Day 355 of the challenge! The best and most sincere Transformers film ever, Bumblebee is WHERE IT IS AT!! A G1 fan’s dream come true.
Unpopular opinion: I love Michael Bay’s first Transformers. For all it’s weird “Bay-isms”, I legit think it’s an acceptable coming of age film. It has some incredible cinematography and effects, one of my favorite film scores, and actually did something with it’s characters, both human and robot in disguise. You know, for the most part. Then Michael took the franchise in a more…cynical direction that ultimately doomed it to a cycle of mean spirited sequels. Admittedly, I still enjoy the sequels in a VERY guilty pleasure sort of way (minus The Last Knight), but I acknowledge that they’re terrible movies. That being said, Bumblebee is the exact opposite that!
After an explosive fan service spectacle of an opening sequence (and I mean that in the best way possible), Bumblebee immediately sets itself apart from the rest of the franchise by scaling everything down. There’s no mythical MacGuffin to hunt down, contradictory mythology to explain, or brainless action to fill up the running time past the 2 hour mark.
Bumblebee instead streamlines its plot and puts all it’s focus on Bumblebee’s relationship with Hailee Steinfeld’s Charlie. We get to watch both Charlie and Bumblebee grow and change as a result of their relationship, like a much more fleshed out version of Sam and Bumblebee’s relationship in the first Transformers. Or like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Or The Goonies. Or How to Train Your Dragon. Point being, it’s a very familiar story with all the coming of age hallmarks intact, but that doesn’t make it any less heartfelt. Lord knows it gives the action some actual meaning and tension. I dare you not to flinch anytime Bumblebee goes through the meat grinder in this one (something that never happened in any of the Bay films).
I love The Transformers brand for many reasons. Apart from the obvious grade school appeal of transforming robots from space, the mythology is easily adaptable to fit any sort of story you want to tell (something that’s apparent from all the countless iterations we’ve gotten over the years). Bumblebee proves that you can have both emotion and spectacle in these films, and that the franchise is ready to move past the chaotic Bay-era.
Now I’m just hoping we get an Optimus Prime movie next! Or dare I say it… a film set solely on Cybertron! A dude can dream, right?