Bumblebee

Bumblebee

Starring Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz

Directed by Travis Knight

The Story:
As the War on Cybertron seems to turn in favor of the evil Decepticons, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) orders an evacuation, and sends his most loyal soldier B-127 (Dylan O'Brien) to Earth to set up a base there, as it's out of the way and the Decepticons don't know its existence.  After arriving on Earth, B-127 encounters the military, led by Jack Burns (John Cena), who sees him as a hostile alien.  After he's attacked by a Decepticon who followed him to Earth, his vocal box is removed and his memory bank is severely damaged, and transforms into a Volkswagen Beetle before going offline.

Meanwhile, Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) is still brooding over the death of her father, and doesn't seem too happy about anything in life - especially since she's turning eighteen and doesn't have a car.  She finds an abandoned Beetle at the scrapyard where she works, and her boss lets her take it home for her birthday.  While she's fixing it, B-127 comes back online, and without memories or a voice, Charlie names him Bumblebee, and the two form a strong friendship.

As Decepticons Shatter (Angela Bassett) and Dropkick (Justin Theroux) search space for Optimus Prime, they intercept a message from Bumblebee that leads them to Earth, and set out to bring their fellow Decepticons there in order to take it over, and it's up to Bumblee to stop them before they wage war on Earth.

The Synopsis:
Dear Travis Knight:

I grew up in 1980, which makes me the quintessential 80s kid.  I grew up on two different lines of toys and television shows - "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers."  I still remember seeing the "Transformers" movie in 1986, and I remember watching the show and having pretty much all the toys as a kid.  I have had many fond memories from these toys and shows, and when Michael Bay came out with a live-action adaptation in 2007, I was excited to see my precious childhood toys on the big screen yet again.

While the first film wasn't bad, the subsequent sequels kept getting worse and worse, and Michael Bay single-handedly destroyed my desire for all things "Transformers."  Not only did he meddle with their original designs (Bumblebee was a Camaro, Soundwave was a satellite of some kind), but he replaced any sort of solid story with what Bay does best - explosions, explosions, explosions.

So when word reached my ear of a "Bumblebee" spinoff movie that would also serve as a prequel to the franchise, I groaned with inward disgust.  Once again, my beloved childhood memories were about to be spat upon and kicked in the mud, and then I heard that Michael Bay wasn't directing it, but instead it was you, the director of "Kubo and the Two Strings," one of my most favorite animated films in modern time.  I became a bit more cautiously optimistic, but I decided I would hold my excitement until the first trailer.

When the first trailer dropped, my hopes dropped with it.  It seemed so generic and ordinary that I was totally unimpressed, and figured this would be just another bust.  However, the second trailer was released, and I was filled with optimism: I saw scenes where the Transformers were their original designs, something I thought I would never see.

After hearing the film received a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, I was filled with even more excitement, and I sat in eager anticipation for the film to start.  The first scene - the War on Cybertron - proved that, in the right hands, "Transformers" can be something amazing.  That first scene alone was not only worth the price of admission, but already made "Bumblebee" the best "Transformers" live action movie yet.

Things only got better as the film progressed, where we found out how Bumblebee lost his voice, and still wondered how a silent robot could really hold a movie.  You proved that you don't need words to express emotion, and "Bumblebee" sure brought out the emotions in me - excitement, child-like glee, sadness, laughter, thoughtful provocations.  "Bumblebee" wasn't just another robot-filled action spectacle with explosions to replace a solid script - actually it was far from it.  While the action sequences were intense and well-thought-out, there was also a great story between a girl and her car, and I only wish this was the story they decided to focus on in the future "Transformers" series without that awful Shia LaBeouf.

Casting Hailee Steinfeld was a stroke of genius, as she epitomized everything it meant to be an angst-ridden teenage girl who's dealing with the death of her father while it seemed like everyone else around her already forgot him.  We felt for her, and her relationship with Bumblebee served as the crux of the story, propelling us into a deep relationship with the lovable Beetle that we never knew we had.  Thankfully, you didn't include a lot of John Cena apart from making him the obligatory military leader who wants to shoot first and ask questions later, and never giving him anything more to work with.

While the effects were still top notch, the film was also a somber reflection of loss, as both Charlie and Bumblebee struggled with loosing loved ones, and didn't shy away from that fact.  The action sets were extraordinary, especially the War on Cybertron, as all my childhood memories came flooding back after watching the cartoon series and seeing my favorites given their true justice in a live-action film for the first time.

Then there's the small nods to the classic movie and show that you sprinkled throughout the film that I won't give away here, but only served as icing on the cake of an extraordinary adventure about a girl and her car - in many ways like the classic boy and his dog motif - that blended so many different emotions into one piece flawlessly.  I only hope that you continue the reigns and steer this franchise toward its more perfect path.

Sincerely,
An eternally 80s kid

The Summary:
While I was very negative on the idea of a Bumblebee spinoff, "Bumblebee" turned out to be greater than even my most lofty expectations, providing a fantastic film that hearkened me back to my childhood and giving us the best live-action "Transformers" movie to date.

The Score: A+