Bumblebee: It's Got the Touch!

One of the first reviews I wrote on this site was for Transformers: The Last Knight. In that I review I made it known that I was one of the few people that actually liked the Transformers films. The Last Knight, to put it nicely, just wasn't good. I was really disappointed and hoping for a new direction in the series. Before that film came out, it was revealed that a spin-off movie would be made about the lovable Autobot scout, Bumblebee. Instead of Michael Bay directing, Travis Knight, director of the phenomenal Kubo and the Two Strings would be taking the reins. Fast-forward a year later and Bumblebee is released. By some miracle, it's getting great reviews and currently has 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Never thought I would see that. Is Bumblebee worth the hype? Or is it another clunker? That's what I'm here to tell you.

Bumblebee is directed by Travis Knight and stars Hailee Steinfeld, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Cena, Angela Basset, and Justin Theroux. Bumblebee, who crashes on Earth in 1987, is discovered by Charlie (Steinfeld) and the two form an unshakable bond. However, when two Decepticons (Basset and Theroux) discover where he is, the two unlikely heroes must team up to protect Earth. With all of that out of the way, let's dive into the review!

Bumblebee is very different from the previous Transformers films and I mean that in the best way possible. While the previous installments focused more on spectacle, this one is more of a character-driven film. One of my favorite Autobots was always Bumblebee. He is kind of an outcast: He's small, can't speak (in some iterations), and always forms a bond with the humans. In this film, he's fantastic, which is pretty important because the movie is named after him. He's absolutely adorable trying to find his way in the world. There's a sequence when he's in Charlie's house and he is just wrecking it by accident. It's very funny to see an advanced robot trying to solve simple tasks. Steinfeld is great in the role. Like Bumblebee, Charlie is an outcast. She doesn't really fit in with the other kids and she has a hard time connecting with her family. When she meets Bumblebee, she finally sees someone that she could be friends with. It's very Iron Giant-esque. The whole movie has a kind of 80s feel to it with all of the music and movie references. It works too because that's when the whole Transformers property started. The bond between the two is very believable which is important because without that, the whole movie falls apart. The two Decepticon villains, Shatter and Dropkick. They are absolutely ruthless. This movie can be pretty emotional at parts as well. It deals with loss in a very touching way. I don't want to go too much into it because it's kind of a spoiler. Another great thing about this movie is the visuals. This is something all of the Transformers movies excel at. Even people that hate the franchise agree on it. It looks like there are Autobots and Decepticons beating the scrap out of each other (see what I did there?). What's different in this movie is that the robot designs are based on how they looked in the original cartoon. It was awesome to see this. What's even better is that the movie opens with a battle on Cybertron, the Transformers' home planet. This is something fans, including myself, have been wanting to see for ages. I hope we get a movie that's just about this because it has a lot of potential and the lore is great. The sound effects are also great. Each blaster shot and transformation was like music to my ears. There are also a bunch of Easter eggs for die-hard Transformers fans.

The next thing I'm going to talk about sounds like it could be a negative. John Cena plays Agent Burns, who is hunting Bumblebee down alongside the two Decepticons. He's not good in the movie, but he gives a performance so bad that it should be preserved for all of humanity to see. It's something beautiful that I don't want to give too much away. One of his blessed lines of dialogues is, ¨There's a door in my way!¨ Writing it down like that doesn't give it justice though. You'll have to see the movie to truly appreciate it.

While I really enjoyed this movie, there are some things I didn't like. There's a couple of times when the robots will be fighting that the camera cuts away to see what the humans are doing. It's not as bad as other films, like Godzilla, but it's a trope that I would like to see go away. No one cares about what the people are doing, even if the actors are doing a great job. This film suffers from a sort of identity crisis. It doesn't know if it wants to be a reboot or a prequel to Michael Bay's films. I heard Travis Knight say this was a prequel but there's things in this movie that contradict the lore that Bay established. For example, Bumblebee escapes Cybertron and lands on Earth. The year is 1987. However, in The Last Knight, it was said that Bee was fighting during World War II. It's very confusing. There's other things that I don't want to spoil that contradict Bay's movies. It's just the inner OCD in me would like a definitive answer. Some of the human characters could be a tad annoying, but it's not to the point where I was furious.

Bumblebee was a very fun movie and a good course correction for the franchise. It had great characters including Bumblebee, Charlie, and the two Decepticons. The movie has a lot of heart and isn't afraid to get emotional either. The visuals were great and it was nice to see the original Transformers designs, including Optimus Prime (played again by Peter Cullen). It had a lot of nods to the original Transformers cartoons that fans will surely love. The sound was great too. John Cena gives a magnificent performance, too (sarcasm). The movie sometimes cuts away from the interesting parts and seems to have a hard time deciding if it wanted to be a reboot or a prequel, but these are very minor complaints. I'm hoping that this movie gets a sequel because I'm excited to see where it goes. Hopefully, Travis Knight can return to direct because it's quite clear that he's a fan. If I were to rate it, I'd give Bumblebee an 8/10. Be sure to stay through a little of the credits, too, because there is an additional scene. It's great to see everyone liking a Transformers movie for once!