Bumblebee

Dir: Travis Knight

2018

***

While I would agree that Bumblebee is the most authentic Transformers film so far, I would still argue that it’s not the amazing film that many suggested to me. I think because the previous films are so devoid of heart, that suddenly, a film that wears a blatant cloak of 80s movie nostalgia is always going to look a hundred times better than it really is. The first Transformers film really did kick me in the nostalgics. Bumblebee was a Volkswagen Beetle dammit and the fact Michael Bay turned him into a Chevrolet Camaro told you everything you needed to know about the adaption and in what regard the original fans would be held. Watching a spoiled brat berate his father because he couldn’t see the beauty in a classic Camaro he’d just bought him made me feel old and in the wrong universe. When it was updated to a modern Camaro, like it was some kind of improvement, was a step too far. It was like watching a Fast and Furious film but with robots, Fast and Furious 3 with characters even less lifeless than Vin Deisel’s eyes. It took them just over a decade to correct all of the obvious mistakes but for me it is a little too little too late. Setting the film in the 80s and making it look as if it is a lost classic from the era is a little cheap. Making Bumblebee a Volkswagen Beetle again was an easy fix also but I’m not sure they managed to steer clear enough from the Herbie films. The film begins on Cybertron as we see the Autobot resistance, led by Optimus Prime, on the verge of losing the civil war against the Decepticons. A Decepticon force, led by Soundwave, Starscream and Shockwave, intercepts them during their evacuation from the planet and Optimus sends Autobot scout Bumblebee (known as B-127) to Earth on an escape pod in order to set up a base of operations where the Autobots can regroup. B-127 reaches Earth alone, crash-landing in California and disrupting a training exercise by Sector 7, a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial activity on Earth. Colonel Jack Burns (John Cena) presumes B-127 to be a hostile invader and pursues him. B-127 scans a Willys MB jeep and flees to a mine, where Blitzwing, a Decepticon Seeker, ambushes him. When B-127 refuses to reveal Optimus's whereabouts, Blitzwing tears out his voice box and damages his memory core; despite this, B-127 stabs and destroys Blitzwing with one of his own missiles. B-127 flees from the soldiers, scans a nearby 1967 Volkswagen Beetle and collapses from his injuries. It’s not clear when this all occurs but we are then taken to 1987, which is in the future, by around ten years I would guess. There, we follow teenager Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) who remains traumatized by the death of her father, and resentful of her mother Sally for moving on too quickly with a new boyfriend named Ron. Charlie finds a yellow Volkswagen Beetle (which is actually B-127) in a scrapyard belonging to Hank, who gives it to her as an 18th birthday present. When trying to start it, Charlie unknowingly activates a homing signal that is detected by Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick as they interrogate and execute the Autobot Cliffjumper on one of Saturn's moons. The pair heads to Earth, where they adapt Earth vehicle forms and pretend to be peacekeepers, persuading Dr. Powell (John Ortiz) and the rest of Sector 7, despite Burns's disagreement, to help them find and capture B-127, whom they claim is a fugitive and a traitor. While Charlie attempts to fix the Beetle, it transforms into B-127, whom she befriends and nicknames "Bumblebee". She then unknowingly unlocks a message from Optimus urging Bumblebee to defend Earth in their absence, which restores some of his memories. Bumblebee begins to speak using songs, as he does in the later films. He is discovered by Charlie's neighbor Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), who agrees to protect their secret due to his feelings for Charlie. Left alone, Bumblebee accidentally destroys Charlie’s home and causes an energy spike that attracts Sector 7’s attention. When Sally blames Charlie for the destruction, Charlie finally expresses her pain over her father’s death and angrily leaves with Bumblebee and Memo, only to be intercepted by Sector 7 and the Decepticons. Bumblebee is captured while Charlie and Memo are returned home. Charlie convinces her brother Otis to cover for her and Memo as they follow Burns to the Sector 7 outpost where Bumblebee is being held. Shatter and Dropkick torture Bumblebee and activate the message from Optimus Prime discovering that the Autobots are coming to Earth. They leave him for dead after revealing their plan to bring the Decepticons to Earth. After alerting Burns to the truth about the Decepticons, Dr. Powell is killed by Dropkick. Charlie electroshocks Bumblebee back to life, restoring his memories. After fighting past Burns' obstruction and attempt to re-secure Bumblebee with the help of Memo, Sally, Ron, and Otis, Charlie and Bumblebee set out to prevent Shatter and Dropkick from contacting the Decepticons using a radio tower at a nearby harbor. Burns also intervenes and defends Charlie. His helicopter is shot down by Shatter, but Burns is saved by Bumblebee. While Bumblebee fights Dropkick, he binds him with a chain, entangling his systems when he transforms, and Bumblebee rips him apart. Charlie deactivates the Decepticon beacon, causing an enraged Shatter to pursue her. Bumblebee destroys a dam wall, triggering a flood that causes a cargo ship to crush Shatter into the docks, killing her. Burns, having a change of heart and grateful towards Bumblebee, gives him and Charlie time to escape before the army arrives, having yet to convince them that Bumblebee is not the enemy. Charlie and Bumblebee arrive on a cliff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, where Charlie, realizing that Bumblebee has a greater purpose on Earth, says goodbye. Bumblebee scans a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro, transforms into a yellow version of it, and drives away, presumable towards Transformers 2007. There is a ridiculous diving sub-plot that goes with the film, which is almost as pointless and annoying as the whole dead dad storyline but in many respects that captures the mood of many a silly/classic 80s movie perfectly. The Film starts off as Star Wars, goes into Commando territory before switching to a mix of Herbie and ET: The Extra Terrestrial. It’s Transformers from there on in but without so much of the terrible attempts at humour seen in the previous films. It’s not without its charm but it is completely devoid of all originality. They’ve basically given us what we said we wanted in the first film but it turns out we didn’t want it at all. Well I didn’t anyway. I probably sound harsh, but although it is a far superior film to the other Transformer films, it’s still nothing special and it relies far too heavily on nostalgia – nostalgia created by other film. It’s barely a Transformers film in my opinion. It’s also quite frustrating that, although they got Bumblebee right with regards to him being a VW Beetle, they totally got Soundwave wrong. Okay, so you may ask how, in 2018, could they feature a character who was originally a cassette player? My answer is that the film is set in 1987, with some moderately creative writing it should have been easy. I feel we’re back to square one. Nice try Transformers, I see through your game, even though I didn’t hate your film.