Bumblebee (2018)

(SPOILER WARNING!!)

Recently, I have started to sour on the previous Bayverse Transformers movies. After a while, it did start to feel as if the films where made with this sense of cynicism and contempt for the franchise, which is not how one should be approaching a film series based on one of the single most popular and profitable franchises of all time. I will always have an appreciation for the first film, as that was my gateway into the overall franchise. Even for a dumb action film, it still felt like the beginnings of a decent franchise. But despite the billions that the films has earned, fans and critics would nonetheless feel like they were just being bombarded with the same shit over and over again. And judging by The Last Knight's disastrous critical reception and lagging box office results, it seemed to finally break the camels back for a lot of people. This might by why people weren't really looking forward to Bumblebee, as they had finally gotten tired of watching these movies, in particular Michael Bay, and just wanted them to go away.

That said, I was still cautiously optimistic about the film, thanks in part to Travis Knight replacing Bay as director and the film itself being a soft reboot to the franchise, allowing for something of a fresh start and a means of making up for TLK's mistakes. Granted, doing yet another soft reboot just 4 years after Age of Extinction, the other soft reboot, seemed like a bit of a hasty decision, as that would also result in a lot of the set up storylines either being abandoned or incoherently retconned.

Fortunately, however, now that I've more than a week to fully process it, I can safely say that Bumblebee is by far the best live action film, as well as the closest to a modern G1 movie that we'll ever get. Although, thanks to Aquaman and Mary Poppins Returns (looks like shit) coming out at the exact same time, it'll probably be hit the hardest in the race to the top of the box office. So yes, I am in the right to blame Disney if Bumblebee doesn't do well financially.

Regardless, it's time that we finally address the film that actually matters. The war for Cybertron is reaching it's peak as the Autobots, lead by Optimus Prime, have no choice but to abandon the planet and find new places to stay. The scout B-127, later named Bumblebee, is sent to Earth by Optimus to protect it until they can mount a small team together and build a new home. Upon arrival in 1987, however, Bumblebee is intercepted by Starscre-- I mean, Blitzwing, who proceeds to tear out his voice box and leave him without a memory, before the Decepticon is blown to pieces in a spectacular fashion. Thanks for the cameo, David Sobolov!

After the fight, Bumblebee scans the signature Volkswagen beetle alt mode and goes into stasis lock, until a few months pass and he is found and taken in by Charlie Watson, played by Hailee Steinfeld. Charlie, on top of having a less than amicable relationship with her mum after her dad died, is shocked to see her new car turn into a robot barely twice her height, but helps him out in keeping him disguised and even gives him his name based on the buzzing and beeping from his no longer existent voice box.

Meanwhile, the Decepticon Triple Changer duo for the film, Shatter and Dropkick, arrive on Earth after learning of Bumblebee being on the planet, and manipulate the more militaristic Sector 7, seemingly lead by Agent "Insert John Cena joke here" Burns, into helping them to find Bumblebee by framing him as a fugitive and member of a resistance trying to disturb the peace on their planet. With Bumblebee learning more about humanity and even forming a familial bond with Hailee, while said human companion deals with her own personal issues with regards to connected to people and reconciling with the people she already has. All the while they avoid getting captured or killed by the Decepticons on their tail in a film that ISN'T 2 and a half hours long.

It's nice to see the story go back to basics, which is something this franchise desperately needed. The Last Knight tried too hard to create a shared continuity, but failed as it didn't resolve any of the lingering plot threads from the previous films and over-complicated it with a needless "chosen one" narrative, made worse as it was coupled by several retcons that almost completely wipes the other films from ever being possible to have happened in spite of relying on those films to even exist.

I really wasn't joking when I said I soured on the previous Transformers films.

But Bumblebee, as said previously, goes back to basics with it's story. It doesn't try to be something that it isn't, nor does it just retread what was already done beforehand. It just takes the classic scenario of "kid with a pet alien", and showcases said alien learning what it really means to be human and how their connections with their "owner" lets them grow and change over the course of their journey. This is the first time in the entire series that I really saw Bumblebee become more than just the kid-appeal toy seller, and it shines through with giving us a character to route for. On top of that, he's not just relegated to the background as had been the complaint with the other films. It may have a good amount of the focus be on the humans, but this is still Bumblebee's journey through and through. I finally have a chance to really appreciate whenever he is on screen instead of groaning whenever he talks through the radio.

Speaking of characters I really enjoy, I think Hailee Steinfeld was fucking great in this film. I've always enjoyed her work in movies (especially the remake of True Grit) and this film is no exception. Her fantastic performance really helps to bring who would otherwise be a generic character to life, as you really do feel for her when she is going through the toughest shit in her life. Stuff like her dead father, or her overbearing mother, or her inability to interact with people because of what she has, and is still, going through. Her chemistry with Bumblebee is beautiful, whether it would be light-hearted banter or Hailee seeking comfort from the troubles in her life. It never feels like she's just talking to a tennis ball on a stick, it really does feel like Bumblebee is in the scene with her at all times.

Remember what I said earlier about this film being the closest to a modern day G1 film? That's not by accident, as is evident in the scenes with the war on Cybertron at the beginning. The character models are exactly what the original characters would look like with a live action update, which instantly allows you to tell them apart much easier. I could actually recognise the characters as who they are meant to be, which was especially true for Optimus, the Seekers, Shockwave and Soundwave. Other stuff like the Seekers turning into the Tetrajets, Soundwave launching Ravage out of his chest, Prime having his mouthplate on all the time, Shockwave with his British accent and arm cannon, and of course, the Noise:



Even getting Jon "Epic Trailer Voice Guy" Bailey to do the G1 voices for both Soundwave and Shockwave, my two favourite Decepticons, shows that Travis Knight really cared about making this as G1 as possible without feeling like a farce. Even smaller stuff like a tiny snippet of "The Touch" (called it, by the way!) helps to sell the idea of making "G1: The Movie" and showing respect to the franchise again. I felt like I was there in the 80's watching the Autobots duke it out with the Decepticons for the first time, and I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face the entire time I was in the theatre and getting all of the references and call-backs.

The only complaint I could think of, and to be fair it is more of a nitpick, is that none of the Decepticons are actually named in the film. This is strange, especially seeing how Shatter and Dropkick are the main villains of the picture and we never actually know their names. Hell, Cliffjumper got to say his name three bloody times in his brief cameo before being called, and even Ravage gets namedropped, but unless you knew who Shatter and Dropkick were beforehand, you never would've known otherwise. Again, that's just more of a nitpick, but I think it would still help to really sell the film to both fans and regular audiences.

But otherwise, I can easily say, with no hyperbole or shadow of a doubt, that Bumblebee is exactly the Transformers film that we deserved the entire time. It's charming and funny when it needs to be, but it can also be action packed and heart-warming as well, allowing us to really appreciate the characters even more thanks to having slower paced scenes that let us breathe without being bombarded with exposition and mind-numbing stupidity. If this film is successful at the box office, I would gladly buy it twice on regular DVD and Blu-Ray, as it deserves to be seen by anyone and everyone. I'll probably see it a couple more times while it's still in theatres just to show my support. This may be my pick for best film of the year.

And yes, I say that after remembering Infinity War.

Overall rating; 9/10.

So, until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, rolling out!

... You know what? I'll just put both "Back to Life" "The Touch" here, if only because I love these songs and this film so flippin' much.