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[D-Maximal_Primal]

I was very excited to see the trailer come out, and it did not disappoint me.

For starters, Primal is the star of the movie so far in my eyes. Perlman already is showing a much better performance than PotP, he sounds much more natural in the role. And the CGI on Primal looks good. I love his design.



The Beasts all look good, I like the beast machines/live action filter applied to the beasts, I am excited to see more of them in action.

Mirage looks like he'll have some degree of prominence. I loved that scene of the holographic duplicates, and his transformation seemed fun.

Arcee has a nice look, I like the update for the bike mode, and her visor and that last shot of her giving the "hiya" wave were good looking.

i want to see more of Wheeljack, my wife loves VW buses, and I want to see more after seeing a shot of his back.

Bee looks good, though that transformation shot looked a bit unfinished. I'm happy to see him with door wings again, a classic that I love.

I like Prime's design a little more now, though the area between window boobs and knees still looks odd and I don't like it. I like his new gun (even if it looks like Dropkicks), and I like that they gave him the 2007 face again. The faceplate mask-up scene was good looking too.

Battletrap looks good, glad to see him around a couple times.

Scourge is the one thing that I don't know how to feel about. Given his truck mode, I was hoping he'd have a more muscular look instead of that lanky look he has.

The other thing that bothers me: when Primal splashes around, nothing but him gets wet. That irks me. Hopefully the CGI is improved over the next several months, but this is also the first film not to use ILM, so we are going to be testing some new CGI with this movie. Hopefully it doesn't suck.

But overall, very positive, I am excited, it blends all the live action movies together pretty well from first appearances, and I am excited. Wife even said it looked interesting and fun, and she is not a TF fan.

[Glyph]

I don't want to judge the movie by it's trailer, but after seeing Bumblebee, this trailer is making this movie feel like a step backwards towards michael bay territory.
<snip>
I REALLY want to like Rise of The Beasts though, the designs look amazing, and the CGI looks awesome!

Yeah, I get that somewhat. Glad to see that the more panels-and-colours style of Bumblebee are largely retained over the earlier Bayverse spaghetti monsters(!), and the Maximals especially look great in beast mode. Robot mode perhaps not so much IMO - Cheetor running alongside Bee looks great but his proportions look basically like everyone else's after the cool flip, and I could barely tell that Primal had actually transformed in that rolling attack. (And I will never not be salty that that Porsche isn't Jazz!)

Still, cautiously optimistic, as Bumblebee was much better than expected and honestly the only one of the live action films I've enjoyed.

[Deadput]

Thing to note is how Transformers focused this trailer is compared to earlier movies, humans aren't even super present in it.

CGI looks rough but so did AOE's initial trailer, won't judge it till closer to the movie/final film, but the actual contents of the trailer do look exciting.

What irks me is people (on other sites) saying Mirage stole Hound's powers when in reality Mirage's original bio had his powers be more like this than purely invisibility, it's simply the cartoon that went with the invisibility interpretation to presumably be less similar to Hound.

Oh and also the traditional whiney posts (people can express their criticisms without being obnoxious) but that's par for the course in fandoms.

[william-james88]

and I could barely tell that Primal had actually transformed in that rolling attack. /quote]

I was a bit let down by that too, it didn't feel like much of a transformation and you don't get a clear sense of the bot mode. Not the big splash the movie seems to be aiming for as a trailer finale.

Is Cheetor is a little on the fat side, or is it just me?

They are taking from all aspects/versions of characters. With Cheetor, he takes quite a bit from his Beast Machines form, which was very bulky at the top in some depictions.

[william-james88]

We thank Sabrblade for letting us know of some more Transformers Rise of the Beasts movie news. Not only did we get a trailer today but we also got a list of the voice cast. And there is an original voice actor from the Beast Wars show in the mix, David Sobolov. While he played Depthcharge in the original show, he will play both Rhinox and Battletrap in the film. Rhinox is rumoured to have very few lines but Battletrap seems quite prominent in the trailer. And we now know that Scourge, who can be seen maiming Bumblebee in the trailer, will be voiced by none other than Peter Dinklage. We also have news that a character called Stratosphere will be in the film. There is no confirmation yet on whether or not this is the same plane character from the Bayverse toyline or not. The info comes from Deadline, check the full list of names below.

https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1598365576442744835

EXCLUSIVE: A slew have just boarded Paramount’s upcoming ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ including Peter Dinklage (as the voice of Scourge), Liza Koshy (as the voice of Arcee), John DiMaggio (as the voice of Stratosphere) and more https://t.co/UOLLPnkEFm

https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1598367999445987328

Also joining the #TransformersRiseoftheBeasts cast is:
David Sobolov (as Rhinox/Battletrap)
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (as Nightbird)
Cristo Fernández (as Wheeljack)
Tobe Nwigwe (as Reek)
https://t.co/R4fy6SvG1i

[First-Aid]

Can we all take a moment to appreciate that, in ONE DAY, we got trailers for Transformers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny? I'd call that a good day.

[Deadput]

There was rumors from on-set stuff that a character or set called "Stratosphere" was in the film, I don't remember the details since it was months ago but from what I recall I think it was related to a big plane or something like that.

So it's possible that Stratosphere is how the Autobots get to Peru in the film but that's just speculation.


Anyways it's nice to see David Sobolov get a presumably more notable role after Bumblebee with the brief but good performance he had as Blitzwing.

I wonder if this "Reek" is the same or a different character from the Crescent character in the toyline.

[william-james88]

Can we all take a moment to appreciate that, in ONE DAY, we got trailers for Transformers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny? I'd call that a good day.

Yup, was a good day, but I was a bit let down by that Guardians trailer, it doesn't get me excited for the film.

[-Kanrabat-]

Peter Dinklage as Scourge?

HOW DARE HE?

Scourge is not a Dwarf, he's a giant alien robot. Why can't they cast a giant alien robot in the role?

#giantrobotrepresentationmatter

[Guillermo1790]

Ignoring the obvious unfinished CGI, the character designs look AMAZING! Being a ¨Beast Wars¨ era kid, I think the Maximals look better than expected (Cheetor, I´m waiting for your figure).

I always find so weird that the so called ¨fans¨ tend to be the more judgmental with these movies, I know they could be better, but let´s be honest, without the movies, the Transformers lore in general wouldn´t be as big as it is.

(BTW, this is my first comment ever! Even though I´ve been on Seibertron.com for years now, Hi everyone)

[muddyjoe]

Oh, for bootin' up cold! I can't believe they didn't include Rattrap!

[Rtron]

Is anyone else really disappointed that they turn into giant robotic beasts instead of proper animals? To me, it really gives me a feeling like if everyone in the 2007 movie turned into cybertronian stuff instead of actual vehicles.

[-Kanrabat-]

Is anyone else really disappointed that they turn into giant robotic beasts instead of proper animals? To me, it really gives me a feeling like if everyone in the 2007 movie turned into cybertronian stuff instead of actual vehicles.

Not at all. The are in line with IDW and Generations where they are the same size as the other bots. Because if not, what tiny tiny beasty bots can do against giants?

[-Kanrabat-]

without the movies, the Transformers lore in general wouldn´t be as big as it is.

Perfect first post and welcome!

[Rtron]

Is anyone else really disappointed that they turn into giant robotic beasts instead of proper animals? To me, it really gives me a feeling like if everyone in the 2007 movie turned into cybertronian stuff instead of actual vehicles.

Not at all. The are in line with IDW and Generations where they are the same size as the other bots. Because if not, what tiny tiny beasty bots can do against giants?

Well, answering that question could be a very interesting plot point, for example. Could make for some very cool visuals and action. Instead of just "big thing smash". Besides, size differences between bots has not been a problem in previous movies, it's not a new thing. I mean, Arcee exists and she'll clearly be a small bot. Plus, gorillas and rhinos are VERY big animals.

[Sabrblade]

The funny thing about the Maximals being human-sized instead of giant-sized, that's only ever been the case in just the original Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons (and their comic/prose spin-offs from BotCon, Dreamwave, and IDW). Virtually everything else they have ever appeared in has depicted them as giant-sized. Same with the Predacons.

The Japanese Beast Wars cartoons, Car Robots/RID 2001, RobotMasters, IDW1, the Prime Wars Trilogy, the War For Cybertron Trilogy, etc.

[First-Aid]

Can we all take a moment to appreciate that, in ONE DAY, we got trailers for Transformers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny? I'd call that a good day.

Yup, was a good day, but I was a bit let down by that Guardians trailer, it doesn't get me excited for the film.

Yeah, I agree. That one actually felt...sad. if not for the Drax hitting the kid with the dodgeball, I would have thought it was The Eternals 2

[Rtron]

The funny thing about the Maximals being human-sized instead of giant-sized, that's only ever been the case in just the original Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons (and their comic/prose spin-offs from BotCon, Dreamwave, and IDW). Virtually everything else they have ever appeared in has depicted them as giant-sized. Same with the Predacons.

The Japanese Beast Wars cartoons, Car Robots/RID 2001, RobotMasters, IDW1, the Prime Wars Trilogy, the War For Cybertron Trilogy, etc.

Well, all the more reason to make them "small" (though they averaged like 2 metres in height) again! I always liked them being "smaller" mainly because of the real animal angle, but also because of the energy saving thing, and because it made the G1 guys look more legendary and archaic in comparison. Like you were supposed to empathize with the beast warriors, and then look at the old guzzlers in awe. A bit like having a smartphone, then looking at one of those 50's supercomputers and all the work they required to operate.

[Sabrblade]

The funny thing about the Maximals being human-sized instead of giant-sized, that's only ever been the case in just the original Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons (and their comic/prose spin-offs from BotCon, Dreamwave, and IDW). Virtually everything else they have ever appeared in has depicted them as giant-sized. Same with the Predacons.

The Japanese Beast Wars cartoons, Car Robots/RID 2001, RobotMasters, IDW1, the Prime Wars Trilogy, the War For Cybertron Trilogy, etc.

Well, all the more reason to make them "small" (though they averaged like 2 metres in height) again! I always liked them being "smaller" mainly because of the real animal angle, but also because of the energy saving thing, and because it made the G1 guys look more legendary and archaic in comparison. Like you were supposed to empathize with the beast warriors, and then look at the old guzzlers in awe. A bit like having a smartphone, then looking at one of those 50's supercomputers and all the work they required to operate.

Something else of note is that Bob Forward once said that the decision to make them small wasn't fully set in stone until the final scene of "The Agenda (Part III)". Before that, their size fluctuated throughout Seasons 1-2. An example he pointed out was a shot in "Code of Hero" where Dinobot overlooks the human valley being attacked by the Predacons while the sun sets in the background behind him. Forward said that, in that shot, Dinobot was animated as being 30 feet tall.

[Rtron]

The funny thing about the Maximals being human-sized instead of giant-sized, that's only ever been the case in just the original Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons (and their comic/prose spin-offs from BotCon, Dreamwave, and IDW). Virtually everything else they have ever appeared in has depicted them as giant-sized. Same with the Predacons.

The Japanese Beast Wars cartoons, Car Robots/RID 2001, RobotMasters, IDW1, the Prime Wars Trilogy, the War For Cybertron Trilogy, etc.

Well, all the more reason to make them "small" (though they averaged like 2 metres in height) again! I always liked them being "smaller" mainly because of the real animal angle, but also because of the energy saving thing, and because it made the G1 guys look more legendary and archaic in comparison. Like you were supposed to empathize with the beast warriors, and then look at the old guzzlers in awe. A bit like having a smartphone, then looking at one of those 50's supercomputers and all the work they required to operate.

Something else of note is that Bob Forward once said that the decision to make them small wasn't fully set in stone until the final scene of "The Agenda (Part III)". Before that, their size fluctuated throughout Seasons 1-2. An example he pointed out was a shot in "Code of Hero" where Dinobot overlooks the human valley being attacked by the Predacons while the sun sets in the background behind him. Forward said that, in that shot, Dinobot was animated as being 30 feet tall.

Interesting. Although they usually appeared close to other animals, and were relatively in scale with them. Maybe he was talking about an artistic thing? Because it's nuts how much they lie with sizes in-software relative to what you see on screen in 3D animation. Like, maybe they had to make Dinobot that big so that relative sizes and light looked right.

[ZeroWolf]

I'm glad they've kept the sizes relative (certainly makes life easier for Studio Series who try to keep bot modes in scale with each other). Plus it was kind of silly trying to disguise yourself as animals when disguises weren't needed. If I recall I think there was only one scene where disguising as an animal had any payoff and that was with Tigatron.

Come to think of it, animal scales didn't matter anyway in the beast wars cartoon, especially amongst the predacons.

[Rtron]

I'm glad they've kept the sizes relative (certainly makes life easier for Studio Series who try to keep bot modes in scale with each other). Plus it was kind of silly trying to disguise yourself as animals when disguises weren't needed. If I recall I think there was only one scene where disguising as an animal had any payoff and that was with Tigatron.

Come to think of it, animal scales didn't matter anyway in the beast wars cartoon, especially amongst the predacons.

I get some people prefer them as large robots. But I prefer them to be proper animals, seems like a more fun concept with more interesting questions. Plus, the movie happens during the 90's, so an animal disguise isn't useless. Logic is not like a big concern either way, since they set the movie on latin america and gave the marketing a pre-columbian american theme while the maximal cast is all african animals.

[Whifflefire]

Maximals and Predacons being small in the cartoon felt to me like an evolution of micromaster technology. The downsizing of Cybertronians had the benefit of saving energy as well as interacting with other species.

I'm assuming the ROTB Maximals will not be from the future, but contemporaries of the Autobots, so being the same size makes sense. I don't mind this at all, but I would have had them be closer to Arcee and Bumblebee in height. Seeing a cheetah dwarf a car is a bit jarring!

Ultimately, I'm less concerned about scale as I am about the quality of the film, but the trailer hints at a solid story and makes me very excited to see how they portray all of the bots. It's looking pretty good so far.

[ZeroWolf]

Time travel is supposedly in the film (if i remember correctly) so no, disguise still won't be any issue really. Only question will be, if time travel is involved, will the maximals be the autobots future? Or will they opt for a simpler solution...that the maximals are the Autobot's ancestors.

Going to be fun to see where they're going with it. I also hope things are on track with the solo beast wars movie now that DC's Blue Beetle movie has started shooting.

[Rtron]

Maximals and Predacons being small in the cartoon felt to me like an evolution of micromaster technology. The downsizing of Cybertronians had the benefit of saving energy as well as interacting with other species.

I'm assuming the ROTB Maximals will not be from the future, but contemporaries of the Autobots, so being the same size makes sense. I don't mind this at all, but I would have had them be closer to Arcee and Bumblebee in height. Seeing a cheetah dwarf a car is a bit jarring!

Ultimately, I'm less concerned about scale as I am about the quality of the film, but the trailer hints at a solid story and makes me very excited to see how they portray all of the bots. It's looking pretty good so far.

Oh, the movie being good is obviously a priority. But visuals and design is a part of that "being good", specially in action movies. "Story" is not everything. I love animals and I'm a visual guy, so those two things gave me a certain expectation or wish that this movie clearly won't deliver. Just my opinion, it's not like I'll rage over a movie, but I thought it could be an interesting point of discussion. Being a fan of Transformers toys means there's some extra expectations attached to the visual side too. Maybe I'll get what I want on Beast Wars' 35th anniversary, lol.

Edit: Hwat, there's a solo Beast Wars movie in the works? Or is it just one of those preproduction things?