Bumblebee
This review of Bumblebee is spoiler-free, because of course it is!
I remember back when the original Transformers came out. I was only 11, and I was absolutely captivated by the visual fidelity and craziness that was packed onto the screen. Looking back, it wasn’t only those visuals that floored me, but it was just how well it meshed comedy and impactful storytelling. The problem that came with the original Transformers film though wasn’t from within the film itself. It was the fact that it was meant to be the spawn of a franchise and it overall could have worked as it’s own film. But instead of focusing on the elements of that story that worked, Michael Bay and the team that developed these films chose to focus on the visuals and not on building on its enjoyable story.
As film after film went by, they seemed to become even more confusing and lost in their own inability for telling a cohesive story. By the time that The Last Knight had fallen into theaters, it was purely a cash grab for an international audience that seemed to show up to the theater no matter what. Finally, it seemed that the creators behind this massive franchise had decided it was time to move in a new direction.
That’s where the idea of Bumblebee came from, the possibility of a new world for this franchise. Not just films that were known for their brash action, but also good stories. Bumblebee is a refreshingly small scale story when compared to any of the previous films in this franchise, with the most robots on screen being no more than 2 at a time. As a result, we’re given much more human interaction and insight into the worlds that these characters inhabit. We meet our lead of Charlie (played brilliantly by Hailee Steinfeld), as a girl whose struggling to cope with the loss of her father. Her mother has moved on and found someone new, but she can’t seem to accept it. She’s a lost soul, seeking a purpose and meaning for herself at the age we all find ourselves to be doing the same thing. Being instantly sympathetic makes her character that much better and you’re immediately connected with her story.
When Bumblebee enters the picture as the Beetle she retrieves from a junk yard she travels to, she finds another lost soul who understands her. In fact, their first meeting involves no screaming or panicking upon the discovery that there’s a transforming robot in her garage. This was a magnificent move by Travis Knight and his team. We’ve grown used to screaming and yelling by our human main characters over the course of all of these films, and seeing a main character who is loving in a way that’s truly different from the norm makes her that much better as a character. We’re not all instilled with fear, so Charlie’s inquisitive nature makes sense.
Speaking of the titular character, Bumblebee is the most human we’ve ever seen a transformer be throughout any of these films. He’s scared of the world, and viewing it with all the possibility and awe that we have as children. His connection with Charlie is instantly recognizable, and something that only grows throughout the film. In fact, their relationship is without question the best part of the film. Visually, Bumblebee doesn’t look like thousands of moving gears, but a visually transformed car. For a story promising to be close to the original Generation 1 robots, this is a perfect choice and something you see throughout the designs of all of the robots in the movie.
Visually, this film is what I’ve always wanted from a Transformers film: visual flair, with a purpose. Every shot feels carefully crafted to not just appear as something to wow the audience, but fit within the story. The 80s feels like the perfect era for this franchise, and I truly hope they continue within this period, as the look of the world is just magnificent. As mentioned previously, the robots are the best they’ve ever looked, and I hope they continue this look for them in the future.
There’s not a single thing about Bumblebee that made me feel negatively about it. From the supporting characters, to the relationships between and reasoning for choices made by characters, I’ve never felt so completely satisfied by a film in this franchise. Carried by the beautiful coming of age story between Charlie and Bumblebee, it’s not just a film that is fun, but one full of heart. For those of you who’ve abandoned this franchise in it’s seemingly continuous monotony of empty action, now is the time to come return, as it’s a bold new day. Travis Knight has reinvented a thought to be lost franchise with a film that presents the possibility for so much more.
