Bumblebee Review

Bumblebee, directed by Travis Knight, is a goodhearted, middling adventure film that you have seen many times before. It is a man and machine story with a robot that the audience grows to love quickly. The popcorn flick is refreshing, however, compared to most of the inane drivel found in the last few transformers films by the infamous Michael Bay. The story is simple and predictable. The highs of the action are soaring, with transformer battles better than we have ever seen, but the lows of the plot are truly snooze worthy. The 80's aesthetic is fun, and not overdone, but the soundtrack never lets you forget when the movie takes place. Hailee Steinfeld turns out a very emotive and compelling performance, despite a script that doesn't excel, but the supporting cast is not so convincing. The humor is hit or miss, and then miss again. John Cena delivers some awfully cringe-worthy lines. I am not sure who to blame, the script or Cena's acting chops. A few scenes in the middle of the movie are laughably ridiculous, and I remembered some lines afterwards because of how unrealistic and absurd they are. The film would have done well to cut out a few characters and scenes, and focus on the main plot. A few characters' motivations toward the end of the movie are also muddled, but the action is fun enough that it distracts the viewers easily. The most appealing aspect of the film is when the direction points towards unabashed "transformerness"-- giving true fans what they want. The introductory scenes are gripping, and they brought out the inner 10 year old boy in me. The rest of the film only hints at that same magic, and leaves you disappointed in a few of the human characters. This film would be so much better if it included more interesting transformers, and less boring humans. Despite the flaws, Knight points the series back towards the original core of the franchise: the "robots in disguise" concept that captured young hearts in the 80's. He creates a lovable character in Bumblebee, and drums up the best action we have seen in the franchise. This new direction leaves the audience actually wanting more, despite Michael Bay's former train wreck of a franchise. It seems exceptional if you compare it to the other films in the franchise, but on its own, it is completely and utterly acceptable. If you like Transformers, I definitely recommend the film, but do not expect a cinematic masterpiece by any means.

I give it a 5.6/10

Stanton Pruitt