David Pierdomenico
Back in 2007, Paramount gave the world its first taste of Transformers in live action form. With Michael Bay directing, and the guidance of Steven Spielberg producing, the film was generally well received by audiences. It captured the wonder and the spectacle of giant transforming robots. However, the franchise quickly fell into disarray with one mediocre sequel after another. But all that has changed with Bumblebee. With a new director, new setting, and an absolute love for the source material, this film is everything that Transformers fans want and deserve in a big screen adaptation!
Focusing More on Characters
One of the film’s greatest strengths is its character development. Our protagonist Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) is a teenager with a lot to deal with. Between her hyperactive kid brother, overworked mother (Pamela Adlon), the recent death of her father, her odd stepfather (Steven Schneider), and her family’s money troubles, things seem rather dire. Steinfeld is a supremely talented actress, and she does a great job of making Charlie feel like a real teenager; complete with dreams and sarcasm, but also awkwardness and self-consciousness.
Pamela Adlon helps add to the family dynamic by portraying a mother who wants what’s best for her children, but who agonizes over the fact that she struggles to provide. And her stepfather, while not a major character, depicted very effectively as well. It would have been so easy to go the clichéd route and make him an absolute jerk, so as to reinforce what a good person her father was. But he honestly means well and he’s more goofy and cheesy than anything else, which irritates Charlie immensely. Overall, it feels like a more realistic depiction of a family.
Once Charlie meets Bumblebee, the film focuses more on their development and friendship. Sure there’s a subplot with Decepticons looking for him and trying to manipulate the US Military into doing their bidding. But at the film’s core, it’s about how a teenage girl and a robot alien, both of whom feel like outcasts, are able to relate to each other and grow together. In the other Transformers films, Optimus Prime got most of the attention, but even then, character growth was very much on the backburner to all the large battles and explosions. Here, we see so much more personality from Bumblebee than we ever did from three films of him belonging to Sam Witwicky.
Getting the Tone Right
Maybe it’s the current obsession with 80’s nostalgia, or maybe it’s the fact that the original series aired during that decade, but Bumblebee’s 1987 setting just feels right. Director Travis Knight’s background is in animation (animator on Paranorman and Box Trolls, director of Kubo and the Two Strings), and that visual style really lends itself to this. With the Transformers’ design, we can actually see car parts as part of their bodies, and for the first time we get to see them transform into both cars and a fighter jet/helicopter!
The film has its silly moments, but that’s more than acceptable when the source material is an 80’s cartoon. It’s less over the top than the original five films, and feels more like a true adaptation. John Cena even plays a semi villainous Government Agent, who seems a bit cartoonish, but that’s sort of the point. He’s played exactly like one would expect from an 80’s villain. And Cena’s background in WWE and the type of performances required there really help him here. He’s campy, but in a completely fun way.
Simpler is Better
In the grand scheme of the film, we’re only ever shown a total of four Transformers (Five if we count a recording of Optimus Prime), and that’s okay. Part of what made the later sequels subpar was their convoluted plots and overabundance of Transformers that were difficult to keep track of which one was which. This film is a simpler storyline, and because of that, it allows us to get to know the characters better. Between that and the film’s awesome soundtrack, filled with 80’s classics, it makes for a fun experience. Plus, because it takes place before the other five films, it’s easy to enjoy, even for people who haven’t seen any of them. It’s a fresh entry into a franchise that sorely needed it. And it remains the best film in the franchise by far!
