They did it! It took over ten years and five awful movies by the same lousy director, but they finally made a Transformers movie worth watching. This is what we as fans of the source material have been waiting for. A smart, thoughtfully crafted, tactfully paced, and emotionally resonating feature film bringing a part of the childhood of my generation to life. Not only do the robots look more akin to their original designs, not only do the filmmakers have a better appreciation for the appeal of the Transformers, but the movie has what the whole franchise had been missing for far too long: a sense of childlike awe. Moreover, though it is soaking in 80s nostalgia, that is not the main reason this film is so enjoyable and memorable, but rather for its authentic story, loveable characters, comprehensible action scenes, and a genuinely relatable journey of growth, love, and overcoming obstacles.
The story takes place in 1987 in a small town near Santa Cruz. A young girl named Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) is struggling with the death of her father. Distancing herself from the rest of her family, as well as her own self-value, finding refuge in rebuilding an old Corvette she and her father were working on. On her 18th birthday, while salvaging parts in a local scrap yard, she stumbles upon an old yellow Volkswagon Beatle, which the friendly yard owner gives her as a birthday gift. However, as soon as she takes the yellow Bug home, it transforms into a colossal robot right before her eyes. Despite the robots intimidating size, he is actually very timid and confused, like a lost puppy. Turns out that the robot, which Charlie chooses to name Bumblebee, is an Autobot soldier in an intergalactic civil war against the evil Decepticons and was sent to Earth to establish a new base for the resistance, as well as protect the planet from the Decepticons. Except for one small problem: Bumblebee has somehow lost his memory and his voice and cannot fulfill his mission. Even worse, Decepticon agents have landed on Earth in search of him. Now, Charlie must help her new friend remember who he is and, in doing so, come to terms with her own loss and reconnect with her own true self.
This movie is an absolute delight in every possible way. Arguably the most significant reason why is because of how different it is from any other live-action Transformers movie that has been produced. Since 2007, Paramount Pictures has released five films, and they all share the exact same problems. Without going into too much detail, all of their issues can be chalked down to director Michael Bay and his inability to understand or appreciate the source material as well as basic storytelling. It got so bad that The Nostalgia Critic successfully predicted everything about last years movie before it was even released. Despite Mr. Bay's failure to make a decent or even watchable Transformers film, they continued to make lots of money and discourage producers from taking any risks with the franchise. It was only recently that their repetitiveness finally caught up with them. After the last film, Transformers: The Last Knight, failed to deliver the box-office performance they were expecting, they finally took a step back and re-evaluated their approach to the material. Needless to say, their efforts have paid off.
Bumblebee was directed by Travis Knight, the co-founder of the stop-motion animation group known as LAIKA Animation Studios, which was the studio behind Paranorman and Kubo and the Two Strings. This is Mr. Knight's live-action debut, and it is a beautiful break out hit. Considering Mr. Knight's background in animation, he knows how to pay attention to fine details. His visual style is calm yet active in its elegant simplicity. His talent for crafting action scenes is a joy to behold as he never resorts to shaky cam or rapid-fire editing to artificially up the intensity. His ability to handle actors makes for some of the most touching and memorable moments in the film. His firm understanding of the need for emotional resonance in a story puts him on par with the likes of Steven Spielberg. All of these things and more secure a glorious display of talent and skill that deserves applause. Hollywood would be wise to keep Travis Knight in their employ.
The relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee is, hands down, the best part of the movie. They are the heart and spirit of the story and the real reason the film is worthy of your emotional investment. The two of them come to each other broken and, through their friendship, rebuild each other into better versions of themselves. It is true that this particular story is very similar to that of The Iron Giant or E.T., to which many other critics have, understandably, compared this movie. This does not bother me because, as I have stated in my original video review for Wonder Woman, I would prefer that the filmmakers take too much inspiration from the right material than from the wrong ones. Also, these characters have already had five movies worth of blowing stuff up, so it was time to do something different, and I for one welcome it with open arms.
Hailee Steinfeld, whom some of you may remember as the Academy Award-nominated actress from 2010's remake of True Grit, delivers a heartfelt performance the likes of which I would put on par with the cast of Black Panther. Offering genuine chemistry and believable relatability despite not having an actual on-set opposite presence to work off of. Also, Hailee puts so much conviction into her performance that she sells everything else that happens on screen. Regardless of whether she is running through a mountain range from armed robots or sharing her vulnerability with a friend, it is always genuine. I for one look forward to seeing her in future movies.
The special effects and the action scenes are leaps and bounds above anything else that has been seen in any other Transformers movie, if only because you can actually understand what's going on. The design of the robots not only look more accurate to their original conception but are also adjusted in ways to make them stand out more. So even when the robots are fighting each other causing tons of damage to their surroundings you are never confused as to what's going on or who is fighting who. From what I understand the film utilized a combination of practical effects and CGI, which is something I have always advocated and appreciate when it's actually practiced.
Perhaps what ultimately makes this film such a fantastic experience, besides the genuine friendship between the main characters, is that anyone can watch this movie and enjoy it for what it is. Even though it is based on a popular cartoon series from the 80s, and it makes some great callbacks to it, the movie doesn't really expect everyone in the audience to be familiar with it. While those who are already familiar with the source material will get a good chuckle at some of the inside jokes, like I did, the film only expects you to be ready for a compelling, self-contained story. Any and all recognizable acpects of the Transformers is relegated to lore and additional texture so as to add further depth to the real meat of the story. Much like The Princess Bride, there is something for everyone.
This is precisely what the Transformers franchise needs right now. Rumor has it that if this movie does well, the studio will use it as a launch pad to effectively reboot the entire franchise and start again with Bumblebee as the model for all future Transformers movies, effectively erasing the Michael Bay films from cinematic history. Which, if you ask me, is not a bad idea at all. Make no mistake: Bumblebee is not a great film because of its nostalgia value, but because of its storytelling power. This film may well be the best Holiday present I have received in cinemas ever, and I can't wait to go see this again.
Is this movie worth seeing?
Yes
Is it worth seeing in theaters?
Yes
Why?
It is a heartfelt, exciting, well crafted, emotionally resonating film that makes the whole movie going world brighter by its existence. Roll out to the theater for a genuinely transforming experience.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.
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