Bumblebee

After twelve years and five earlier live-action films, the Transformers franchise finally seems to have got it right with a movie that restores characterisation, plot coherency and a sense of fun to the series, resulting in the best live-action Transformers film so far.

Premise:  As the Autobots flee their homeworld during the Transformers Civil War, Bumblebee arrives on Earth in 1987, closely followed by Decepticon soldiers.  Damaged and alone, he is found by lonely teenager Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), and pursued by the suspicious Colonel Burns (John Cena).

Review:

I think it’s fair to say that the Transformers live-action film franchise has never lived up to its potential, and that none of the films so far have been nearly as enjoyable as the beloved (if dated) 1986 animated kids film Transformers: The Movie.  The first live-action Transformers (2007) got off to a promising start with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox’s storyline, but fell apart in the second half once the Transformers themselves appeared, devoid of any personality or character.  The next film, Revenge of the Fallen (2009), was better insofar as the Transformers themselves were watchable, but it was still overlong with plenty of bits that didn't work.  Next came Dark of the Moon (2011), which had a couple of good action scenes (largely without the Transformers), but it already felt like it was running out of ideas, and it was practically overshadowed by the public firing of co-lead Megan Fox by director Michael Bay.

The series then really fell apart when it was rebooted with the Mark Wahlberg staring Age of Extinction (2014), which was an unwatchable mess with no discernible plot and incoherent action, and for me was the worst film I had paid to see in a long time.  I disliked it so much that when The Last Knight was released in 2017, I couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to watch it (and I certainly wouldn’t have paid to see it).

“…this film has restored my faith that a good live-action Transformers film is possible…”

So to say that my expectations for Bumblebee (the sixth film in the series and the first prequel) were low would be a huge understatement – but this film has restored my faith that a good live-action Transformers film is possible.  As much as I like Michael Bay’s other (non-Transformers) films, I can’t help but wonder if he was what was wrong with the live-action series to date, as he was the only common thread between all five previous films (which had been written by four different writing teams).

For Bumblebee, the studio started with a completely clean slate, bringing in director Travis Knight (who had previously only directed the stop-motion animated film Kubo And the Two Strings) and writer Christina Hodson to produce a film that is entirely standalone from the previous five live-action movies.  Setting Bumblebee in the 80s was a stroke of genius, as it not only allows the film to be separate from the earlier films (without contradicting them), but it also allows the film to capitalise on the nostalgia felt by viewers who fell in love with the Transformers seen in The Transformers: The Movie.

“…there is an undeniable thrill in seeing classic Transformers as live-action CGI characters…”

Because this prequel/reboot is set in the 80s, it also means we finally get to see live-action Transformers looking like “proper” Transformers.  Don’t get me wrong, on an intellectual level I appreciate that in the earlier live-action films the animators were attempting to make the Transformers look “realistic” so that they could genuinely transform between their robot and vehicle forms.  But the end result of that approach was Transformers whose robot forms looked nothing like how the Transformers had previously looked, and who were largely unrecognisable to Transformers fans.  In contrast, the Transformers in Bumblebee look like they did in the 80s cartoons and comics, and there is an undeniable thrill in seeing classic Transformers like Optimus Prime, Shockwave, Arcee, Starscream and Soundwave rendered as live-action CGI characters.  An opening scene on Cybertron during the Transformers Civil War is the coolest thing my 8-year-old inner child has ever seen.

Not only did Travis Knight and Christina Hodson take their inspiration from the 80s cartoons and comics, but I suspect they also took some inspiration from the first half of the first live-action film, which focused on Shia LaBeouf’s teenage character.  The lead role in Bumblebee is played by Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld, who (unsurprisingly) is really able to breathe life into her character of Charlie.  But whereas the first half of Transformers was all about Shia LaBeouf’s character trying to get the girl, in Bumblebee, Charlie is emotionally isolated following the death of her father and the subsequent remarriage of her mother, and so when she forms a bond with Bumblebee, it feels genuine and believable.

“…the Transformers film that fans have been waiting thirty years for…”

It’s the cast that brings this film to life, grounding the emotion, humour and action.  Bumblebee is unquestionably Hailee Steinfeld’s film (whose performance is even more impressive when you consider she is acting opposite nothing in most of her scenes), but she’s ably supported by John Cena as the government agent who’s distrustful of the Transformers, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr as Charlie’s neighbour and the comic relief.  John Cena in particular brings more humour to his role than you might expect, and his character has a couple of moments that really standout.

Inevitably, events build towards a showdown between Bumblebee and his Decepticon pursuers (voiced by Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux, no less) - but unlike the muddled and confusing action of the Michael Bay directed Transformers films, Travis Knight keeps the action clear and understandable, so that viewers can follow what is going on and aren’t subjected to an endless stream of incoherent fast-cuts.  By doing this, Knight keeps the action emotionally grounded, while still producing some really interesting action beats.

So yes, Bumblebee is still “just” a Transformers film – but it’s the best live-action Transformers film so far, and the one that fans have been waiting thirty years for.  A character driven film carried by a great performance from Hailee Steinfeld, expert action direction from Travis Knight, and humour and heart from Christina Hodson’s script, Bumblebee shows what the potential of the film series really is, and I can’t wait to see more from this creative team.