On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.
I was never a fan of Michael Bay's Transformer film series. I couldn't get myself to accept the story of the films, featuring alien robots that transform into vehicles or aircrafts. I couldn't get pass the ludicrous plot of the films and kept asking myself, how can these alien robots turn into cars and talk with perfect American accent? These are the reasons why I never enjoyed watching any of the past 'Transformer' films.
Then, out of nowhere came 'Bumblebee'.
The film borrows heavily from beloved 80's classics (with 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' being the most obvious inspiration) that makes it feel so familiar yet so refreshing. Charlie was even wearing a denim jacket with the letters BFG printed on the back in one scene, an obvious reference to the 1982 novel by Roald Dahl entitled "The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)" about a girl who befriends a giant, which was adapted into film by Steven Spielberg (one of Bumblebee's executive producers) back in 2016. There are even scenes that echoes Stephen King's homicidal car 'Christine' (1983) and the Prom night of 'Carrie' (1976). The story is something we've seen many times before, with a kid (this time, an 18 year old in the form of singer actress Hailee Steinfeld) from Earth befriending an alien (here, an Autobot) and helping it fight from the bad guys around them. Yes, it is a tried-and-tested formula. And it works, thanks to the solid direction of Travis Knight (of 'Kubo and the Two Strings' which I am yet to see), the sentimental script from screenwriter Christina Hodson and the powerful performance of Hailee Steinfeld.
Hailee imbued her character Charlie with a bit of teenage angst and lots of emotional depth that we become so invested in her character. There were times when I couldn't help myself think if I'm really watching a Transformers film. Hailee's Charlie felt like someone straight out of a John Hughes film due her fully realized character. Speaking of which, I absolutely love the film's numerous references to 'The Breakfast Club' (one of my all-time favorites). All these 80s pop culture references (posters of Indiana Jones and 'The Thing' in Jorge Lendeborg's room), plus the perfectly matched soundtrack completes the film's nostalgic feels.
The film's action set pieces are also commendable, because compared to the massive battle scenes from Michael Bay's past films, the action scenes here are more effective and properly orchestrated. You can really feel the intensity of the scenes, from thrills of each car chase to the impact of each blow during the battle scenes between Bumblebee and the Decepticons. The threat here feels more grounded because of the story's small scale, and so the danger feels more real for the characters as we've become attached and invested to them already- rarity among sci-fi adventure flicks nowadays.
I did not expect this but Bumblebee is the Transformers movie we deserve. Believe it. The hype is real.
It's the best Transformer film yet. And definitely one of 2018's biggest surprises.
Rating: 10/ 10 • Verdict: Must Watch
Verdict: Must Watch • Highly Recommended • Entertaining • Tolerable • Boring •
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