This movie barely rises above the lamer Michael Bay efforts.
When you think Transformers these days, you usually think of them in one of two ways – either Michael Bay's over-the-top live-action efforts (which, thankfully, will have some form of new direction next year) or the Transformers Prime series, which caters to the old-school fan while, at the same time, delivering a boost with a new animation style. Nothing beats hearing Peter Cullen really dig in his acting chops here, compared to just reading typical lines in a Bay-approved script.
For Predacons Rising, which serves as a quasi end-game to the Autobots/Decepticons squabble (but it really isn't because, hey, season three of Prime is still going strong), the animators decided to go with a bit of a story that delves into the past, as Unicron, the main villain from the 1984 Transformers animated film (remember that?), makes a return as part of a Decepticon resurrection, with some help from Starscream and Soundwave. The Predacons also get involved, though in a way that the story doesn't really make sense. You'll still be scratching your head trying to figure out what the Predaking is all about.
It's decent action for those who don't mind it in the Transformers sort of way, but I was somewhat disappointed by the story. Furthermore, even with Prime and a number of familiar characters about – including Bumblebee and Arcee – it just never really "grips" you. It relies more on the action side of things, which, in one form or another, relates it to the live-action dud Revenge of the Fallen. And yes, it was a dud. Thankfully, this version is free of robot testicles. Whew.
What could've served as a genuine wrapper-upper for the Transformers Prime series is instead somewhat of a letdown, a movie that'll pass the time, but may be instantly forgotten the second it's over. That makes it a better rental than a purchase, and even then you might want to consider just watching the old TV episodes instead. Granted, if you need a Blu-Ray fix (it's on DVD as well), you could do worse than this. It just…needed to be something more.
