After Cybertron has been destroyed, Bumblebee, forced to find refuge on a strange planet, now must form an unlikely bond with a human. Like the previous Transformers Franchise, the latest spinoff, reveals questions that one has had all along including why and how the yellow transformer uses the modes of a radio in order to communicate.
Set in 1987, the film is meant to act as a prequel to the original Transformers with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox and it answers questions that audiences had for why Bumblebee couldn’t speak. Ultimately it shows how Bumblebee makes the ultimate sacrifice in protecting his kind from the Decepticons on their home planet. With a little witty banter between the machines, the audience is enthralled into the world of the transformers and the war that devastated their home planet.
Additionally Bumblebee stars actress Hailee Steinfeld in what is to be her most action pack movie of her career and she does an exemplary job in portraying the emotions from her previous film, Edge of Seventeen, into that of forming a unique bond with a metal machinery. In a way, one might compare the bond to that of another alien come to earth from the 1982 film, ET as the humanistic characteristics that Bumblebee uses to connect to young Charlie (played by Steinfeld) is similar to that of the bond between Elliot and ET.
Of course, there could be a good reason as Steven Spielberg is attached to this film as one of the producers of this film as well as Michael Bay who directed the original Transformers films.
In Bumblebee, a new director takes charge as Travis Knight in his first live action directorial role. Overall, the film set a new path for our lovable mute transformer even showing that he doesn’t have to be a Camaro as he was in the original Transformers franchise. Instead, Knight goes back to basics by allowing Bumblebee to reprise his character as that of an original VW beetle which was made popular in the animated Transformers series which ran from ’84-’87. In addition, Knight goes a step further as to hinting that Bumblebee in particular isn’t bound to one type of car as early in the film when he first arrives in the middle of a war torn area, he quickly morphs into that of an army vehicle as a quick getaway.
Ultimately, at an hour, 54 minute runtime, Bumblebee will send one on an adventure into the world of the Transformers by following the journey of it’s most lovable character. It’s a film that is sure to captivate audience with it’s action, adventure and witty banter as we see that when all else matters, Bumblebee’s ultimate goal is to serve as protector for all. The film came out in theaters Christmas Day and is currently playing in one near you.