Bumblebee is the latest addition to the now six film Transformers franchise. The series started in 2007 and was a massive hit in the box office. The first three films in the franchise are regarded as quality movies from Transformers fans but the fourth and fifth films are widely disliked by critics and fans alike. Transformers was known for its big robot fights and massive Michael Bay approved explosions. While there is some more of that in the new film, it feels less forced and more natural to the scenes.
Bumblebee brings the old 80’s vibe back to the franchise. This is my favorite look for the Transformers. The design of the transformers reverts back to the original cartoon-like look. Fans refer to this design as Generation 1 or Gen 1. Most fans were excited when they saw the Gen 1 Transformers in the first trailer. The design definitely brings in some revenue just for the fact that people want to see the old school designs on the big screen.
This movie is a prequel to the rest of the live action films and focuses on one of the fan favorite Autobots, Bumblebee. It creates an origin story for the franchise but some fans are confused on the continuity of the prequel with the rest of the films. The story follows the chronological order until a scene after the credits where it looks like the director put it there in case the film did well enough to warrant a full reboot.
The film starts off hot with an action sequence featuring many of the Gen 1 characters and a pure nostalgia filled joy ride. Bumblebee finds himself on the foreign planet of Earth and crosses paths with a teenage girl named Charlie Watson in California. They start to bond and Bumblebee learns what Earth is all about. Many have praised the actress Hailee Steinfeld for her role as Charlie Watson.
Let’s talk numbers. Bumblebee did not do well the first week in theaters but bounced back and has nearly tripled its original budget. Many speculate that the fourth and fifth movies left a bad taste in many Transformer fans mouths and that led to opening weekend for Bumblebee to be underwhelming. Bumblebee’s budget was between $100-$137 million and so far has earned $413 million according to boxofficemojo.com. This film has earned the most money in relation to the budget out of any Transformers movie and will probably get a total reboot.
I saw this movie twice in the theater and enjoyed it thoroughly both times. It is a fun family movie and all ages can enjoy it. It brings nostalgia and a new feeling to the old cartoon. Rotten tomatoes gave it a 92% approval rating which is the highest rating for any Transformers movie by 35%. Other review sites like Metacritic and IMDB also gave it the highest rating out of any Transformers. The reviewers like it and the general audience enjoy it with a 94% google audience rating. Overall this movie is a fun time and I think a must see for any type of Sci-Fi fan.