REVIEW: "Transformers"-Standalone "Bumblebee" IS "More Than Meets the Eye"

I've said what I've had to say about the live-action Transformers film series (you should read my piece on that here). With that in mind, the recent release of Bumblebee this holiday season may have some wondering why it took five live-action movies to come to this point. Because this standalone feature is terrific. It leaves all of those previous films (with the possible exception of some Linkin Park music) behind, and gives the 1980s-based franchise back some dignity. 

Anybody (especially die-hard fanboys) who has never cared for any of those movies, let alone movies about giant Godzilla-sized robots smashing each other apart, will have to shut their mouths. Although, there is still plenty of visual effects action and excitement on display here, this series, for once, provides an involving story with real human empathy, and not just another array of CGI bombast and fireworks. 

Take the film's opening battle on Cybertron, which centers on the war between the heroic Autobots (the good guys) and the evil Decepticons (the bad guys). Everything going on this time around is much more coherent, and rewrites the mythology of Transformers with characters fleeing a war that apparently cannot be won (at least for now). "We will fight on, but we must seek refuge first," declares fearless leader Optimus Prime, who sends his second-in-command B-127, to Earth, only to be followed by two Decepticon generals, and eventually a pursuing soldier (John Cena).

Set in 1987--a time of mixed-tapes, teenage angst, and the Smiths--teenager Charlie Watson (a great Hailee Steinfeld), a former competitive diver who now works as a hot dog stand employee, is trying to find her identity in the world after the unexpected death of her father. Her mom has remarried, but Charlie feels out of place and wants to get away from home.

With some impressive mechanical/automotive skills on the side, Charlie finds a beat-up Volkswagen beetle in a junkyard, thinking it will make her feel mature and alive. She gets it running, until she sees what it really is. And we know where this is going, right? (Or do we?) What follows is an emotion- and action-driven odyssey that shows how Bumblebee first sounded (courtesy The Maze Runner's Dylan O'Brien), how he loses his voice, how he got his name, and how he eventually uses music/radio to communicate. 

The film is steeped in Eighties nostalgia, from its soundtrack to various memorabilia as VHS tapes (Judd Nelson's fist raise from The Breakfast Club, anyone?), vinyl records, Cold War paranoia, and even Mr. T cereal. The designs of the robots reverts back to their G1 forms from the original cartoon series (Bumblebee was a Beetle before he became a Camaro). Even some of the songs recall said series, such as the original theme song, "You Got the Touch," by Stan Bush.

Hailee Steinfeld (left) with the VW Autobot

More importantly, there are three-dimensional character dynamics and stakes, thanks, in part, to the on-screen chemistry between the VW bot and Charlie. The same goes for the way they desire to keep memories of those they care about alive, and how they fight for what they believe in. 

This is what a Transformers movie should be--action-packed, genuine, three-dimensional, and respectful of its kid audience (actual kids, and adults who are still kids at heart). It goes without saying that fans can rejoice and say, "They finally got it right!" "Thank you for making me feel like me again," Charlie tells Bee. Yes, that about says it.