Directed by:
Travis KnightScreenplay:
Christina HodsonCinematography:
Enrique ChediakComposer:
Dario MarianelliCast:
Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Pamela Adlon, Jason Drucker, Dylan O'Brien, Justin Theroux, Angela Bassett, Stephen Schneider (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug. (Paramount Pictures UK)
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Reviews (10)
I had only seen the first film of the Transformers saga in 2007 at the time of its release, so Bumblebee was a return to the franchise for me after more than a decade. Thankfully, Bumblebee isn't cluttered with visual effects and explosions compared to Michael Bay's films, so it all feels more uncluttered and doesn't make your eyes hurt. Basically, it's a fairly straightforward film with a straightforward plot and a clear ending that is blatantly reminiscent of E.T. through the main characters and the 80s look, but it was still nice to watch, the plot flowed, the action scenes worked, there was the occasional laugh out loud scene and there was a modest amount of relationship and family themes. An unpretentious diversion for the whole family that surprises mainly because of how nicely and pleasantly it is filmed.
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The Transformers under Michael Bay's control seemed to have grown stale and overwrought, no one really cared about them anymore, but newcomer Travis Knight made Bumblebee a very enjoyable film. Bumblebee is 80's retro as fuck, with an excellent 80's soundtrack, the amazing Hailee Steinfeld, who is turning out to be a great actress and singer, and it was a delight to see John Cena as a soldier. Bumblebee himself is as cute as ever. There's not so much action though, the film is more intimate, fateful, emotional and atmospheric, yet when it comes to the action it's filmed clearly, briskly and confidently. The scene where Bee escapes from the garage to her apartment is one of the film's funniest. Not a huge hit, but the Transformers franchise is going in the right direction and it definitely works much better that way. 75%
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Given how disappointed I was with the second instalment of Transformers, the four stars I’m giving to this flick are quite an improvement. The authors went back to basics and delivered an incredibly simple story, whose script however contains everything I need to grow fond of Bee and enjoy some plot twists. While watching this movie, I realized that today’s blockbusters usually lack a certain charm that would make them stand out from the average and arouse some emotions in me. This film succeeded in doing so, even though I didn’t expect it to. Of course the 1980s feel, so popular in these days, played a huge part in that. Plus I must say that John Cena was a great casting choice. I hope to see him in more movies.
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Bumblebee is something like E.T., but with a transformer instead of an extraterrestrial: an outsider without a father or friends finds a kindred “spirit” in a visitor from outer space. The whole film is set in the American suburbs in the 1980s, which, in addition to numerous hit songs of that decade, also involves watching Alf on television and a reference to The Breakfast Club. Like the early films from Amblin, it works flawlessly, without slowing down and without a scene that would sooner or later fail to find its justification in the overall structure of the narrative. Though Travis Knight does not offer such uncluttered and spectacular 3D action scenes as Bay, he dedicates much more time and space to the characters, whose actions have comprehensible motivations and are easy to connect with on an emotional level (yes, that includes Bumblebee). The film very skillfully avoids having the protagonist resolve all of her problems (low self-confidence, no friends, longing for her father) by means of getting a car. Thanks to the adventure experienced, she finds the necessary resources within herself. In the “blockbuster for the whole family” category, there is not much to complain about in this film. A very pleasant surprise. 80%
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After the very first film, where the direct influence of Steven Spielberg was clearly evident, and out of the whole foursome, this third installment is for me the most enjoyable contribution to the whole metallized saga. What I like most about Bumblebee, which only references Spielberg here and there, is that it has real soul. The protagonist is not only pleasing to look at this time, but she's also natural and believable, and well, the rather big news for me was that I believed that a friendship really did develop between her and the revived yellow Volkswagen. It was more important to me than the otherwise pretty ridiculous storyline about people falling for the bad guys (although Agent Burns, played by John Cena, very commendably trashed it whenever he could). The gimmicky scenes were kept down to earth this time, and it was a good thing (remembering the last time Michael Bay literally drowned me with them still makes me a little sick).The only disappointment was Dario Marianelli's score – I thought his involvement was a rather odd choice, and whatever I think of Steve Jablonski, I like hearing his main theme.
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