Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts: The Mirage Detail That Makes No Sense
Contains spoilers for "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"
"Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" is a good blend of what people enjoyed about the Michael Bay "Transformers" movies while pushing things in a new direction. Part of that new direction entails the introduction of some new transforming robot aliens. Audiences will always expect to see Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) front and center, but casual "Transformers" fans get introduced to the villainous Scourge (Peter Dinklage) and the laid-back Mirage (Pete Davidson).
Mirage actually takes a liking to the humans right away, putting him at odds with his commander for jeopardizing their existence on Earth. He's also not the one to give epic speeches, instead opting to act pretty much like Pete Davidson in real life. He's funny and charming, making Noah (Anthony Ramos) feel more at ease upon learning that not only do aliens exist, but they have the power to turn into Porsches.
But Mirage and Noah bond over more than their desire to save the planet. Mirage constantly references pop culture despite the fact the Autobots were supposed to be incognito all this time. So how exactly did he learn that Mark Wahlberg was leaving the Funky Bunch?
Mirage doesn't really follow advice
As evidenced by 2018's "Bumblebee," the Autobots have been on Earth for a while with the mission to stay hidden until they can find a way to get back to Cybertron. They obviously don't reveal their true forms to just anybody based on Optimus Prime's reaction to seeing Noah when Mirage brought him to their meeting. Since they've had to be lowkey all this time, it begs the question of how Mirage has learned so much about American pop culture.
At one point, he references the Tom Hanks film "Big," and when the topic of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" comes up, he says, "E.T.? That little ugly guy in the basket?" He also directly quotes "Dumb and Dumber" with "I like that. I like it a lot." But he's not just a movie buff as he brings up Wu-Tang Clan and seems genuinely distraught at the thought of Marky Mark leaving the Funky Bunch. These references likely exist to take advantage of the fact the film is set in 1994, bringing up things people in the early '90s would talk about.
But it's not like Optimus Prime or Arcee (Liza Koshy) constantly talk about pop culture. They've naturally stayed hidden all this time, and Mirage should have done the same. Even if he knows about Wu-Tang from listening to the radio, he can't exactly stroll into a Blockbuster to rent "Big." And he must have seen it as opposed to hearing someone else talk about it because he uses it in context. So what happened here?
Did Mirage go to the drive-in movie theater with Bumblebee?
Mirage isn't the only Autobot that speaks in movie references. Bumblebee also takes direct quotes from movies, but that's because he lost his voicebox in his self-titled film. He has to talk that way, and at one point in "Rise of the Beasts," Optimus Prime tells him, "I don't want you going to that drive-in theater anymore." Bumblebee's penchant for sneaking out is obviously well-known to his fellow Autobots, so it wouldn't be out of the question for Mirage to tag along to learn more about Earth culture.
This is actually pretty in character for Mirage. He clearly doesn't care about the rules too much, seeing how he brought Noah to the secret Autobot meeting at the beginning of the film. Other Autobots may take the mission seriously by remaining hidden at all costs, but Mirage wants to have some fun while they're stuck on this other world for the time being.
One way or another, Mirage has learned a great deal about pop culture, which works well for Pete Davidson's comedic sensibilities. If "Rise of the Beasts" gets a sequel, it'll be interesting to see what Mirage has taken a liking to during the time period it's set in. It sure would be fun to see Mirage talking about Backstreet Boys and "The Matrix" in a "Transformers" movie set circa 1999.