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| From left, actors Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and Tobe Nwigwe attend the "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" world premiere event at Marina Sands Bay in Singapore, Friday. Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
"Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," the seventh installment of the long-running "Transformers" franchise, continues to raise the bar with epic stunts and action sequences.
A sequel to the 2018 film "Bumblebee," the new live-action film is set in the 1990s with two humans ― ex-military electronics expert Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) and artifact researcher Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) ― finding themselves caught up in a war between the Autobots and the Decepticons.
"While 'Bumblebee' existed in 1987, this ('Transformers: Rise of the Beasts') is the progression to 1994. What's been exciting is that characters can be different in 1994 than they were in 2007 (the year the first film takes place). We were able to give the universe a new feeling amongst the characters," the film's producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura told Korean reporters during an online press conference for the film, Friday.
"Creed II" director Steven Caple Jr., who was tapped to direct "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," said he felt a lot of pressure when creating the film and bringing it to life to the big screen.
"From design, personality to what the fans really love in cartoon-based works, I wanted to make sure we felt some of that in a live-action film. But we knew the storyline was going to adjust a little bit. So doing that allowed me some creative flexibility," he said.
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| A scene from the film "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment |
The director and the cast teased a huge battle scene at the end of the film, where the Autobots, Maximals and humans are finally fighting together.
"It will blow your mind. The fighting style of each robot matches their personality. The way Rhinox fights, the way Optimus Primal fights, and how Cheetor is agile with its movements reflects their personalities. We are very specific on how each robot or transformer can fight in the battle which we take great pride in," the director said.
"A moment I would like the people to watch is the final battle. I was rehearsing with stunt teams on Saturdays and we were going over fight sequences. It was fun but very challenging," Ramos said.
On joining the popular franchise as lead actor, Ramos said, "It feels amazing. When I got this part, I was surprised, happy and excited. I've been a fan of this franchise my whole life, and to be part of something you've been a fan of doesn't happen often."
He recalled the toughest moment was shooting in the jungle and dealing with wild and potentially deadly animals. "I've never experienced heat like that in my life. I almost fainted and fell into the water," he said.
Asked about the possibility of further sequels, producer di Bonaventura said it depends on how the audience reacts to "Transformers 7."
"Each time we take time to do a 'Transformers' movie, it's so big, so hard and challenging to do one movie well. We don't think about what's the next movie. Also, the audience has to really like it to allow us to make another movie. While Steven and I have talked about ideas of where we could go, they're just ideas," he said.
"Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" will hit local theaters on June 6.
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