple Jr. reveals the vehicle modes for the Autobot and Terrorcon cast through his Instagram account.
October 20, 2021 — Filming is completed.
October 21, 2021 — Cuscopolita reports on the vehicles with the film's Peru crew, confirming the unidentified vehicles as Wheeljack and Battletrap.
October 22, 2021 — Ramos makes a guest appearance on Hasbro Pulse Con 2021, confirming Cheetor, his favorite Beast Wars character, will be in the film.
November 10, 2021 — Paramount announces the film has been delayed to June 9, 2023.
February 15, 2022 — Paramount confirms that Rise of the Beasts will be the first entry in a trilogy of films.
October 11, 2022 — Caple Jr. reveals through Instagram that Pete Davidson is the voice of Mirage, and Michelle Yeoh is the voice of Airazor.
October 21, 2022 — Tobe Nwigwe states on an Instagram post that they are doing some re-shoots for Rise of the Beasts, including featuring his character in additional scenes.
December 1, 2022 — The official teaser trailer is released by Paramount Pictures in conjunction with São Paulo's CCXP convention, giving audiences a first glimpse of the film and its various characters, including Mirage, Arcee, Scourge and the Maximals. Multiple voice cast members are also announced.
December 2, 2022 — Jongnic Bontemps is announced as the film's score composer.
December 16, 2022 — Caple Jr. shares a clip of Peter Cullen performing on his Instagram account.
December 26, 2022 — Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal make a "guest" appearance on the 2022 Nickelodeon Nickmas NFL game, showcasing both modes and their transformations.
January 31, 2023 — Sam Smith reveals toy concept art for a new character from the film, Freezer.
February 12, 2023 — Paramount airs a 30-second TV spot detailing Mirage's Porsche 911 vehicle mode for Super Bowl LVII in collaboration with Porsche.
April 2, 2023 — During the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Final Four on CBS, Paramount aired a first-of-its-kind mixed reality TV spot that showed off Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal appearing on a 90s basketball court that transformed from the court the actual basketball match was being played on. A few brief clips from the first trailer were also shown.
April 6, 2023 — Actor Tongayi Chirisa announces on Instagram that he is the voice of Cheetor.
April 14, 2023 — To promote the film, Optimus Prime introduces Tobe Nwigwe's performance at Coachella.
April 27, 2023 - The official trailer is released by Paramount Pictures, revealing more of the movie and Unicron's role in the plot, as well as delivering a first, brief look at the Predacons.
May 6, 2023 - The first clip was showcased at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards, showing the Autobots' first interaction with the Maximals.
May 12, 2023 — The website Puliwood reveals the film's Hungarian dub cast...including the voice of Apelinq, a character that had not yet been announced to be appearing in the film.
May 27, 2023 — The film's world premiere is held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
June 5, 2023 — David Sobolov confirms on Instagram that he is also voicing Apelinq in the film.

Trivia

Rise of the Beasts is a direct sequel to 2018's Bumblebee film, taking place seven years after its events, in 1994. The plot of the film has little impact on this one, beyond it being established that the Autobots have been stranded on Earth since arriving at its end. While waiting for Noah to infiltrate the museum, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee have a conversation that alludes Bee's time with Charlie Watson.
More notably, Rise of the Beasts serves to continue the heated debate among fans that Bumblebee began over whether or not the Transformers live-action film series has been rebooted, and is now ignoring the events of the five Michael Bay-directed movies. Promotion for the film has delivered a lot of fuzzy statements and mixed-messaging, but the film has been referred to (quite adamantly, on the part of producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura) as a prequel to the 2007 film several times. Either way, it's pretty clear the decision to set the film in 1994 was one primarily made to avoid having to directly deal with the timeframe of the Bay movies in any capacity.
For what it's worth, the film takes some steps to preserve the broad continuity of at least the first Bay film; the Transwarp Key's energy is explicitly stated to operate on a frequency that humans cannot perceive, meaning that they literally cannot see the huge sky-beam or the portal. As such, the film ends with the general population of Earth (beyond secret forces within the US government) still entirely unaware of the Transformers' existence, as was the case when the 2007 film began. As the time-gap between these "prequels" and the first movie narrows, though, it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine them fitting together without a lot of hand-waving away of specific details, unless future movies actually start making active attempts to address this.
In terms of active contradictions to established continuity, Rise of the Beasts appears to take the same approach as Bumblebee and ignores the events of the final Bay film, 2017's The Last Knight, by depicting Unicron as a separate planet, rather than the Earth itself, as he appeared in that film. However, it's probably important to note that the film lightly implies that the Maximals are time-travellers from the future, which would mean that the Unicron who appears in this film is also from the future. Thus it could be argued that his appearance here doesn't technically contradict The Last Knight—but of course, that would mean he was trying to eat his own past self.
During the Final Scene of the movie, it is revealed that one of the next movies could be related to G.I. Joe, after Noah received a supposed Job offering from one of G.I. Joe’s workers/manager.
A Decepticon named Transit was a character who was planned to appear early in the film, dispatched from a Decepticon-controlled Cybertron to kill Optimus Prime, before himself being killed by Optimus and dumped into the Hudson River alongside numerous other Decepticons who have tried to do the same in the past few years. Steven Caple Jr. has indicated that the visual effects for much of the sequence were completed prior to its removal—a result of test audiences finding it too dark—and that he intends to release it as a deleted scene via the film's home media release or otherwise. The entertainment press reported that Transit was voiced by John DiMaggio for his removed appearance in the film. Despite not appearing in the final film, DiMaggio is still credited as Transit.
Earlier drafts of the film more directly referenced the events of Bumblebee, including a scene where Bumblebee shows Prime a photo he carries of himself and Charlie Watson to try and emphasize his belief that humans are good.
Multiple changes were made to the film's ending, which originally had a much darker tone like the scrapped opening. Originally, Mirage wasn't planned to survive the final battle, and Optimus would have been sucked into the portal after destroying the Transwarp Key and wind up floating in space before Unicron in the post-credits scene. Reactions by the audience in test screenings convinced Caple to change the ending to something a bit more hopeful, wanting to let the good guys get a solid win.
The Maximals are broadly depicted the same as they were in the Beast Wars cartoon: as a "highly-advanced race" of beast-mode Transformers who use transwarp technology to travel to other planets and interact with their native species, whose travels bring them to ancient Earth. Steven Caple Jr. has noted that earlier drafts of the screenplay explicitly depicted the Maximals as time-travellers from the future, as they were in the cartoon, and while the concept is so toned down for the finished movie that it probably won't even occur to general audiences, several references to the idea are still made on-screen. Transwarp technology is stated to open portals in time as well as space; Airazor states that the Maximals are "from both [the Autobots'] past and future"; and Optimus Primal says that he is named after the "legendary" Optimus Prime, which all combine to suggest that the Maximals originate from the future.
The idea of the Maximals hailing from a jungle planet originates in IDW Publishing's comic books, which depicted many Beast Wars characters as the residents of the planet Eukaris. The planet is implied to be one of many colonised by Transformers in ages past using space bridges generated by the Transwarp Key, before the planets became separated and the key "lost." This concept of a great era of Cybertronian expansion that led to the foundation of lost colonies on other planets where Cybertronian life evolved in new and different directions dates back to 2005's Cybertron cartoon, and became a recurring element in Transformers series in the 2010s and beyond after it was incorporated into the lore of the Aligned continuity.
Unicron's armies being named the "Terrorcons" hearkens back to both 2004's Energon and 2010's Prime, which both featured the power of Unicron being used to create armies of warriors known as Terrorcons. In particular, the corrupted Airazor's rusted appearance resembles the Prime Terrorcons, which were also rusted, dilapidated, shambling bots controlled by the will of another.
Though not identified by name onscreen, Unicron's army includes multiple duplicates of a robotic scorpion identified by the movie's toyline as "Predacon Scorponok." The idea of "Scorponok" being a mass-produced "species" of robots has recently been seen in the War for Cybertron cartoon, where both Generation 1 Scorponok and Beast Wars Scorponok were treated this way.
The Maximals vow to keep the Transwarp Key hidden and safeguard life "no matter the cost," evoking Optimus Prime's iconic line from The Transformers: The Movie: "Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost.
Optimus Prime's design features alterations from his earlier Bumblebee appearance that are influenced by his appearance in the first three Bay films; he has silver hands, feet, sun visors, angled chest windows, retractable orange Energon swords, a handheld orange Energon-axe (which transforms out of his arm, coincidentally similar to the Earthspark version), and a mask-less face sporting similar details. Arcee also transforms into a Ducati motorcycle, like her Revenge of the Fallen character.
Scourge combines aspects of his Generation 1, Robots in Disguise and Cybertron namesakes; he's a herald of Unicron like G1 Scourge, transforms into a black Optimus Prime-like truck like RID Scourge and hails from a colony world like Cybertron Scourge. The various insignia he wears as trophies include the symbols of the Decepticons, Autobots, Maximals, Predacons, Terrorcons, Mercenaries and Wreckers.
More obscure characters appear such as Apelinq, who originates from a BotCon 2000 toy and tie-in 3H Productions comics, and Stratosphere, returning from the Revenge of the Fallen toyline.
When Nightbird lands at the Museum following the carnage, she makes some very familiar warbling noises when she moves.
The two music tracks used in Unicron's scenes feature segments taken from Vince DiCola's "Unicron's Theme" in The Transformers: The Movie.
Scourge stands and talks to Unicron's face from inside his body, similar to a scene with their characters from the Generation 1 episode, "Ghost in the Machine".
The symbols Elena studies are Maximal Cybertronix, from the Beast Wars cartoon. The access code Elena assembles doesn't translate to anything, and simply reads "XQB," but the text on the side of the Transwarp Key (written in a combination of mirrored and upside-down symbols) reads: "He Who Opens The Door."
The authors of the paper Elena reads about Peru's unexplained glyphs are Asahi Takara and Daniel H. Tomy, a reference to TakaraTomy, Hasbro's longtime business partner in Transformers toys.
After meeting Optimus Prime for the first time, Noah incorrectly calls him "Optimal". "Optimal Optimus" is the name of the original Optimus Primal's Transmetal 2 body.
When proposing different alternate modes to Noah, Mirage briefly turns into an F1 car, a reference to his Generation 1 counterpart's alternate mode. He also turns into a Lamborghini Countach, which was famous in Transformers lore for being the alternate mode of Generation 1 Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Red Alert. He then claims that he can also turn into a Ferrari, the alternate mode of Dark of the Moon Dino, whose name in media outside of that movie was "Mirage".
Mirage is incredulous over the news that musician Mark Wahlberg is leaving his band, the Funky Bunch, and going into acting—a good-natured jab at the actor's leading role in the earlier Transformers movies, Age of Extinction and The Last Knight.
Scourge name-drops Primus as he taunts Optimus Prime, the first reference to the Transformers' creator god in any of the live-action movies.
Scourge injures Prime's left flank in the museum battle, which mirrors the injuries Megatron gave to the original Optimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie. Prime even grasps the wound in the same way his predecessor did.
Airazor explains that Unicron imbues his heralds with a "dark energy," which increases their power, but also has a corrupting effect—almost certainly a reference to Dark Energon, the life-energy of Unicron introduced in the Aligned continuity.
Unicron psychically tortures Scourge from afar in the same way he did Galvatron in The Transformers: The Movie.
When Optimus Primal talks to Optimus Prime about how the Maximals trust the humans, he says there's "more to them than meets the eye".
Optimus states the Cybertronian belief that "the battle with darkness" will continue: "'Til all are one." This phrase, and the idea of a day prophesied in Cybertron legend when it will come to pass, originates with The Transformers: The Movie, and is here used to thematically connect with the shared struggle of the Autobots, Maximals, and humans.
When the Autobots and the Maximals are lining up for the final battle, brown fins briefly pop out of the sides of Wheeljack's head, evoking his Generation 1 design.
As the heroes charge towards the Terrorcon army, Optimus Primal commands Rhinox and Cheetor to "Maximize!", which was the Maximal activation code from the Beast Wars cartoon.
Optimus Primal briefly fights with his double bladed scimitar from his original toy.
In the final battle, when Unicron sends an army of Freezers to reinforce his minions on Earth, they make their descent in the form of yellow-and-black orbs, which appears to be a nod to Unicron's Mini-Con from Armada, the yellow-and-black sphere, Dead End.
The armored suit Mirage forms over Noah is conceptually an homage to the Generation 1 exosuits, while its overall design hews closer to Kicker Jones' battlesuit from Energon.
In a glorious homage to the 2007 movie, the musical highlight of Steve Jablonsky's "Arrival to Earth" plays as Optimus, Noah, and Primal escape the collapsing transwarp portal's suction.
Optimus Prime's final speech is set to a remixed version of the track "No Sacrifice, No Victory" from the 2007 movie's score, which was also reprised for the endings of Revenge of the Fallen and The Last Knight.
G.I. Joe and Transformers have frequently crossed over in comics and the occasional toyline over the years, though this marks the first time the two have co-existed in a feature film. Notably, the G.I. Joe insignia on Burke's business card is the version introduced in the film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
When Reek and Noah are repairing Mirage at the end of the film, Reek says "Even Stevens," a possible allusion to Shia LaBeouf, who starred in the leading role in the first three Transformers movies and prior to that starred as the main character in the Disney Channel sitcom Even Stevens.
A TV screen briefly shows news coverage of the O.J. Simpson white Ford Bronco car chase, which places the events of the film near June 17, 1994.
Throughout the film, Noah and Kris use the codenames "Sonic" and "Tails" (and in one instance, Mirage is referred to as "Knuckles"), a nod to the characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog videogame series.
Kris wears a shirt of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, another property owned by Hasbro. A poster of said series also appears on his wall.
Kris is heard playing Super Mario Bros. on his Game Boy. However, the "you died!" music and mention of Bowser implies that Kris is playing Super Mario Bros. on his Game Boy, that game wouldn't see a release on the system until 1999's Super Mario Bros. Deluxe on the Game Boy Color. The only Mario platformers released for Game Boy by 1994 were the Super Mario Land games, which featured different antagonists and music.
Kris attempts to comfort Noah after his unsuccessful interview by relating his struggle to Superman's difficulty finding a job before being hired by the Daily Planet.
When Mirage compliments Noah after the car chase, he quotes the line "I like it a lot" from Dumb and Dumber. Similarly, Mirage quotes a line from Dumb and Dumber, a film that would not release until December 1994.
Noah calls Mirage E.T. for obvious reasons. He also makes a reference to Indiana Jones when discovering the hidden temple in Peru.
Bumblebee drops various voice lines from famous real-life films throughout the whole movie, including Die Hard, Spaceballs, A Few Good Men and Scarface.
Elena sings the TLC song "Waterfalls" to calm herself during the flight to Peru. Assuming the film takes place in the summer, as implied by the aforementioned coverage of the O.J. Simpson chase, it would still be a few months until the November 1994 release of the album CrazySexyCool, which the song first appeared on.
When meeting Primal, Elena brings up the Nazca Lines, asking if the Maximals were responsible for creating them. In this case, however, Primal takes no credit for human ingenuity.
Mirage calls Optimus Primal "Donkey Kong".
At the end of the film, Elena appears on the CBS news program 60 Minutes; host Lesley Stahl makes a cameo appearance as herself during the segment.
The award on the wall that serves as the hidden switch to access the G.I. Joe base reads "Real Hero Award" with the image of an American flag, referencing the subtitle of the original G.I. Joe cartoon series: "A Real American Hero".
Arcee and Wheeljack both have distinctively different voices than in Bumblebee, Optimus Prime however still maintains his voice by Peter Cullen.
Both Arcee and Wheeljack also are in new alternate modes without any Explanation.
Brawn, Ratchet and Ironhide are never seen or mentioned.
When Scourge kills Apelinq, he welds his Maximal insignia to his right shoulder, but throughout the rest of the film, Apelinq's insignia is gone. In the same scene, Scourge says "They never learn...", but his mouth is not moving.
When Reek yells down the street as Noah and Kris depart, his dialogue does not match his lips.
A green car that was smashed and thrown in the Museum scene was a B5.5 Volkswagen Passat which would not be released until 2001.
After Scourge incapacitates Bumblebee, he plucks his Autobot badge off with a normal left hand. In the following shot, however, his left hand is transformed into his giant claw and he is no longer holding the badge.
When the Autobots arrive at Cusco, they land at the citadel of Sacsayhuamán, an Inca fortress on the northern outskirts of the city, and the site is deserted. Even on a normal day, it should be crawling with tourists, but the Autobots are specifically said to arrive during the Inti Raymi festival... whose central activity is a recreation of an Inca ceremony at Sacsayhuamán.
The doors that go onto Wheeljack's back are unmarked brown in the scene of him transforming from van mode, but feature text on them in the very next cut where he is in robot mode.
When Wheeljack audibly gasps at Noah assuming he can speak Spanish, his mouth is not moving.
During the chase out of Cusco, when Optimus Prime reaches the bend, the Terrorcons are very close behind him. However, when he transforms into robot mode, they are suddenly much further back.
When Wheeljack is recovering from being attacked by Rhinox, his mouth is not moving as he says "Ay-ay-ay."
As the heroes are walking through the jungle, the scene cuts to Elena while she is saying "So, what are you?", which does not match her lips.
The fight with the brainwashed Airazor takes place at Machu Picchu, which nobody is witness to, as again it is completely deserted. It should be crawling with tourists, the staff that works at the site, the guests and staff of the lodge located right next to the complex, or the population of the town of Aguas Calientes at the base of the mountain.
When Scourge walks away with the second half of the key, his left arm switches from the claw to the cannon between shots.
From the time Bumblebee acquires his offroad Camaro, his wheels are inconsistent between his robot and vehicle modes, with some shots showing his normal Camaro's wheels instead of the offroad ones. It is most visible for the wheels on his shoulders.
Elena audibly whimpering in Bumblebee as he drives through hoards of Freezers does not match her lips.
The promo for 60 Minutes uses the program's contemporary imaging, including the use of the current CBS News logotype above that of the show.
Oddly enough, but Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is similar a bit to Avengers: Endgame especially in terms of the final battle and time travel.
- This isn't the first time that in Transformers movies has some similar elements in plot from a MCU, most notably Transformers: Age of Extinction which shares some similar plot elements to Avengers: Age of Ultron, not to mention a both the movies titles.

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Promotional

Trailers

Foreign names

Japanese: Transformers/Beast Kakusei (トランスフォーマー/ビースト覚醒 Toransufōmā Bīsuto Kakusei, "Transformers: Beast Awakening")
German: Transformers: Aufstieg der Bestien (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts)