BUMBLEBEE (2018) ****

It’s amazing what can happen when you make a Transformers movie with: 1) Heart.  2) Characters who act like human beings and have meaningful relationships with one another. 3) Crisp fight choreography. 4) Legitimate badass fist-pumping moments. 5) Characters who don’t act like they’re in a Michael Bay movie. 6) An ‘80s setting.

Now, I haven’t seen Transformers:  The Last Knight yet, but I feel confident in stating that Bumblebee is the greatest Transformers movie ever made.  With Travis (Kubo and the Two Strings) Knight at the helm, Bumblebee captures the wonder and awe of the robots in disguise that was sorely lacking in the other Michael Bay-directed entries.  It’s a love letter to the ‘80s, the same era that gave birth to the Transformers.  It’s also a loving tribute to the films of Steven Spielberg (who once again serves as executive producer), most notably E.T. 

The action is great.  Heck, the first five minutes outclasses anything we’ve previously seen in a Transformers movie.  The Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robot battles pretty much gives you everything you’ve wanted to see from these films since the beginning.  Transformers get beaten up, tossed around, transform, and come back for more.  

Another thing I loved:  When Bumblebee transforms, you can actually see where all the moving parts go.  In the past movies, it just seemed like a rushed blur.  Either that, or a small truck would suddenly turn into a giant robot that looked like it would never occupy the same space.  Again, Knight nails something so deceptively simple, but it makes a big difference when you see it on screen.

The film is essentially a tale of a girl and her robot.  Bumblebee comes to Earth at the behest of Optimus Prime to establish a new Transformer base of operations.  Along the way, he meets the spunky Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) who is still hurting from the loss of her father.  Together, they form a strong bond and work as a team to fight off the incoming army of Decepticons.  

Believe it or not, but it makes a difference when you have characters that act like real people in a Transformers movie.  Even the broadest characterizations are somewhat grounded in reality.  Sure, Steinfeld’s family seem like something out of an ‘80s sitcom, but they are far removed from the annoying cartoon family in the other movies. 

Steinfeld is terrific.  You really grow to feel for her as the film goes on.  There’s a real bond between her and Bumblebee and there are scenes between them that are genuinely touching.  Even the stuff with John Cena as a soldier trying to bring down the Transformers is well-rounded and multi-dimensional.  He also gets the best line of the movie when he tells his superior, “They’re called Decepticons. Isn’t that a red flag?”