In June of 2018, I watched the first trailer for Bumblebee (2018), the Transformers spin-off film, and my first impressions for the movie were that it would be a skillful yet lighthearted blend of The Love Bug (1968), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Transformers: The Movie (1986), and The Iron Giant (1999). After seeing the movie at a pre-screening held two weeks before its December 21st, 2018 theatrical release, I am happy to say that I was right in my prediction. Gone is Michael Bay from the director's chair (Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) director Travis Knight helms this entry) and his reliance on convoluted backstories, cringe-worthy attempts at humor, and racial stereotypes. What Bumblebee lacks in mass destruction and endless explosions, it makes up for in a more straightforward plot, plenty of funny jokes, relatable characters, and most importantly, heart.
Bumblebee is set in 1987 and follows eighteen-year-old Charlie Watson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) as she discovers that her beat-up, yellow '67 Volkswagen Beatle is an Autobot (whom she aptly names "Bumblebee") while reconciling with a personal loss. Meanwhile, a pair of Decepticons called Shatter and Dropkick (voiced by Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux, respectively) have found their way to Earth and are hellbent on hunting Bumblebee down. This movie's greatest strength lies in its simplicity in plot and endearing '80s charm, best exemplified by Charlie and Bumblebee's "boy and his dog" (or in this case, girl and her car) dynamic, reminiscent of Steven Spielberg's movies from his heyday (he is an executive producer for this film and the Transformers film series). The scenes involving Charlie and Bumblebee bonding and learning about each other's lives are unashamedly sweet without a hint of cynicism in them, something this franchise desperately needed to win back its original audience, children of the '80s.
Steinfeld gives Charlie a wholehearted performance and provides this movie with a sense of much-needed humanity with the right balance of optimism and pathos and a character whom young girls can identify with and root for. This is a much-needed breath of fresh air, given Michael Bay's trend of needlessly sexualized young women as seen in the previous films. Bumblebee's character also delivers the emotional goods, and I have to give props to the animators for successfully conveying his apparent gentle puppy dog demeanor through computer animation. Regarding the film's antagonists, Bassett and Theroux provide plenty of good old-fashioned villainy to their vocal performances even if their character motivations are relatively simple: manipulate vulnerable humans into capturing Bumblebee and his allies. Speaking of which, John Cena does solid work as Agent Burns, a larger-than-life military figure who could have easily been played by Dwayne Johnson had he not starred in 2013's G.I. Joe: Retaliation (another Hasbro property film). His one-liners, like the majority of this film's humor, land in a tongue-in-cheek manner, the kind best suited for a big screen Saturday morning cartoon like this.
This film's shining star is, by far, director Travis Knight and his ability to inject sincerity and heart into a franchise infamous for its mind-numbing explosions and juvenile humor. The long takes, fluid cinematography, and one-on-one robot fights that don't destroy entire cities are a testament to Knight's experience in animation and storytelling. One frequent complaint about the Michael Bay-directed films was their CGI work for the Autobots and Decepticons. Even though their renders were hyper-detailed and ultra-realistic, they were, for the most part, indistinguishable and considered interchangeable. Conversely, Knight embraces the '80s colors and character aesthetics with simplified yet streamlined designs, making it easier for non-fans like myself to tell who the good guys are from the bad guys. With that being said, this film, while enjoyable, has a few detractors.
As I stated before, Bumblebee's greatest strength lies in its radically simplified plot, but this is also its Achilles' heel. While I am a fan of simplicity, this film feels light on originality as Christina Hodson's screenplay lifts heavily from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Iron Giant in terms of story structure and leans aggressively on nostalgia (i.e., a peaceful seaside California town (The Lost Boys (1987)), a '60s VW Bug (The Love Bug), etc.). Also, a few character arcs set up in the first act lacked proper resolutions, some of which I assume were cut for time. This entry's downscaled action scenes may underwhelm a few die-hard fans of the Transformers films. However, I was still emotionally invested in the characters once Bumblebee and the Decepticons began throwing down. Despite Knight's exemplary handling of the action scenes, the rest of the film's visual style resembles that of an '80s TV series, best exemplified by the frequent use of close-ups and medium shots. This may have been a creative decision by Knight to emulate the 4:3 aspect ratio once a standard feature on TV sets, so I have to give him props for that.
In conclusion, Bumblebee's sweet and nimble-footed, albeit familiar presentation is enough to convince this casual moviegoer that films based on popular toy brands can simultaneously be well-made and make a profit at the box office. On a side note, I am on board for seeing either a sequel or spin-off film featuring more of these Autobots and Decepticons soon. This is great fun for both families out looking for a pure treat of a movie and fans burned out by the previous entries in the Transformers franchise.
Final Score: 7 out of 10
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