I saw Bumblebee last night and it was amazing! God, it is so nice not having racist humor and sexism in a TF movie. Weep for joy with me as I tell you that the camera presents the female main lead as a relatable human being and does not, EVER, have creepy shots of the camera panning in on her butt, etc.
Bumblebee (the character) is charming and his friendship with Charlie (the girl) feels so heartfelt and genuine. Charlie has typical teen problems . . . and atypical other problems . . . and you just FEEL for her. She doesn't come across as whiny or entitled, which can be difficult with teen characters.
Way less product placement than the Bay movies. I mean, I'm sure there's some, but you don't have people popping Bud Lites all over the place. There is a significant shot of a can of Tab on a table, which I think is meant to parody typical product placement. :P
I haven't seen any of the Bay movies, but according to my friends who've seen all of them, the Decepticons "show more personality in this one movie than all the Bay movies put together." They also said things like "I could tell what was GOING ON in the action scenes!" so I guess that is a change. The action scenes were great IMO.
The film is set in 1987 and it deliberately emphasizes "THIS IS THE 80S", much like Stranger Things. Fun for people who grew up in the 80s, and it didn't seem to bother the kids in the audience. (I think the 80s are a mysterious, intriguing time for people who didn't grow up then.) Also feels very much like an 80s Spielberg film, which is not surprising since the director gave an interview where he said he loves Spielberg films. :P
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There's also a brief but action packed sequence on Cybertron that shows tons of recognizable 80s TFs fighting, and it's glorious. Starscream looks like Starscream, not a dorito. Soundwave is blue and shoots Ravage out of his chest. Plus we get to see Cliffjumper, Brawn, Wheeljack and many others . . . SO GOOD.)
Speaking of kids, the kids in the audience loved it and were literally cheering at times.
The film is rated PG-13, but it's a very soft PG-13 in my opinion. Whereas the Bay films are a very hard PG-13. (I think they're PG-13, right? Or are they R?) I would feel comfortable taking an eight year old to this movie, if they were okay with seeing chase scenes and action sequences.
This was a great Transformers movie, but also just a great movie period.
Just came back from seeing it and I have to say it was amazing. I loved Bumblebee and his relationship with Charlie so much and Charlie herself was going through her own arc.
I also liked the Decepticons in this. Shatter especially. So nice from her design to her personality. She was a boss. Good seeing this universe has no issues with female TFs.
One scene I found too violent, tho. Warning, it's a spoiler and upsetting for TF fans:
Spoiler
Cliffjumper's death. It was too extreme and graphic. They could have cut to black but no. That felt very Bay and gross. At the very least they could have used a hated character like Gears... lol
You've got the touch! :lol:
I hope they continue with this timeline. I noticed
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the Autobots arrive shortly after Bee reunites with Optimus. That is not in line with 2007 when Optimus arrives together with the others and lands in a pool while Bee is stuck with Sam.
I prayyyy this is a clean reboot. I want more.
I prayyyy this is a clean reboot. I want more.
Same! I told my friends I refuse to view it as a prequel, LOL. Team Reboot all the way.
Spoiler
I didn't mind Cliffjumper's death, but then he has never been one of my favorite Autobots, LOL. It is unfortunate for him that he first died in TF Prime and now here. Press F to pay respects. I didn't feel disturbed by it in a visceral way, I think seeing hundreds of Vehicons die in TF Prime has numbed me. :P
I read an interview with Travis Knight and he said he wanted to establish the ruthlessness of the Decepticons and chose Cliffjumper to die because he's the same size as Bumblebee. It was a really interesting interview, he obviously knows and loves the franchise. <3
I also love Shatter. I believe she's voiced by Angela Bassett? Speaking of voice actors:
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From the very first part of the film: Shockwave sounded so much like G1 Shockwave that afterwards I checked to see if Corey Burton had voiced him. He hadn't . . . but man, the new VA (Jon Bailey) was spot on.
And a random, throwaway bit:
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Apparently the comic book that Memo (the boy next door) throws away to maintain his "totally not a nerd" cred was . . . A GO-BOTS COMIC. :lol: In the interview I mentioned before, Travis Knight said there was originally a Go-Bots joke from Memo that sadly they had to cut due to time. I hope it makes it onto DVD as an extra!
Thinking more about the violence
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I just wish it hadn't been for the gross kills. Bee decapitating a seeker and kicking the head was dumb. Bee was overpowered anyways. He got thrown off cliffs, shot and electrocuted so many times it got tedious. If he was a female bot he'd be called a Mary Sue immediatly by all these youtube "reviewers". But he is a small scout guy so of course he is the Terminator.
I just miss when Bee didn't have to be brutal and bada$$.
Not sure if it was needed to have graphic kills to show Decepticons are ruthless. Bee was almost as bad except that he didn't make humans explode and instead of slicing someone in half he just tore a guy limb from limb and made another guy explode. Also that head kicking.
The one kill I thought was more Bee-ish was by the end when he took out Shatter. He knew she was too tough for him so he was gonna die with her. But Jesus Bee survived that one too.
Bee is the new Optimus. Always dieing and standing up again.
I hope they make a sequel that takes place only a few years later. And this time more Autobots so we don't have to see Beesus Cyberchrist getting tortured all the time.