Bumblebee Film Review

Update: For those of you hoping for a sequel to Bumblebee, or more from the Transformers franchise, Michael Bay has announced that he is done. Does that mean the end of the Transformers period? Probably not, but it is at least the end of the Michael Bay era of Transformers.

Bumblebee is the new spin-off movie from the successful Transformers directed by Travis Knight [Kubo and the Two Strings and ParaNorman] and starring singer/actress Hailee Steinfield [3 Days to Kill, True Grit].

It features ‘Bumblebee’ on the run in the year of 1987,who seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie Haliee Steinfield, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.

Bumblebee Movie: The Good

The charm and appeal of Bumblebee is it being a standalone spin-off (rather than a sequel or remake) and therefore being different from the action-heavy predecessors and features a great cast with a story that’s an action movie as well as a coming-of age story.

Halie Steinfield is perfectly cast as ‘Charlie’, a teenager who is trying to find her way in the world stumbles across the Autobot, and her character has elements of a Spielberg family in peril theme.

John Cena, fresh from smash-hit comedy Blockers stars as Agent Burns, a very 80’s macho character and the movie’s villain. He would be great in a big budget action film all by himself as he pulls most of the films’s comedy scenes.

The action in Bumblebee does not come in short supply as it maintains the visually arresting visuals as displayed in the previous movies as well as intense and breathtaking action scenes as well as mixing a cast of likeable characters, and a lot of heart thrown in for good measure.

Bumblebee is also a love letter to the 80’s that features an awesome soundtrack of classic hits such as Duran Duran as well as a love for Steven Spielberg’s earlier movies such as E.T., it’s action-packed as well an engaging story that the heart of it is the relationship between Charlie’s and Bumblebee.

Bumblebee Movie: The bad

Bumblebee may seem like a slower addition to the franchise that a lot of fans have come to expect but it is the best entry in the franchise in terms of likeable characters you can route for as well as a great story that should appeal to loyal Transformers fans.

Conclusion:

Overall, Bumblebee is the best entry of the franchise so far and stars a great star turn from Hailee Steinfield and is an action-packed movie with a mix of both comedy and heart and is a perfect family movie for the festive period.