Bumblebee [DVD] [2018]

The latest spin-off/prequel/soft reboot installment of the Transformers franchise is the best entry since the original over a decade ago and reinvigorates and revives the dying series. With some fresh blood and a pulse, Transformers once again has a chance to survive as a long-standing film series with all the childish humor, dumb action, and pandering nostalgia we have all come to unironically love about this live-action bashing together of our childhood toys. For a brief background, I will say that I’ve been a mild fan of Transformers since my childhood days of the 90s. I had a few toys, loved the Beast Wars series, and really liked Armada. As for the movies, I thought the first one was great and innovative, and I even mildly like the sequels. I found them to be dumb action popcorn flicks, but I will relent that they could be a little grating with the constant cringe humor, tiring with the overabundance of huge action set pieces and explosions, and predictable with recurring plot devices. Still, I don’t hate them nearly as much as everyone else seems to, but they did degrade in quality over time, and I still haven’t seen the fifth one. Luckily, not only is Bumblebee a prequel, so previous viewing of every series entry beforehand is not necessary, it also brings the series back home to a more grounded (considering) base. And in doing, so it more or less fixes many of the problems that have been plaguing the sequels since the original, not the least of which is relegating Michael Bay to producer credit only. This prequel is set firmly in the late 80s, a smart choice since that was when the original cartoon and toyline were in their heyday and the era that us nostalgia jockeys pine for the most, although the movie does go out of its way a few too many times to beat you over the head with its time period. Still, the time works to the film’s advantage because it also brings back character designs more in tune with the original cartoon. Bumblebee and Optimus Prime looks far closer to their original designs, but there are still elements of the modern film designs mixed in for a great combined look. The soundtrack is also great, with lots of 80s tunes throughout, although some do seem forced. The real shift in this movie is its focus. It’s not about some huge action set piece that has armies of Autobots and Decepticons destroying a major city with tons of huge explosions. This film instead keeps it smaller in scale and much more intimate, both in its scope and with character development. There really are only two major battle scenes, the prologue/opening scene, and the climax (plus a flashback of Optimus kicking some major Decepticon butt, which is always appreciated). The fight scenes on Earth are small skirmishes, one-on-one fights. Although it lacks the scale, it actually increases the sense of danger because the good guy is outmatched and the character is well-established and developed so the viewer is very much invested and cares early on. There still enough smashing and blowing things up to satiate one’s destructive inner man-child, just not to the scale where it looks like the end of the world is happening on-screen. The downside is that the film overall feels slower, especially compared to its predecessors. Character development is where this film spends the bulk of its time, something not often seen in this franchise. Bumblebee is very well characterized despite his muteness, and he comes across as a pet alien that the girl protagonist has to hide, a lá E.T. Some parts of the story do venture dangerously close to “a (girl) and (her) alien” clichés. The humor does feel more honest, and while there are some embarrassment-rooted laughs, there is nothing like the pace-paced cringe-inducing schlock of the earlier films. Bumblebee is genuinely hilarious in his naiveté and there are several good scenes with the male potential love interest. But the majority of the story centers around the new human girl protagonist. Her personal story of accepting the death of a close family member and her dealing with the emotions and turmoil that come with that, including a new family dynamic, isn’t necessarily something audiences haven’t seen before, but this kind of storyline and emotional resonance haven’t been seen in this series yet, so it is actually welcome here. The acting from the human characters is quite good, and John Cena continues to prove he has a lot of sincerity and decent range as an actor, as he some of the better lines in the movie. However, this entry in not completely devoid of the series’ clichés, as several of the other military characters make really stupid decisions that any reasonable person wouldn’t, and tying Transformer lore into the creation of some significant feat of human engineering also occurs that breaks disbelief for a second. Overall, this was very good entry in the Transformers series, and a great film in general. Easily the best since the first one, if not the best overall. It trades over-the-top action and explosions for character development, cringe humor for good humor, and huge battles for intense one-on-one fights, all to the film’s credit. I would definitely recommend it for any fan of either the general series or just the movie series, even if you’ve felt fatigue from these movies of late, and it’s a great entry point with no need for seeing the previous entries. Final grade: B+

For those who have been let down by previous Transformers movies, especially in the way Michael Bay has been giving us so little visual distinction between the robot characters, we FINALLY have a movie that gives us the feeling of the original cartoon. That isn't to say that it doesn't fit into the previous outings either. It is an homage to the cartoons, but keeps us in the more adult feel of the modern movies. Set in 1987, those who have lived through it will see a definite eye for detail from individual nick knacks in the background to an excellent 80s soundtrack. It follows Bumblebee, sent to earth to prepare it as the final fall back world for the autobots, but his arrival doesn't go well. Wounded and hiding as the iconic VW beetle, he is found by Charlie, a girl who needs a car and her independence. The two quickly bond. B has lost much of his memory and his voice, but he finds a way to communicate even so. Finding the childlike Bumblebee, Charlie becomes as much his protector as he is hers and the friends eventually discover that enemy Decepticons have come to earth to hunt him and the remaining Autobots down. They have to fight to survive and they both discover how the bonds of friendship and family are more important to their lives than they ever knew.

This 4K UHD Blu Ray is 110% worth adding to your collection. It is incredibly satisfying on every level. From the G1-inspired designs of the Transformers so that they actually resemble their original comic/cartoon aesthetic to the far superior lot filmed action sequences so that you can actually SEE what’s happening, this movie is a complete joy. This 4K set comes with the 4K disc, a regular blu ray disc, and a digital copy. There’s approximately one hour of special features which are all very satisfying, but I could have enjoyed a bit more info on the film, especially a director/actor commentary track. But this movie is a perfect love letter to the 80’s and really makes you invested in the characters more than the spectacle which is exactly what this franchise has been missing. I hope Paramount continues on this track and expands the universe from here. I’m all for a reboot as I am not really a fan of the Michael Bay films.

ArizonaBest Transformers so far. It's still full of action and robot duels, buthis one has heart! A great plot and storyline. This disc is presented in Both the Superior Dolby Vision 12/bitHDR and Dolby Atmos! If your system is up to it. I won't even mention streaming this movie as that tech still inferior, However; This is a Reference Standard disc for the latest, best technologies, I'm glad, it wasn't cheap, $24.99 should be a max goal with these, It would certainly motivate me to buy more. but totally negates the reason to consider the obsolete DVD format. For a disabled person, this combination doesn't make you feel so bad missing your favorites in the Theatres you can't get to. Overall very satisfied. Best Buy did right by me with this disc. It's easier to justify and swallow the premium price of 4K discs when they have both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos with a thoughtful, Master conversion and presentation. Very happy with my purchase. Told all me friends!

If you've seen the previous 5 films and wasn't a fan maybe this movie will change your mind. It's a kind of "soft reboot" of sorts since it is a prequel to the original movie which came out in 2007. This film takes place in 1987 (the decade in which the Transformers first debuted) and is in my opinion well done. Bumblebee is (you guessed it!) a VW Beetle in this one (unlike the camaro of the previous films), which is true to the animated character. The Visual effects are good and the story has a heart to it (in fact, there is in fact an actual story in this movie, unlike the mega-action, little to no story of the previous films) and one that will keep you watching. This is also a little more family friendly than the previous films as Michael Bay is not directing this one. If you like the Transformers and want to see how a transformers movie should be done you should really watch this. It actually is worth what I paid for it. I just wish I could've gotten the steelbook edition before it had sold out.

First this movie has transformers back in true form! The cast of actors/actresses is pretty good and this is an action packed movie more solely focused on Bumblebee. Chances are you will like the movie. Now to the steel book. I would advise to save yourself a few bucks and go with the regular edition. For whatever reason, the quality of best buy steel books has gone down the drain. This is not in reference to artwork, but build quality of materials used to make the steel book. Flimsy describes it accurately. There was a bit of solid form and weight to the older steel books, but now that they have gotten popular, naturally they want to charge more for less. The quality is terrible and this will officially be my last steel book with best buy. Aquaman was also cheap with a flimsily built steel book. Buy one of the new recent movies on steel book and you will see. Leaves a lot to be desired.

aramount Home Media Distributions has officially announced that it will release on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Travis Knight's Bumblebee (2018), starring Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Pamela Adlon, and Kenneth Choi. The two releases will be available for purchase on April 2. Synopsis: On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug. BUMBLEBEE is produced by TRANSFORMERS franchise veterans Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Michael Bay, along with executive producers Steven Spielberg, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian. Chris Brigham (ARGO, INCEPTION) will also executive produce. The screenplay is written by Christina Hodson (UNFORGETTABLE).

This film works because the story and characters are from an origin story explaining the beginning of the series. The reason it works is that they went back to the basics versus the muddled mess that each subsequent Transformers became. The characters have likable personalities, their relationships ring true, and humor runs throughout the film. Bumblebee is a great pared down Transformer from the original child's toys that has been given a personality. Where the former series fell apart was the more and more massive battles of metal robots where you could not even tell who were the good guys and who were the bad. And even worse you did not care. And we did not care much about the humans. All this was reversed in this terrific film with a simpler story line and smaller scale action. This is one I can show my grand children and my son.