Ryan Shoots First: Bumblebee
I write this with the caveat that I was not a huge Transformers kid growing up. I had nothing against them but as a 90’s kid they were somewhat on the downturn when I was a growing up. I did enjoy Beast Wars but it really does not hold up for modern viewing. With that being said I was familiar with the property and really enjoyed the first film in the Michael Bay series back in the early 2000’s. I was familiar enough to enjoy the movie but not so devoted to the old school that it “ruined my childhood”. I thought the series look great, had some cool characters and seemed to be stable for years to come. Then the series fell hard and fast. The directing and story felt as artificial as the acting. The humor bordered on cringe-worthy and mildly racist or sexist and the CGI became more and more overly hard to distinguish what the heck was going on. The franchise was dying and it felt like it needed to be taken out to pasture. But despite all of this every film in the franchise made decent money whether here or overseas so it seemed Paramount who was desperate for a flagpole franchise was not going to let the money stop rolling in.
That brings us to Bumblebee when it was first announced it seemed like an ok idea. Cut out all of the baggage of the OG timeline, streamline the focus on a beloved character and go from there. It sounded like good news but I still could not get excited, it was too soon and I was just not ready for more Bay Bots. Then it was announced that Bay would not be returning to the director’s chair. Again while a check in the promising column I still thought it would just come and go with not much fanfare by me. Fast forward to the first trailer and it looked good, looked focused and small enough scale to keep it from getting out of hand but STILL I was luke warm on the movie. Then the second trailer dropped and I was ready. Even though as I mentioned before I was not a huge “Gen 1” kid seeing the designs of Optimus Prime and Soundwave so obsessively close to their original looks it struck me with a “Yes why hasn’t it been this way all along?” If I felt that way I can only imagine what the die-hard fans thought. Even though I knew the movie was called Bumblebee and it took place on earth I assumed those shots would be brief and not a bulk of the film but just knowing they had taken so much effort to give an olive branch to the fan base showed me this film was worth some attention.
I am glad I gave it that attention because Bumblebee is a heartfelt adventure tale about a boy (or girl in this case) and his robot. It feels very early Spielburg-esque evoking a lot of E.T. or Iron Giant vibes. It doesn’t exactly re-invent the wheel but they knew they couldn’t take too many chances. The director Travis Knight plays the familiar tones and plays it safe but does it in a way that feels right and feels familiar. Sprinkle in some Transformers and 80’s nostalgia and it lays the groundwork for the franchise to be revitalized with a new heart. Keep in mind this is a prequel so theoretically all the other films take place so I am unsure how that fresh start will manifest itself moving forward but this is Hollywood! They can figure it out.
The movie packs some star power with actress/singer Hailee Steinfeld playing Charlie the main character who discovers the titular hero in disguise as her beloved VW Beetle. Steinfeld brings energy to the role and makes you believe this girl really cares for the alien space robot living as her car. On the flip side is John Cena who plays undoubtedly his biggest role since stepping further away from the WWE and into serious Hollywood acting. It is somewhat a wink and nod to wrestling fans that Cena who has never been a bad guy and is something fans have been asking for for years now finally plays the heel in movie form. He really does a great job as the vengeful agent of Sector 7 (who you may remember from the original films). He plays the role for laughs early on and the movie has some fun at his expense but by the end he settles into a good hardcore villain that the series and possible Hasbro-verse that is rumored could play with down the line. Now if we could only see that back in the ring!
Knight who also directed the heartfelt stop animation film Kubo and the Two Strings brings his talent for coming of age through trials tales and the growth of young people into the film to the point it is a great film for kids to see and is one that fast forward 20 years those kids could remember for the lasting impact it leaves. Bumblebee is the best Transformers film by far and puts the franchise back on solid ground, it remains to be see what the plan is moving forward but for now in a winter season of surprises by films that had us skeptical add Bumblebee to the list of must-sees with the whole family, of course after you see Spider-Man Into the Spiderverse.
