Review of Bumblebee (2018) by Jeff F — 22 Dec 2018

Transformers minus excessive Michael Bay equals...

BUMBLEBEE.

At just under 2 hours, this soft reboot blows the rest of the film franchise outta the flippin' stars!!! It plays like a classic '80s film, but with better effects. I was never board for one moment.

I can't say enough good things about the cast. Hailee Steinfeld & Jorge Lendeborg as our two human heroes worked great off each other, her angst & hard shell stemming from an all too human tragedy, his awkwardness & nerdy nobility despite being in over his head; it was just fun watching their back & forth. Pam Adlon, Stephen Schneder, & Jason Drucker as her family were enjoyable in their own simple way, & far more palatable than the Witwikys. John Cena...was a convincing soldier. And the rest of the cast made for a convincing slice of '80s humanity. The voice cast were great, Peter Cullen as Prime never disappoints, & the rest of the 'bots & 'cons' voices each had a decent amount of personality.

The effects were, by far, the best I've seen in this franchise so far. A combo of the clearest, most crisp CGI I've ever seen, combined with practical effects & real stunt work whenever possible, made for the most convincingly realistic transformers I've ever seen! Not to mention all the transformers look like they're supposed to! Finally! Proper looking Autobots & Decepticons!!!! The fights were also superior. Real explosions, real rubble, real stunt work, & the camerawork was steady & actually let us see the bot fights!

The music for these films has never disappointed, & this one was no exception. This time, we got the best of the '80s, coupled with orchestral epicness.

The best thing Michael Bay has done for the Transformers franchise is take a back seat, 'cause Bumblebee was flippin' awesome!!! It's the transformers movie we've wanted & deserved for a long time! It has aspects of the earlier films, but I believe this soft reboot wipes enough of the slate clean & gives us a new franchise that's worth coming back to! 4 stars outta 5, I can't wait to see more from the Bumblebee continuity! Roll out!!!