'Bumblebee' Nails What a 'Transformers' Live-Action Film Should Be

The Transformers movie series has the reputation of being bad.  And thus, when a spin-off Bumblebee movie was announced, nobody was expecting much of it.  Certainly, it must be just another half-assed attempt of a cash-grab, right?  However, when I saw the trailer, I was surprised because it actually looked good.  Thus, it became a movie that I anticipated for.  Having just watched it, I can say it’s the best Transformers live-action film we’ve ever had.

Being set in 1987, Bumblebee serves as a prequel to the rest of the movie series.  It follows Bumblebee (Dylan O’Brien) – who apparently has the initial name of B-127 – as he’s tasked by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen, as usual) to prepare a base in Earth where the Autobots can regroup, and defend it from Decepticons.  Arriving on Earth, he crosses paths with Colonel Jack Burns (John Cena), and then battles with a pursuing Decepticon scout, Blitzwing (David Sobolov).  He wins the fight, but he walks away from it significantly damaged, his memories and voice lost.  Before collapsing, he adopts the form of a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle.  Soon, he finds himself in the garage of 18-year-old Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld), and after getting over the fright of their initial meeting, the two become fast friends.  Eventually, government agents under Burns and Decepticons Shatter (Angela Bassett) and Dropkick (Justin Theroux) catch up to where the yellow Autobot is.

First of all, Charlie Watson proves to be a better human lead character than Sam Witwicky and Cade Yeager combined.  Her interaction with her Transformer counterpart is heartwarming, her arc is grounded and relatable, and she is played by a likable young actor.  This is the most endearing (and prettiest) Hailee Steinfeld has ever been in a movie, in my opinion.

Meanwhile, John Cena is, well, fine.  I don’t know if it’s his performance or how his character’s written, but he’s a bit of a cartoon.  When he’s trying to be serious, he comes off as laughable and hammy.  On the other hand, when he’s being intentionally humorous, he’s natural.  He has this one great line, in which he pointed out that they should not easily trust the Decepticons when, after all, they literally call themselves “Decepticons.”  His delivery was impeccable, and I genuinely laughed.

Bumblebee feels like an 80’s movie.  Not only because it’s set in the 80’s, but because it has an authentic 80’s atmosphere (thanks largely in part to its 80’s soundtrack).  If a live-action adaptation of Transformers had been made in the 80’s (but with 21^st century filmmaking technology), it would look like this movie.  Furthermore, it has a lot of story beats that are quintessentially 80’s.  Well, it’s only fitting since Transformers is an 80’s institution.  On the other hand, it also gives off the vibes of being formulaic.

Actually, it’s not necessarily a great film.  Like the other Transformers films, it’s not free from dumb writing and noticeable plot holes.  However, what’s different this time around is these flaws don’t cause a dumpster fire to be made out of the movie. They aren’t unforgivably thoughtless and lazy.  They are just within reasonable levels you would expect from a fun kids’ movie.

And that’s actually the crux of why Bumblebee is better than Michael Bay’s Transformers movies: it actually feels like a kids’ movie.  There’s no awkward sexualization and cheap crude jokes.  Instead, it has the charming storytelling one would get from a lovable kids’ movie.

I only learned later on that the director of this film is Travis Knight.  Thus, it should be unsurprising why it has this uncharacteristic (at least, uncharacteristic to the Transformers movies) thoughtfulness and craftsmanship about it which I sensed since the first trailer.  This is, after all, helmed by the same man who helmed the masterful Kubo and the Two Strings (Bumblebee is the first live-action film he directed).  Moreover, it’s apparent on the final product that he has understanding of its source material, which is something Michael Bay lacked.

As a prequel, Bumblebee has inconsistencies with some details established in the five Transformers movies.  But since contradictions are a staple in this film series, it’s not really a big deal.  In fact, it’s preferable if Bumblebee retcons the whole thing thoroughly.  Let it reset the lore.

And let it be the benchmark and springboard of further Transformers movies.