Harry Situation Reviews: Bumblebee

A Transformers movie? And it’s actually good?

It’s a Christmas miracle!

Bumblebee is another Transformers movie, this time not directed by Michael Bay, so it’s already got its first positive. It features the popular, voiceless Autobot in his own feature film. The film is set during the 1980s, long before the other Transformers come to earth, and it focuses on a teenage girl (played by Hailee Steinfeld) who discovers the 1967 Volkswagen Beetle is actually a transforming robotic organism called Bumblebee. The two develop a remarkable friendship and must work together to stop the Decepticons from invading their world.

Honestly, I thought I was done with Transformers movies. I even told myself that I was done with Transformers movies. After last year’s shitstorm of shittiness Transformers: The Last Knight and they were going to be making spin-off films like this one, I had it and I was never going to watch another one ever again. But then I heard about the buzz (ha, see what I did there?). 94% on Rotten Tomatoes? That officially makes this movie the first film in the franchise to have to have a fresh rating. Okay, I had to see this movie. And, oh my god, it’s all true.

The first big positive that this film has that the other Tranformers movie don’t is character. This is a very character driven film, and it works because Hailee Steinfeld and Bumblebee work so well together. They do develop a connection that feels real and believable, even though you’re staring at something that’s completely computer generated. There’s much more character emotions that helps you connect with each other the characters in this film. Let me highlight that word for everyone: characters. There’s no annoying side characters, there’s no over-sexualized young women, there’s no Shia LaBeouf making weird faces, there’s no dogs humping each other, there’s no Transformers testicles, it’s got none of Michael Bay’s bullshit that he put into his films. It feels like a breath of fresh air. Sure there are a few human characters that act cartoony like John Cena and this government scientist character in this movie, but they’re by no means obnoxious. They’re actually really enjoyable.

Hailee Steinfeld is really proving herself to be an incredible actress, and she develops a much better connection to Bumblebee than Shia LaBeouf ever did in the first three films. And she does it miraculously. Her character is also portrayed as an outcast from school and home, which makes her all the more relatable.

And Bumblebee is really cool in this movie too. He’s got some good funny moments and he can be a total badass all at once.

The action looks and feels much better than the previous films. The first 5-10 minutes into this movie featured the War of Cybertron, and as a fan of Transformers, it was great watching it on the big screen.

Yet I cannot shake the feeling while watching this movie that the direction and story seem to coincide with other films. I think the one that sticks out the most is E.T. I mean it’s a movie about a child that lost their father and then said child meets an alien with incredible abilities, and the government is trying to hunt him down and... you get the idea. And there’s also a sequence where the alien is left alone at home and makes a complete mess of the house. It’s not a rip-off of E.T. by no means, and it’s not copying and pasting the plot of E.T. I mean, it’s not Mac & Me, oh god no. It’s much like how Star Wars: The Force Awakens borrows some plot elements from Star Wars: A New Hope just to play it safe, but it still manages to introduce new elements that make it fresh, nostalgic, and fun. That’s the best way to compare this film, and I’m glad it works. After the garbage we the audience had to sit through in the last installments, playing it safe is the best route to take.

This film is 10,000 leagues above any of the Bay-Formers movies. To me, this films more like a soft reboot for the franchise instead of a prequel. It that’s what the studio was going for then I’m all for it. If another film like this is made, I won’t mind going in seeing it, just as long as it’s as enjoyable as this one is.

Side note: this film also features Optimus Prime (voiced again by Peter Cullen) in his original Transformers look, which is always a positive.

Positives:

-Actual character moments & development

-Hailee Steinfeld

-Bumblebee

-Fun robot action

-Great CGI

-No Michael Bay bullshit

-Very down to earth and heartwarming

Negatives:

-Very familiar plot and direction

-Some cartoon humans

Final Grade: A-

So there’s my review for Bumblebee. I was honestly thinking of giving this movie a B just as a reference for this film, but this film was much better than that. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? Which Transformers robot was your favorite? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews before this year is over!

Best Quote:

Agent Burns: “He’s just a machine.”

Charlie Watson: “He’s more human than you’ll ever be.”

#harrysituationreviews #transformers #film #opinion #robots #action #AGrade