We’re just days away from the big theatrical release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, but there’s one question that remains in the air: is it a prequel or a reboot?
I think we all remember Michael Bay’s brilliant introduction of the Transformers franchise to the world of cinema. We are talking about a film 16 years back that revolutionized the industry with its incredible effects and a story with a lot of heart and weight. Thus, the first installment was followed by four more sequels. Bumblebee and Optimus Prime showed the world that the Autobots had been on Earth for centuries.
Will the answer to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts be a prequel or a reboot has already been revealed
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the most recent premiere the Transformers franchise will have, as well as marking its return. However, there are some problems with regards to the interpretation of the said premonitions’ continuity of the said universe. For many, the main question to be answered with Rise of the Beasts is whether the films are connected as a whole, or just a theatrical reboot of the more recent franchise. But years ago, the answer to this question was found in the film Bumblebee released in 2018.
The saga, directed by Michael Bay, established the uniqueness of the Autobots and Decepticons’ relationship with planet Earth. At that time it was established that aliens had arrived on Earth around 1800. On the other hand, Transformers 5 or The Last Knight established that Cybertronians have fought alongside humans since the Middle Ages. Even more interestingly, Bumblebee even went on to fight in World War II. But The Last Knight also contrasted with 2007’s Transformers, which stated that the Autobots had just arrived on Earth.
Then came the Bumblebee tapes which confused fans even more, as he apparently did not fight alongside American soldiers and his arrival dates back to the 1980s. So for most it turns out that Bumblebee was just the beginning of a new continuity away from the Michael Bay saga. The most obvious sign that this is a new continuity is the G1 design that was introduced for Autobots like Optimus and Ironhide.
Despite the fact that this is clearly a new universe, there are some aspects that still cause confusion as to how it differs from the Michael Bay saga. The most obvious is that the Bumblebee was changed back to the Camaro as it was in 2007. This has since become a signature trait of the character and will remain so in Rise of the Beasts.
While debate continues about whether the new Transformers movies are tied to the previous films, it seems clear that a new continuity was established with Bumblebee a few years back. Said film may not have achieved great success, but ironically, its importance became apparent as it established a new era of Transformers. All this, before the premiere of Rise of the Beasts.
