Bumblebee is a fresh start for the Transformers franchise. There was an Early Access Screening of Bumblebee on December 8th. It was sold out and every audience member was given a Transformers: Tiny Turbo Chargers toy, not a special edition, but what was offered at stores. Toys are of course a large part of the Transformers story. It begun in 1984 with Hasbro using Takara Tomy mecha toys and rebranding them as Transformers. Then, there was the cartoon series that same year from Sunbow Productions with animation by Toei Animation. There was a collaboration between American animation and Toei with Transformers The Movie (1986).
This was all later known as Generation 1 which was expanded by IDW Publishing in comic books. I mention all of this was the toys that I liked and show I watched growing up. The same with Bumblebee director Travis Knight who has brought a prequel re-booting the Transformers film franchise. Knight is of course the director of Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and president and CEO of Laika. Also, that I passed up the earlier Michael Bay movies because they were directed by Michael Bay. This film is more in line with Generation 1 with classic robots that looked like vehicles and even an 80’s sensibility.
This was all later known as Generation 1 which was expanded by IDW Publishing in comic books. I mention all of this was the toys that I liked and show I watched growing up. The same with Bumblebee director Travis Knight who has brought a prequel re-booting the Transformers film franchise. Knight is of course the director of Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and president and CEO of Laika. Also, that I passed up the earlier Michael Bay movies because they were directed by Michael Bay. This film is more in line with Generation 1 with classic robots that looked like vehicles and even an 80’s sensibility.
Bumblebee feels like a summer movie, all of the previous Transformers films were released in June, it seems like it will crushed with the other blockbuster movies in the Christmas release window. The film is a wild action movie at the beginning and end, but it is a gentle, family film in the middle. Perfect for summer. Still, I’m certain that the international audience will love this movie. The film is written by Christina Hodson who previously wrote the thrillers Shut In (2016) and Unforgettable (2017). The score is by Dario Marianelli who previously worked with Knight on Kubo and the Two Strings and also The Boxtrolls (2014). He brings suspense to the wild opening on Cybertron with Autobots in a fighting withdrawal from the Decepticons.
Bumblebee, voiced by Dylan O'Brien, known as B-127, isfighting the Decepticons. We see his Bumblebee vision with his helmet on which analyzes his surroundings. The character of Bumblebee is a scrappy fighter who has the strongest connection with humans on Earth. Optimus Prime is there, voiced by original actor Peter Cullen, and fights Soundwave. This was truly the animated series come to life. The Autobots have lost Cybertron and Optimus Prime orders B-127 to scout Earth and establish a base. B-127 enters an escape pod and the Autobots manage to launch while the landing platform is destroyed by Deception missiles as Optimus Prime attempts a delaying action.
Bumblebee, voiced by Dylan O'Brien, known as B-127, isfighting the Decepticons. We see his Bumblebee vision with his helmet on which analyzes his surroundings. The character of Bumblebee is a scrappy fighter who has the strongest connection with humans on Earth. Optimus Prime is there, voiced by original actor Peter Cullen, and fights Soundwave. This was truly the animated series come to life. The Autobots have lost Cybertron and Optimus Prime orders B-127 to scout Earth and establish a base. B-127 enters an escape pod and the Autobots manage to launch while the landing platform is destroyed by Deception missiles as Optimus Prime attempts a delaying action.
This shifts to Earth, 1987, in a forest soldiers are practicing a paintball exercise. They are led by Burns played by John Cena who gets a revenge filled character, but also some funny lines and his character actually has an arc. The escape pod crashes and scatters the soldiers, not a heavily populated area, but I would imagine that the escape pod would avoid harming the humans. B-127 emerges and is immediately attacked by the soldiers. He is able to use his wrist gauntlet blade to slice through a tree and block them. B-127 transforms into a jeep, but is cornered by the soldiers and Burns at a mine.
He sees the Deception, Blitzwing, who unleashes his missile payload at them. Blitzwing (David Sobolov) transforms, rips B-127’s blade to cut out Bee’s vocal system, and then stab him in the shoulder. Bee takes out Blitzwing, but the battle has his memory core failing. He scans the lake and takes the form of a Volkswagen bug. There is a problem here; what is the Energon energy source that powers Bumblebee? What is its parameters, do the Autobots recharge or rest?, how long does the energy last? A year? Ten years? I don’t see the Transformers reload their weapons. Where are the armaments stored? What is also unclear is that the time that passes when B-127 lands on Earth and when he is found again. His exterior is dusty and he gets a beehive forming on his chassis. Three months have passed?
He sees the Deception, Blitzwing, who unleashes his missile payload at them. Blitzwing (David Sobolov) transforms, rips B-127’s blade to cut out Bee’s vocal system, and then stab him in the shoulder. Bee takes out Blitzwing, but the battle has his memory core failing. He scans the lake and takes the form of a Volkswagen bug. There is a problem here; what is the Energon energy source that powers Bumblebee? What is its parameters, do the Autobots recharge or rest?, how long does the energy last? A year? Ten years? I don’t see the Transformers reload their weapons. Where are the armaments stored? What is also unclear is that the time that passes when B-127 lands on Earth and when he is found again. His exterior is dusty and he gets a beehive forming on his chassis. Three months have passed?
This does cut from the memory core shutting down to the alarm clock for Charlie Watson played by Hailee Steinfeld who also voices Spider Gwen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. She has the girl next door, mixed with resourceful mechanic, and loneliness who needs an E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)-like friend. We see her giving a morning welcome to a photo of her father. Her father is a large part of her character and has abandoned her high diving skill when he is gone. A bright spot is Charlie’s taste in music started with The Smiths, really I was singing along with those songs in the movie, it is also a fun mesh of 80’s songs. Then, we get introduced to her stereotypical family, mother Mrs. Watson (Pamela Adlon), stepfather, Ron (Stephen Schneider), and younger brother, Otis (Jason Drucker). They are all happy and make no mention of the father who has died. Not much development here for their characters.
Charlie is busy working on her father’s car and then goes to work at Hot Dog on a Stick located at a pier. Also, there is Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) who works at a churro stand. He is also her neighbor and tries to ask her out. There is someone that Charlie seems interested in, Trip (Ricardo Hoyos) whom she spills drinks on and Tina (Gracie Dzienny) who bullies her. All of these characters slow down the movie. Charlie rides a moped to work and desperately wants a car. She works at the auto shop of Hank (Len Cariou). She knocks over a boat which dominoes into others revealing the 1967 Volkswagen beetle. Instead, she gets a flowery helmet from her mother for her eighteenth birthday and a self-help book from Ron to smile. Hank gives Charlie the car for her birthday. She activates the radio which sends a signal.
Charlie is busy working on her father’s car and then goes to work at Hot Dog on a Stick located at a pier. Also, there is Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) who works at a churro stand. He is also her neighbor and tries to ask her out. There is someone that Charlie seems interested in, Trip (Ricardo Hoyos) whom she spills drinks on and Tina (Gracie Dzienny) who bullies her. All of these characters slow down the movie. Charlie rides a moped to work and desperately wants a car. She works at the auto shop of Hank (Len Cariou). She knocks over a boat which dominoes into others revealing the 1967 Volkswagen beetle. Instead, she gets a flowery helmet from her mother for her eighteenth birthday and a self-help book from Ron to smile. Hank gives Charlie the car for her birthday. She activates the radio which sends a signal.
The Decepticons, Shatter (voiced by Angela Bassett) and the vicious Dropkick (voiced by Justin Theroux), are on the moon torturing the Autobot Cliffjumper (Andrew Morgado). They find the signal from the radio and track it to Earth. Their landing in Texas is less destructive, but Dropkick is murderous, his blast dissolves a person into goo like the Green Goblin’s weapons in Spider-Man (2002). They transform into cars to hunt down B-127. The government has detected the Decepticons and send Agent Burns and Dr. Powell (John Ortiz) of Sector 7 to face them. The Decepticons scan the military vehicles so Dropkick can transform into a helicopter and Shatter into a jet. Triple changer Transformers were also Generation 1.
Shatter is more clever than her ally and shows them the hologram of the “criminal” B-127 who will bring the war from their world. Burns knows him too well since his face is scarred from their first encounter. Powell is eager to work with them and patch them into the satellite network so they can track B-127. It is obvious where Powell’s character is going and what will happen to him. Burns even tells him that they can’t trust the Decepitcons from their name alone. Funny line. Charlie has moved the beetle to her garage and he of course transforms. The emotion is brought to the character through his blue eyes. Charlie dubs him Bumblebee from the buzzing noise he makes with his voice box lost. He manages to communicate with songs. Charlie tries to teach Bee how to hide when there’s others around, funny, and later activates a hologram message from Optimus Prime to defend the Earth. The duo has to take on the Decepticons and save the Earth! Bumblebee opens on December 21st.
Shatter is more clever than her ally and shows them the hologram of the “criminal” B-127 who will bring the war from their world. Burns knows him too well since his face is scarred from their first encounter. Powell is eager to work with them and patch them into the satellite network so they can track B-127. It is obvious where Powell’s character is going and what will happen to him. Burns even tells him that they can’t trust the Decepitcons from their name alone. Funny line. Charlie has moved the beetle to her garage and he of course transforms. The emotion is brought to the character through his blue eyes. Charlie dubs him Bumblebee from the buzzing noise he makes with his voice box lost. He manages to communicate with songs. Charlie tries to teach Bee how to hide when there’s others around, funny, and later activates a hologram message from Optimus Prime to defend the Earth. The duo has to take on the Decepticons and save the Earth! Bumblebee opens on December 21st.
Three Energon Cubes out of Five!
#BumblebeeMovie, #TravisKnight, #HaileeSteinfeld, #JohnCena
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