Well this was unexpected. Bumblebee is the sixth live-action movie in the Transformers franchise, and the first to be considered a spin-off. I feel like context is important with this kind of thing, so let me give you my journey with this franchise. I’ll be honest, I was never really a big Transformers fan. They’re cool and all, but it just wasn’t something that resonated with me as a child, and so it just wasn’t one of the staples of my childhood like other popular franchises were. Again, I didn’t think it was bad, I was just never part of the fandom. So, when live-action Transformers movies started getting made in 2007, I didn’t really have any expectations or desires from it. I think this is the reason why, at the time, I winded up enjoying the movies for what they were: very dumb action movies. In hindsight, I can recognize that they’re bad movies, but I was a teenager when they came out, and so I did wind up just enjoying them for the explosions. Plus, there was nothing for the movies to live up to in my mind, so it didn’t disappoint me like that. However, after the third movie, I found myself really getting burnt out with the franchise, and so I stopped watching them. I didn’t even see the fourth and fifth movies (the ones that starred Mark Wahlberg). Needless to say, I rolled my eyes when I saw that a Bumblebee spin-off was getting made, and I had no plans to see it. However, then I saw that the movie was in the 90s on Rotten Tomatoes, which totally defied all expectations, and so I felt like I had to go see what the hype was all about. I’m happy to say that this one is in fact pretty good, which is crazy when you consider its place in the franchise.

It turns out that being a spin-off ultimately helps the movie, because it doesn’t have to bother with keeping too much continuity going from the previous movies. This makes it easier for anyone to jump in, and it allows the movie to tell a different kind of story. In this case, we’re given a prequel story, which…usually doesn’t work out, but in this case it’s the best thing the movie could have done. The movie takes place in 1987, which allows it to have a retro feel that will probably be nostalgic for old-school Transformers fans. The story involves Bumblebee running away to Earth to escape some Decepticons. He’s accidentally discovered by a teenager named Charlie (played by Hailee Steinfeld here), who’s having issues going on with her normal life after her father has passed away. Charlie gets Bumblebee as a car, and is then in for a shock when she takes him home and finds that he transforms into a robot. The two form a strong bond and are able to help each other with their respective problems, as the Decepticons come to Earth in search of Bumblebee.

Here’s the thing, I’ve heard critics and fans alike go on about how “this is the Transformers movies fans have been waiting for” and all that jazz. Like I’ve said, I was never a Transformers fan, so I really can’t speak much to this. It does seem to have a more nostalgic vibe that will please fans, and from what little I do know it seems like the designs of the robots are more in line with their original designs. So, I’m sure there is a lot here to please fans, it’s just not something that I can verify since I’ve never been a fan. That being said, I can at least give the perspective of whether or not this movie might be enjoyable for someone who’s more of a casual Transformers fan and only really had exposure to the movies, and so I think that even if you’re like me you can enjoy the movie.

Going off of the other three Transformers movies I saw, there were three things I noticed that were greatly improved here. First, there’s the story. There was never really much of a good story in the other movies. I truly can’t even remember what they were about, aside from some individual character arcs. In Bumblebee, the story has a main focus, which is a smart move. The main focus is on the relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee, as a human and alien are helping each other with their problems. This gives it a vibe similar to something like E.T., and the movie is way better off for it. To be entirely honest with you, I was enjoying the movie much less when it was focused on its actual Transformers storyline than I was when it was focused on this relationship. This could be due to my lack of investment in the franchise, but I did like the story that it did choose to tell. The second improvement to me the special effects. While this is far from being an original thought on my part, I felt like Michael Bay’s Transformers movies were way too focused on explosions and CGI fights, and this kind of made things a mess to look at. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely still explosions and CGI in this movie, but it’s restrained, and used in the right way. Things aren’t just slapped onto the screen, they’re actually given nuance, and so the action scenes wind up being entertaining instead of CGI pukefests. Then, the final improvement to me was the runtime. This was a huge problem I had with the other Transformers movies, where they were just so bloated and went on for way too long. Bumblebee is very smartly just below 2 hours, and so it didn’t wear out its welcome. I remember specifically when I saw Transformers 3, I noticed that the final fight was pretty close to an hour long, which was insane. Bumblebee never does this, and everything just feels like it moves at the right pace. I very much appreciated the shortened run-time for this, because it made it a much more enjoyable movie.

Don’t get me wrong, this still isn’t my favorite franchise, and it never will be. I don’t think Bumblebee is a perfect movie by any means, as it does have some awkward moments and uninteresting scenes. However, this film is definitely of the highest quality of any of the Transformers movies that I’ve seen, and so I think that it does deserve props for that. Unlike when I saw the other Transformers movies, I didn’t feel exhausted after watching Bumblebee. I felt like I had a fun time, and while it may not be something that consumed my thoughts for days after, I enjoyed my time with it. I can’t say with certainty that it will please Transformers fans since I’m not part of that fandom, but I’m pretty sure it will. However, with a movie that’s focused on a relationship between a girl and her robot, I found it to be pretty accessible and enjoyable for someone like me. Even if you bowed out from watching this franchise a while ago like I did, Bumblebee is a good place to jump back on board, because it’s ultimately a pretty refreshing and entertaining movie.

4/5