Bumblebee (2018 Film) Review
"Bumblebee" is set in the year 1987. For her birthday, a teenage girl named Charlie Watson is gifted a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. Soon, she discovers that the Beetle is a robot in disguise and one who hails from an alien planet. The two form a friendship, she names the robot Bumblebee, and they quickly discover that evil robots are hunting him. Together, they must stop the threats that seek destroy him as well as Earth itself.
"Bumblebee" stars Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie Watson, John Cena as Jack Burns, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Memo. Voicing Transformers, Dylan O'Brien briefly appears Bumblebee as does Peter Cullen who reprises his iconic role as Optimus Prime. As the film’s villains, Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux voice the Decepticons named Shatter and Dropkick.
"Bumblebee" was directed by Travis Knight. The screenplay was written by Christina Hodson and this film was produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Michael Bay, and Mark Vahradian. "Bumblebee" was distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Introduction
Every time we purchase a ticket to a "Transformers" film, we hope that it won't be garbage, only to have our hopes smashed by the resulting film, but "Bumblebee" shows great promise. For starters, it's the first film in the franchise to not be directed by Michael Bay. Rather, the director of "Bumblebee" is Travis Knight. You might know him as the lead animator for the stop-motion studio named Laika as well as the director of one of Laika's films, "Kubo and the Two Strings." As trailers for the film were being released, I started to notice many changes being made to the "Transformers" franchise. For a franchise infamous for its focus on style over substance, the trailers for "Bumblebee" merely tease the spectacle. Instead, much of the marketing puts a focus on introducing the key element of the film: the relationship between the human and robot leads. Is this a sign of a franchise being humbled? Will the film purge all the faults that made the previous sequels agonizing to sit through? Does "Bumblebee" transform the franchise for better?Overall Thoughts
Yes, it does. "Transformers" fans can breathe a sigh of relief because the folks at Paramount have put out a film that's not just good, but great. It's main strength comes from the two main leads, Charlie and Bumblebee.Hailee Steinfeld runs away with the movie. Opting to deplete the number of action sequences to further develop its characters, "Bumblebee" finally has a lead character that I actually cared about. Steinfeld's acting brings all the emotion that's needed for her role. She makes you laugh, but also breaks your heart in the more stirring scenes. The movie smartly doesn't communicate her history through exposition. Rather, the script and Steinfeld add these subtle gestures that tell you her whole story. Eventually, you see her backstory, but it doesn't play out in the conventional way. For so long, this franchise has reduced actresses to mere gratuitous eye-candy. Now, we have an actress playing a female character that is not only the lead, but is a dynamic, layered, and fleshed out character to the nth degree. Everything that you look for in a great lead, you'll find within Charlie.
"Bumblebee" doubles as a film about a teen finding her way as well as an origin story for the titular character. Unlike some origin stories, Bumblebee’s didn’t feel long or contrived. The writing and animation done for the character almost instantly attach you to this character and you follow him on this story that's got an unimaginable amount of compassion. I've seen people compare this film to "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and while the comparison is not unfounded, it's not particularly a strong complaint because, despite sharing a similar premise, Bumblebee's story has elements that greatly differ from the 1982 film. Could the filmmakers have conjured up a premise that's more original? Sure, but with the amount of emotion and investment you uncover as the story goes on, it's worth having a slightly played-out premise.
The best part of the movie are the simple conversations between Bumblebee and Charlie. The word "small" has never been used to describe a "Transformers" film, but "Bumblebee" is a delightfully small film. It gains a lot of heart whenever Charlie's talking to Bumblebee who can't speak or, at least, use his own words. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "actions speak louder than words." Though he can't speak, his body language and use of radio clips is more than sufficient to run the gambit of emotions. It helps that Bumblebee's well-animated. His look is noticeably different from the last films. This design is able to emote better and thus, you're allowed to have these expressions that emanate his innocence and curiosity.
Where "Bumblebee" is merely okay is with the other characters. Charlie's family, while helpful to the story, don't have a lot of time to be fully developed and the work by the three actors is nothing extraordinary. Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Memo is a character that could've been cut out of the film and you wouldn't have missed much. It's nothing against the actor, but his role wasn't integral to the story where he needed to be there. The two Decepticon villains aren't that imposing. It's one area where the Bay films, the first three at least, were better. To me, the two in Bumblebee" lacked menace. In particular, Angela Bassett didn't transform herself here. It only felt like her voice was coming out of a robot's mouth. Compare her to someone like Hugo Weaving, who voiced Megatron in the first three films. Weaving significantly changed his voice to become a terrifying antagonist. Bassett does not. Sure, her character is manipulative, but she lacked a greater sense of evil. John Cena was the only secondary character that I enjoyed. Cena's been busy expanding his acting career and "Bumblebee" is an example of why that's a good idea. From his first scene, Cena's adds his signature charisma and wit to his character and I enjoyed him whenever he showed up.
Action/CGI/Score
It wasn't that big a problem in the first film, but as the roster of Transformers expanded in the sequels, it became harder and harder to follow the action sequences. Mainly, for two reasons. One, the Transformers looked too similar to one another and two, the filmmakers couldn't go two seconds without cutting to another frame. "Bumblebee" doesn't fall into the same trappings.
Since each of the Transformers are given distinct and colorful designs in "Bumblebee," you're able to follow the sequences as they unfold. The camera movements are steady. It's not constantly shaking and pushing you to the brink of nausea. It's simple, quick, and wraps you into it because you already care about the protagonists involved. There are very few action sequences. Even when they occur, it's not a Fourth of July fireworks exhibition. The explosions are used sparingly. A city block isn't blowing up every minute of the action. Kudos to the director and his team for trying something different.
Very few things impress in the "Transformers" film franchise. One of the few areas where the films up its game with each new movie is the CGI.
While it isn't as bountiful as the previous films, the CGI is nonetheless impressive in "Bumblebee." As I mentioned earlier, Travis Knight is an experienced stop-motion animator. His past work has required him to be very detail-oriented, so as you imagine, the Transformers in this film are full of wonderful detail. You're finally able to get a clear look at all the moving parts as they transform. You discover where the various parts of Bumblebee's car configuration go when he transforms into his standard appearance. For comedy purposes, the filmmakers test themselves with the multiple ways Bumblebee can take shape. At one point, he transforms halfway and uses his legs like a Segway to get around places. Other times, he'll be in his car form and will move around the inhabitants inside him to make a quick and efficient getaway. It's humorous, creative, and comprehensible.
Before I move on, yes, the design of certain Transformers hearken back to that of the 80s cartoon and movie. I'm not going to pretend that the designs thrilled me because truth be told, I've never seen the cartoon and the spin-off film, so there's a good chance that other people who see this film will love the designs more than I did. I will say that it helped distinguish this film from the other five. Bay's original Transformers designs aren't completely erased. Bumblebee himself is a combination of the two different styles, creating a figure that's both retro and timely.
Like the CGI, with the Michael Bay-directed "Transformers" films, one of the elements that you could count on being praiseworthy was the score. All five films had scores that were composed by Steve Jablonsky and each time, the scores hit the right marks, bringing excitement and emotion when there was none.
As if it couldn't take any more risks, "Bumblebee" said bye-bye to Jablonsky and went with Dario Marianelli as composer. The most logical reason for this choice is likely because Marianelli composed Travis Knight's last film, "Kubo and the Two Strings."
The score for "Bumblebee" is certainly different from the five previous scores. Being set in the 80s, the score uses instruments that were popular at the time. A little synthesizer, a little techno, and some hip hop. It's music that hearkens back to the "Transformers" cartoon of the 80s. In fact, a certain song from the cartoon makes a brief cameo in this film and even as someone who hasn't seen a single episode, it's use made me laugh. There's no shortage of orchestra music played throughout the film. Much of it gets the job done and does little else. Hailee Steinfeld performs a single for the film's end credits. It's quite catchy and has a nice beat to it, but if I'm being honest, the soundtrack is probably the weakest element of the movie. However, if that's my biggest complaint against the film, it shows you how much it gets wrong.
Before I move on, yes, the design of certain Transformers hearken back to that of the 80s cartoon and movie. I'm not going to pretend that the designs thrilled me because truth be told, I've never seen the cartoon and the spin-off film, so there's a good chance that other people who see this film will love the designs more than I did. I will say that it helped distinguish this film from the other five. Bay's original Transformers designs aren't completely erased. Bumblebee himself is a combination of the two different styles, creating a figure that's both retro and timely.
As if it couldn't take any more risks, "Bumblebee" said bye-bye to Jablonsky and went with Dario Marianelli as composer. The most logical reason for this choice is likely because Marianelli composed Travis Knight's last film, "Kubo and the Two Strings."
The score for "Bumblebee" is certainly different from the five previous scores. Being set in the 80s, the score uses instruments that were popular at the time. A little synthesizer, a little techno, and some hip hop. It's music that hearkens back to the "Transformers" cartoon of the 80s. In fact, a certain song from the cartoon makes a brief cameo in this film and even as someone who hasn't seen a single episode, it's use made me laugh. There's no shortage of orchestra music played throughout the film. Much of it gets the job done and does little else. Hailee Steinfeld performs a single for the film's end credits. It's quite catchy and has a nice beat to it, but if I'm being honest, the soundtrack is probably the weakest element of the movie. However, if that's my biggest complaint against the film, it shows you how much it gets wrong.
Grade: B+
A godsend to the rest of the "Transformers" franchise and its fans, "Bumblebee" fixes the problems of the previous movies while also adding an overdue amount of heart, humor, and likable characters.
I would recommend "Bumblebee" to any moviegoer, regardless of whether you're a fan or not. If you have hated the previous films, now's the time to see what a great "Transformers" movie is. Prove to Paramount that this is the kind of "Transformers" movie that they should be making by seeing this in theaters. As for the 3D option, I'll leave it up to you whether or not it's worth it.
Movie Review Mom
Before I wrap up this article completely, I want to share something with you that's a real treat. Trina Boice is the host of a YouTube show called Movie Review Mom and she invited me on to her show to talk about this very film. It was a delight to be on her show. It's the first time I've ever been in a YouTube video, so it was a great first experience for me. Go watch the episode where we discussed "Bumblebee." She also has many other episodes on her YouTube show that you can watch. After that, check out the Movie Review Mom website where she writes movie reviews as well. She puts out wonderful content each week, so there's a lot for you to enjoy. Thanks for having me on your show, Trina Boice!
Conclusion
This has been my review for "Bumblebee." I look forward to hearing your thoughts, both on my review and the film itself, if you've seen it that is. Look forward to my review for "Aquaman" which is coming very soon. Once it's out, I'll let you know on all my social media accounts. Remember, feel free to suggest a film for me to review next. Thanks for reading, I'm Dallin, your resident Film Fanatic, and I'll be back with another editorial.
Comments
Post a Comment