My first five star review of 2018!
My expectations weren’t particularly high when walking into my screening of Bumblebee. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see what I consider to be a five star movie.
I’ll explain the high score shortly.
Firstly, here’s what the prequel is about. Bumblebee kicks off with an action-packed war taking place on Cybertron – where Bumblebee and his fellow rebels are forced to flee from the Decepticons – with our title character heading to Earth.
Bumblebee’s arrival on our planet doesn’t go too smoothly – with a U.S. soldier, Jack Burns (John Cena), immediately ordering the Autobot be hunted and destroyed.
Hiding as a Volkswagen Beetle, Bumblebee is discovered by the young mechanic named Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld), who after taking the Beetle home on her birthday, discovers there’s much more to it.
This social outcast forms an unlikely friendship with the Autobot.
Is she able to save her new friend from the Army and the two Decepticons (Shatter and Dropkick) – that have tracked down Bumblebee’s whereabouts? You’ll have to watch the films to find out.
I’ve never been a big fan of Michael Bay’s Transformers series – though the first certainly had potential. There seemed to be little heart and soul put into those movies, with them becoming more of a mindless explosive mess with each instalment. Although Bay is credited as a producer of Bumblebee, it is Travis Knight who directs this time around. The fact that this filmmaker has purely dealt with animation – with little directing experience – makes what he has done here even more incredible.
Travis has taken full advantage of the fact that this prequel is set in the 80’s by filming it in the style of a movie from that decade (aka classic Spielberg!).
Charlie’s friendship with Bumblebee is the central driving force of the movie. It reminded me of films like The Shape of Water and ET. It focuses on an unlikely friendship that surprisingly works. In fact, I cared more for this robot (Bumblebee) than any character from any other movie I have seen this year.
Although I liked the fact that this is a stripped-back Transformers movie, I must stress for those that love the predecessors… the action is still there! It’s mixed in with some fantastic character development and humour, but it’s there – fear not!
Ultimately, Bumblebee is not just a good prequel to the main Transformers franchise; it’s the best entry in the series so far. It’s the perfect family movie to go and see this Christmas. Enjoy!
Rating: 5/5
Mikey Clarke
Genre: Action & Adventure
Running Time: 1hr 54mins
Directed By: Travis Knight
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr, John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, Pamela Adlon, Stephen
See Bumblebee and much more at Showcase Cinema, Peterborough. Visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for the latest up-to-date show times. You can also join the chat on Twitter @showcasecinemas or on Facebook by searching for ‘Showcase Cinemas UK’.
Comments