BumbleBee - Review

Like the majority of people out there, I have not been completely satisfied with a Transformers movie since Michael Bay's first film in the franchise back in 2007. I am glad to finally say that I was able to walk out of a Transformers film in 2018 and not only be completely satisfied but eager to recommend it to friends and family.

So unlike the Michael Bay films, BumbleBee takes the intergalactic war between the Autobots and the Decepticons and shrinks it down to a story about a girl in San Fransisco who forms a bond with her new car which happens to be not only an alien robot from outer space, but soon to be best friend.

And fair warning, I'm going to compare this to another film that literally every other person who has talked about this movie on the internet has already pointed out. This movie is a re-imagining of Steven Spielberg's 80's family sci-fi hit E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial. Now some people will look at that and say that it is a sign of unoriginality or a lack of creativity, and while yes, both stories are extremely similar, even to the point of both films being set in the same time period and both protagonists being left fatherless in the movie, I think this storyline really works for a Transformers movie on a smaller scale.

The first Transformers went with the more "epic" approach. Having multiple Transformers fight for an object that can dictate the fate of the universe is now a simple story about a girl and her pet robot. The small-scale works for a story like this and the bigger, grander scale, works better for the Michael Bay film we got over 10 years ago.

People have already asked me, "Brandon, which do you prefer?" and my honest answer is that they both work, but they also came out at the perfect times in my life. When Michael Bay's first film was released, I was 12 years old. Coming out of elementary school, entering high school and puberty, my imagination was blown away with Transformers. It was everything I wanted at that stage of my life. I was intrigued by the edgier humor than I was used to, the big explosions fascinated me and, of course, how could I forget Megan Fox. At 12, that was an amazing movie and I can even look back at it today and still enjoy it. Now, being 23 and out of University and entering the "real world", I now look for more than just dumb action in my entertainment, but also appreciate nostalgia and the "good old' days" of being a kid (Yes, I realize I am still a kid to some of you), and BumbleBee was a great movie for this stage of my life as well.

It is funny how a generation seems to feel nostalgic for another set generation at the exact same time. In my American Cinema History class, I found out that Hollywood has this pattern forming when it comes to nostalgia. Ever notice that in back in the '80s, Hollywood seemed to have this nostalgic love for the 1950's? Think about it. Back to the Future, Grease (It came out in the late '70s, I know) the Outsiders, Stand By Me, etc. And who could forget those Jive Bunny music compilations? Nowadays, with Stranger Things, Wolf of Wall Street, Call Me By Your Name, It, Hot Tub Time Machine, Dallas Buyers Club, etc. it seems like we are longing to go back to the '80s. Even the hit Ready Player One that takes place in 2045, has more references to the 1980s than anything I have ever seen. Now the big question is, "does this trend bother me?" To that, I say, "Any excuse to have Steve Winwood's Higher Love in your soundtrack is good enough for me." I don't mind it one bit.

So while I think it is cool that BumbleBee takes place in the '80s and makes references to films like the Breakfast Club and artists like Steve Winwood and Sammy Hagar in its soundtrack, by far the best and strongest part of the film was Hailee Steinfeld and BumbleeBee's connection and friendship. Hailee Steinfeld is an amazing actress and she is able to play alongside CGI characters extremely well. BumbleBee is also super cute yet badass at the same time. Let's be honest, I would love for my black Mazda 3 to turn into BumbleBee. However, it is the connection between them that is so strong that really makes this movie enjoyable. I teared up at moments because of some of the heartfelt moments between them. While the first Transformers film had more of a buddy type relationship between Sam Witwicky and BumbleBee and they weren't the true focus of the movie, here, it felt like more of a genuine connection between Charlie and BumbleBee because of the smaller scale of the story.

Which leads into my next point about the action sequences. They are definitely on a lower scale in comparison to the first film as well, but I enjoyed this action much more simply based on the fact that most of the action was shot in wide angles and you could actually see and understand what was happening. No Michael Bay style low sweeping shots with excess explosions, just simple exciting action. Plus, since we care about these characters more, by default, you are more invested in the action scenes even if they are not as grand as some of the Michael Bay Transformers action scenes.

I will say this 100 times, a strong emotional connection with the characters can boost many things in your movie and even make up for the fact that the actual plot may not be that interesting. Which leads me to my "problems" of the movie. And while these factors didn't make me want to storm out of the theatre, they are worth mentioning.

First up is John Cena. I just don't think he is that talented of an actor. All of his lines felt rather forced and quite frankly, just plain cheesy. Same with the entire military side plot. It didn't have any intrigue or was even that interesting or unique. Simple close-minded military who are after our main characters. However, if the connection between Charlie wasn't as strong as it is, then this would really bother me because it would really feel like filler then. Luckily, we do care about the characters so much that the cheesy John Cena military isn't that annoying. And besides, I really do think they made that plot cheesy on purpose to pay homage to the original show.

You can see this in the two true villains of the movie which are two nameless Decepticon henchmen sent to earth to find BumbleBee. I say nameless because I honestly don't remember anything about them. Not their names, not their personalities, nothing outside of the fact that they are simply evil. Would it have been nice to know more about our villains or to make them more hateable? Sure. But you know that that really isn't the focus of the movie. Like the majority of MCU films out there, the main character's charisma and charm overshadow the lack of depth the villains are given to work with.

Speaking of low-quality villains. There are these bullies that Charlie has to deal with that feel straight up out of place. First off, they are not pretty enough to be the head honcho bullies of this town and secondly, they are very unrealistically cruel. Making insults of the death of Charlie's father and having her other friends make some of the most cringeworthy dialogue I've seen from high school bullies in a while. However, again, I can't be too mad because the tiny subplot about the bullies leads to some great gags and a surprisingly fun action sequence and a stronger connection between Charlie, BumbleBee and a guy named Memo who Charlie meets and joins their journey.

Last little bit is a minor spoiler, so before I say anything else, I'll say this. BumbleBee was a very entertaining movie and the most fun I have had at a Transformers film in over 10 years. The only thing that truly bugged me was when it felt like the Hollywood Political Correctness movement got their hands on some scenes in this movie. So it is established that Memo has a crush on Charlie. No problem. And while Charlie starts off not very interested, as the story progresses, their chemistry and connection builds. Again, no problem. My problem is that the movie makes a conscious effort to go out of their way to show that Memo and Charlie are not a couple even though they showed earlier that Memo obviously has feelings for her. The final scene in the movie is Memo reaching for her hand and she pulls it away and says we are not there yet. This is even after a scene where she kisses Memo on the cheek and he makes a big deal about it "counting." Now, I have no problem with a movie like this having its two main characters not end up together, but if you decide to do that, just make it so that they don't end up together. Don't go out of your way to film a scene where he tries to make a move only to get rejected as the last shot of your movie. Now leaving the theatre, I'm thinking, "Well now Memo is clearly in the friend zone." It felt like another forced way of Hollywood saying that guys don't always get the girl and that women aren't possessions for male characters to chase and own. Yes, that's fine, but you do know that girls can like and go after guys as well. Girls can get the guy. If you don't want your characters to get together, then don't have them get together. Don't show me a guy getting friend zoned in the last shot of your movie.