Fans can roll out and buy or rent Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on digital from Paramount Home Entertainment today! We get to watch as our favorite characters once again switch from vehicle to humanoid in all their mechanical awesomeness. Now, with the Rise of the Beasts, we get to watch Maximals (cool large mechanical animals) also change from beast to hunanoid in an effort to save the universe from the ultimate bad guys Scourge and Unicron.

Those who purchase the film on Digital can immerse themselves in the world of Transformers with over an hour of thrilling bonus content. Take a deeper look at the Aurobots, Maximals, and Terrorcons, as well as the humans at the center of the film. See how filmmakers recreated 90s New York City through incredible set design, music, and fashion. Go behind-the-scenes of the eye-popping action, from the edge-of-your seat car chase on the streets of New York City to the mesmerizing battle on the mountains of Machu Picchu, Peru. Plus, check out deleted and extended scenes not seen in theatres. Bonus content is detailed below:

• Human Affairs— In a world of robots, machines, and aliens, we explore the humans who help save the world.
• Life in the 90s— The filmmakers discuss how the music, set design, fashion, and cultural references transport viewers to New York in the 90s.
• Heroes— Get an inside look at the inspiration and thought process behind designing the AUTOBOTS and the MAXIMALS.
• Villains—Watch as the filmmakers bring the TERRORCONS and PREDACONS to life.
• The Chase— Meet MIRAGE, a new AUTOBOT that converts into a 1993 Porsche, and experience the adrenaline-filled car chase through New York City.
• The Battle of Ellis Island— Join the cast and crew as they go behind-the-scenes of the epic battle sequence between the AUTOBOTS and the TERRORCONS at the museum.
• Into the Jungle— The TRANSFORMERS franchise has been filmed all over the globe. This time, join the cast and crew as they explore the new and exotic location of Peru.
• The Switchback Attack— Witness the wild, intense driving sequences filmed on location in Peru where the AUTOBOTS fight the TERRORCONS through a town square and into the mountains 15,000 feet up.
• The Final Conflict— Get a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s epic climax. Watch as the AUTOBOTS, MAXIMALS, Noah, and Elena attempt to save the world.
• Extended/Deleted Scenes—Includes an alternate opening and ending to the film!

If you want a copy of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, grab it from Amazon.com (affiliate link)

I got the chance to review Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and here is what I thought.

Warning: SPOILERS BELOW!

After the Transwarp Key is split and hidden on opposite ends of the Earth, The Maximals set into their roles of defenders as they watch over their assigned pieces. However, when Elena discovers a piece while investigating a weird statue decorated in unknown symbolism, the Autobots, Maximals, humans, and Terrorcons collide into a race for the greatest piece of machinery known to the universe. With the Transwarp Key, the Autobots could find their way home or the Terrorcons could call Unicron (the planet eater) to our universe.

With massive reservations and reluctance, Optimus Prime accepts the help of Noah and Elena to help find the second piece in Peru and save his team from the unbearable exile they face on Earth. However, knowing that Optimus Prime only wants to help his kind, Noah seeks to destroy the second piece to prevent Unicron from ever entering the universe and destroying his family and his home-world; thus stranding Optimus and his team on Earth forever.

Honestly, this type of story arc is well known in the movie world.

1. Bad guys beat up heroes,
2. Unlikely heroes combine their abilities to go on a quest to save the world,
3. Bad guys follow heroes,
4. Once heroes get the desired items, bad guys attack,
5. Bad guys recover item and call in the ultimate bad guy
6. Unlikely heroes combine their powers to beat bad guys saving the world a split second before destruction.

In my opinion the story arc is over used, predictable, and a bit boring. This type of arc often leads to a Story-Breaker Power trope, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, unfortunately, falls into the trap. No matter what, there is always an even greater enemy until you get to the godlike villain Unicron. Once we hit that godlike villain, there really isn’t any more the director can give us and we are stuck watching ultimate power being defeated by a peon…somehow. At this point, I would love to see a new story arc, a new direction in the franchise world.

Story-Breaker Power also comes into play with the standard villains. At times in the film they are overpowered, literally killing anything and everything that gets in their way, stating “rip the flesh from their bones.” At other times the villains seem almost reserved, hiding from humans. The Terrorcons have proven they have no regard for human life, which makes the viewer question why they don’t just fly into action and destroy a town in order to retrieve the second piece of the Transwarp Key. I mean, Unicron will eat the world, who cares about the Peruvian town?

While the story is a bit passé, there are fun scenes within the film. For example, the first car chase, featuring Mirage and Noah running from the cops, is hilarious and fun to watch. It has a lot of action happening in a short time with hilarious comedy as Noah tries to direct a self-driving car. Mirage also enacts his power to create mirage copies of himself to confuse the cops, allowing them to escape in the most epic way possible.

The fun scenes would be nothing without some amazing graphics, and the graphics in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts are out of this world. Every gear and slab of metal has a movement and a reason for that movement. From the explosions, to the transforming abilities of both Autobots and Maximals, it all makes sense. The team that analyzes and studies each animal and car for the perfect graphic movements deserves a raise. I especially love what they did with Airazor’s beak. It is one of the coolest mechanized pieces in the film. Every time she talked my eyes went straight to the beak.

In a way, the graphic and fun scenes make up for the over-done story line and Story-Breaker Power trope problem. If the viewer puts the story arc aside, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a fun film to watch. There is a bit of comedy for the fans to enjoy along with the epically done graphics. Basically, my review comes down to one quick sentence. I love the graphics and dislike the story arc. I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars

To celebrate the release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on digital from Paramount Home Entertainment, we have an epic activity pack featuring our favorite characters from the film. With 56 pages of activities and coloring pages, this printable PDF has enough activities for the whole family. The Activity pack includes:

• 2 Mazes
• 29 coloring pages
• 4 How to draw
• On the Hunt (make a path)
• 2 Squares game (dots)
• 2 Check the code
• spot the difference
• 2 Connect the dots
• 2 Word scramble
• 2 Word Warrior
• Follow the path
• 3 Puzzle
• 3 Tic-Tac-Toe
• 2 Finish the scene

To get the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts printable activity pack, click the iage below and download the PDF to your computer. Then print and create for ours of fun!