Spoilers Bumblebee - Review and Discussion Thread

[thribs]

It was alright. Very subdued to the other films which most people would like but I’ve always liked the over the top action and nonsense of the other films.
Continuity-wise, it’s a bit confusing implying that Bee lands in ‘87 which we know isn’t the case but years earlier but the final scene seems to imply that they may leave and enter Earth regularly.
Cena was good. One of the saner characters of the Transformers universe as he seems to know instantly that the Decepticons aren’t on the level. He also seems to correctly guess what happens 20 years later.
Those Decepticons must feel like idiots being that close to Megatron and not knowing.

The retro look of them at the beginning was nice but I’ve never really had an issue with their new look.Soundwave actually sounding like Soundwave was cool however. Never really liked his newer voice.

Who knew Decepticons created the Internet? and here I thought it was that British chap.

 

[Admiral2]

Solid A. Even though I liked most of the Bayformers movies, I'm glad to see someone thought you could depict G1 Transformers in live action and then actually do it.

Oh, and Soundwave's "new voice" in Bayformers is actually the original voice actor without the processing, while in this one it's a new actor with the processing.

 

[Romulan_spy]

Absolutely loved it. It literally got everything right that the Bay movies got wrong. The humans were not annoying. There was no oversexualized character. The comedy and humor worked. There was no offensive caricature transformers like Bay had. The action made sense. The G1 transformers looked great too. There was a story rather than just jumping from over the top action to more over the top action like the Bay movies did. It was nice to have a straight up, down to earth story rather than the over the top stakes of the Bay movies with superweapons threatening to destroy the Earth. This story also had lots of real heartfelt moments. I shed a tear in that scene where Charli is telling Bumblebee about her dad dying. Very touching. And the 80's setting and music was also a wonderful nostalgic touch for me since I was a kid in the 80s.

 

[Unicron]

I admit that, despite watching all the Bayverse movies (I only enjoyed the first one to a degree, and am far less fond of the others - perhaps I'm a slightly masochistic completist? ), I agree with Romulan_Spy. I was kind of meh when I first saw the Bumblebee trailers, perhaps because I'm not fond of Bay's work on the series, but the reviews have been good and I think this film did a much better job of doing things right without the problems that Bay himself tends to bring. I did find it interesting that neither Shatter nor Blitzwing are ever named in dialogue, and the scene where they scanned their aerial modes initially through me off a bit (I thought the plane being scanned was Starscream).

ETA: Actually, I was doubly mistaken because Starscream isn't much in the movie at all. The first major fight is against the movie version of Blitzwing, who also isn't named and has a design heavily influenced by G1 Starscream, including the color scheme. Apparently this has been confusing fans a lot since the initial trailers showed some snippets of said fight.

 

[Starscream2112]

I enjoyed the move. Solid A. When I saw the movie I was wondering if Blitzwing was originally intended to be Starscream but was changed for some reason. If he was really Blitzwing he should have change into a tank at some point.

 

[USS Fardell]

Bumblebee
A prequel or the beginning of a reboot? I'm not certain. But then the continuity between the Bay-directed films was very loose anyway. But this film has a better plot than any of the Bay films (apart from the first? Maybe it's a tie). There are two main characters, who are developed through the course of the film. Bumblebee, and Charlie Watson. There are also Charlie's family, her friend Memo, the Decepticon pursuers and Sector 7. (Optimus Prime barely appears, but he does play a role).
Bumblebee (or rather B-127), is sent to Earth by Optimus Prime to protect the planet and to set up an Autobot base. He is damaged by two Decepticon scouts upon arrival and has to hide. Charlie repairs him. The bonding between the two of them as they spend time together is done very well, especially given her backstory (more on that below). That Charlie wants to protect him from the Government (and the Decepticons) is very believable. This is the heart of the film, making it more enjoyable than if it was just about Decepticons chasing Bumblebee the entire running time.
It is definitely good writing. But what is more good writing is that Charlie is still grieving for her father as the film begins, even as her mother seems to have moved on. (And makes a confrontation between the two later in the film very believable.) It is this grief that leads Charlie to bond with Bumblebee (even giving him that name, rather than B-127), rather than being afraid of him (as Memo turns out to be when he accidentally sees him in robot mode). Charlie being close to Bumblebee then leads her to want to rescue him when Sector 7 comes for him.
That portion of the film is also well written, with Sector 7 planning to turn on the Decepticons once Bumblebee had been found. The younger Simmons barely plays a role, but Agent Burns is a good character. That Burns would let Charlie and Bumblebee get away is believable. Overall it is a very good film. One worth seeing. 9.25/10.

 

[John Clark]

I enjoyed it and thought it a huge improvement (especially over the later Bay films).

I liked that it was closer to the G1 designs for some of the characters (as that's what I grew up with), though some of the others I wouldn't have recognized as the character from the comics/toys (Say Blitzwing for one).

 

[Reverend]

A little late to the party I know, but I just got around to it and I give it a solid B+.
For context, I only ever saw the first three of the Bay movies; the first I found watchable but DEEPLY flawed, the second I watched with the hope It'd improve on the first...it did not. The third I literally watched under protest (it was a friend's turn to pick for movie night) and I can barely remember a thing about it other than I never want to give it or any of the others a second chance.

The main reason I gave this one a chance at all is because I'm a fan of the Studio Laika movies and this was directed by Travis Knight (though honestly, I would have settled with literally *anyone* other than Bay.)

Now, while it was certainly nice that they redesign the robots to all look more like their G1 incarnations, what was more important to me was that they were distinct, emotive and not an incomprehensible tangle of polygons wizzing across the screen. Very well animated too, but I'd expect nothing less from a director with Knight's background.
Add to that the fact that the human characters were not only *not* obnoxious, annoying and utterly unlikable as has been the trend prior to this, but well acted, likeable and all actually served a purpose in the plot.

Well...almost. The prospective boyfriend/neighbour felt a little superfluous, though part of me wonders if that's a deliberate choice since a number of similar movies (especially from the period) have a female character who's only role is as a reward for the male protagonist at the end. Also, bonus points for the bit of business at the end with the hand holding because of course: who falls in love in less than 48 hours?

 

[McDuck]

Probably my favourite Transformers movie, and I especially appreciated how I could actually tell one Transformer from another. That was a huge problem for me from the get-go with this franchise.

Trying to remember the past movies to come up with something to write here, it just occurred to me how bland, uninspired, and utterly forgettable the first 18 movies were. Other than the first, and some scenes from the dinosaur one (third?) I can't recall much.

One thing though, the humans in this movie were actually likeable... the girl and John Cena, anyway (the parents and brother weren't.)

 

[crookeddy]

Wow, so few people watched this thing on here? Has the TF franchise fatigue set in this hard?

 

[Reverend]

Wow, so few people watched this thing on here? Has the TF franchise fatigue set in this hard?

That's not "franchise fatigue", that's "most of these movies are physically painful to sit through" fatigue.

 

[crookeddy]

That's not "franchise fatigue", that's "most of these movies are physically painful to sit through" fatigue.

Yeah I can see that. For me, the first one was disappointing, because I expected something different... (perhaps I expected something like Bumblebee...). I enjoyed the next 2 because I knew what to expect. The last 2 were just complete trash. How anyone can enjoy them on any level is beyond me.

 

[thribs]

I’m surprised by all these positive comments. I found the film rather dull myself. Felt like the first movie again.

 

[crookeddy]

I’m surprised by all these positive comments. I found the film rather dull myself. Felt like the first movie again.

I haven't seen it, but from what I read, BB captures the spirit of the original cartoon. That's what people like about it.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I recently saw it, it’s adorable. I’m not really a fan of Transformers and only have a basic knowledge of it. I was too young to remember the original cartoon, but caught Beast Wars when it aired. I saw the Bay films, but calling them a mess is charitable. This was really well done. It really reminded me of the 80s family films I grew up with. Stuff like E.T., Batteries Not Included and Harry and the Hendersons.

 

[tomalak301]

Wow, so few people watched this thing on here? Has the TF franchise fatigue set in this hard?

I loved Bumblebee but I was too lazy to find the thread about it at the time. Hailee Stienfeld was great and I just thought the movie was really well done, something I wouldn't expect from a Transformers movie.

 

[Leo Star Dragon 1]

Howdy! Hmm. Okay, finally I get to post thoughts directly to "Trek BBS" people, rather than indirectly via posts on "Facebook". (Ahem.)

Sigh. I've enjoyed all of the movies thus far, including this one. I find the post written by those that didn't enjoy the others to be nonsense to me. The negatives they write about those movies, is how I feel about their negative posts about them. But anyway.....

For those that enjoyed, "Bumblebee", thank you very much! Ditto for those that enjoyed the others before this one. It is a very nice change of pace for me, to be seeing and reading positive posts rather than negative ones, though some are like a so-called "back-handed compliment".

Now on to my observations. Okay, the "Volkswagen Beetle" that he scanned looked like a mess to begin with, so it makes sense to me that his copy would be a mess too. But then when he scans the "Cheverolet Camaro", it is shiny and new looking! So why would he allow that form of himself to deteriorate over time? Was it simply to get the attention of.. Uh, I don't know how to spell that character's surname, "Witwicky"?

Denim jeans, blue or otherwise, did for more loosely back then, than in Megan Fox's character's time. I remember that decade well. I guess that's why I have yet to see anywhere, either raves for or against, Charlie's wearing of them, like there was with Megan and her successors. Only during one preview of the movie, did some guy in the audience make a comment to his friends about how well she wore them. But no one replied to his reaction. It was mostly quiet.
Edit: Oh! Perhaps it helped that she was not the only one, as there were all of those people gathered at the cliff to witness the dive, so she didn't stand out, but fit in with the crowd?

As for comparisons to the previous versions, like the animated cartoons, I learned decades ago by now, about "multiverse differences", so I don't expect duplication efforts, only to set myself up for disappointment. I'm able to accept the newer versions as is.

My friend was coincidentally there. He had a continuity comment. He said that they forgot that, Optimus Prime, didn't arrive on Planet Earth, until the first movie of this particular series. (Not counting the animated ones, or even, "Transformers: The Movie".)

I collected the set of the "Marvel" mini-series, "G.I. Joe versus The Transformers", I think. (It could be the other way around.) One of the covers depicted Bumblebee being devastated by the Joe's! There were a few scenes in the movie, that looked like they were inspired by that cover. Luckily, it was just a cover-tease, since he survives the attacks in both stories.

Oddly enough, the dockside cranes, had me thinking about both, "Doctor Who", and the Tom Cruise version of, "War of the Worlds". No robots chose a crane disguise though.

In interviews, Jada was happy to announce that her character was the first female robot. However, I guess she meant that she was the first actress to voice one? There were the holographic girls on the motorcycles, though they did not speak, that I recall. Of course there was the, "Pretender Alice", who had scanned an animatronic at some theme park. She spoke!

I enjoyed the character interactions. I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the visuals and the audios, and the music. I think that I shall give it a high grade. (A+)

 

[thribs]

I haven't seen it, but from what I read, BB captures the spirit of the original cartoon. That's what people like about it.

I didn’t get that at all from it. Wasn’t fast enough in pace.
I just mean the story itself is very similar to the first act of the first movie.

 

[Reverend]

'Bumblebee' wasn't a great movie, it was an OK movie. A competent movie. Which compared to the other movies in the franchise makes it look like a revelation of pure genius.
It's like suddenly a lightbulb went off over some studio exac's head and they said:"Wait, you mean to say the whole cast, including the autobots *don't* need to be a bunch of obnoxious, bickering arseholes? And young women *don't* need to be shot like they're in a shampoo advert? Oh and how about a plot that is simple, makes sense and isn't just an overly complicated excuse for people to runaround on location, with explosions in the background?"

I recently saw it, it’s adorable. I’m not really a fan of Transformers and only have a basic knowledge of it. I was too young to remember the original cartoon, but caught Beast Wars when it aired. I saw the Bay films, but calling them a mess is charitable. This was really well done. It really reminded me of the 80s family films I grew up with. Stuff like E.T., Batteries Not Included and Harry and the Hendersons.

...and 'Mack and Me' and 'Explorers' and 'Flight of the Navigator' and holy crap was "ordinary people befriend lost alien/magical creature" a popular subgenre in the 80's!

Mind you, I suppose you could also toss in the likes of 'Terminator 2', 'Free Willy', 'Old Yeller', and like, every Lassie movie and 'Littlest Hobo' episode ever.
Really speaking though, it probably owes the most to 'The Iron Giant', right down to the amnesia war veteran robot and the bullied "loner kid who's really the smartest person in the room" with the dead daddy issues.

 

[USS Firefly]

A fun movie, easily the best transformer movie so far.