MOVIE REVIEW By Lucas Allen: ‘Bumblebee; will have fans buzzing

Bumblebee
(Paramount Pictures/Hasbro)
By Lucas Allen

Never has a successful series somehow received fan rage right from the start more than “Transformers,” with fans of the G1 animated series from the1980s growing tired of Michael Bay’s hyperkinetic action and the disregard for their favorite Autobots and Decepticons.

Finally putting their heads together, producer Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg have given the franchise a “very soft” reboot by making a prequel story focusing on one fan-favorite character. That’s why we have Bumblebee, which works as both an origin story and a Spielbergian-like tale as the modern equivalent of “E.T.”
The story takes place in 1987 (exactly 20 years before the first Bay “Transformers” film), and Cybertron is in the middle of a conflicting war between the Autobots and Decepticons. During the battle, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) sends his soldier Bumblebee (voiced by Dylan O’Brien) to Earth to make base for the Autobot army. But once there, Bee is attacked by a military group led by Sgt. Burns (John Cena), leading to a lost voice and memory loss.
Meanwhile, our main character, Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), is a 17-year-old who’s spending her summer with her family while dealing with a crappy job. She’s also dealing with the loss of her father, while trying to finish fixing his Oldsmobile, much to her sadness and frustration.
On her 18th birthday, she picks up a damaged yellow VW Beetle, not knowing it was Bumblebee in disguise. The two become friends as she helps him remember where he came from and hides him in plain sight from others. However, two Decepticon soldiers, Shatter (voiced by Angela Bassett), and Dropkick (voiced by Justin Theroux), helps both Burns and Sector 7 to locate Bee with their advanced technology. With the help of her nerdy neighbor Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), Charlie will have to find a way to keep her new friend safe from incoming threats.
It’s no secret that the movie seems to be made by someone who understands the original toys and animated series better than Bay. The director is Travis Knight who directed the animated film Kubo and the Two Strings, and he brings a fresh nostalgic feel to the series. The opening in Cybertron will very likely appeal to older fans of the franchise who remembers watching the animated series in the 80s. Those who are more used to Bay’s style may feel differently however, but maybe this movie will help them gain a better understand of the franchise’s original appeal.
While the action scenes are quite good, the movie largely focuses on the friendship between Charlie and Bumblebee, and that’s the whole heart of the film. It’s something we’ve seen before, but works believably well when it involves each of their inner conflicts. Some may wish for more mindless action, but this is still a good welcome. The comedy is still consistent with the Bay films and could’ve used a rewrite to make it less cringe-worthy. Still, you can’t go wrong with Bee being a pet to any human.
While other actors in the rest of the series including this film had tried to keep a straight face amidst the chaos, Steinfeld actually gives a very good performance as a lonely teen who found a friend in a giant alien robot. Since she’s a very talented actress, she seems to be going all out with her character like she wants to win an Academy Award.
Cena also does a good job playing up the 80s action hero prototype to a T as the modern Stallone or Schwarzenegger. The voice acting is much more clear and precise compared to the other films between Cullen’s legendary vocal authority and Bassett’s sinister overtones.
It’s hard to know if “Bumblebee” will help the series recover at the box office, but it’s still an entertaining delight that will please more Transformers fanatics than any of the previous entries. Hopefully, its success would mean future solo films with other fan-favorite characters. For example, the story of Optimus Prime and the War on Cybertron would get fans in line on opening night.

THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi action/violence)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)