Bumblebee

Mr E · 05-06-2018 8:23am #1

First trailer...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAIX12F6958

Bacchus · 05-06-2018 9:17am

Love the design of him, a much cleaner, less alien look. He looks like something that transforms into a Beetle. Other than that though... meh, is this a movie they felt needed to be made? Is this like a soft reboot of the series? Set it back in an earlier time period so that 1) the Transformers are actually hidden from society, and 2) Human tech can't easily take down a Transformer.

Also, the voice over at the start with the "historic feel" echo... trying to make what was a slapstick salesman scene into something grandiose :rolleyes:

smurf492 · 05-06-2018 9:27am

Looks alot more interesting than all the previous ones...

Sad Professor · 05-06-2018 11:24am

Bacchus wrote: »

Love the design of him, a much cleaner, less alien look. He looks like something that transforms into a Beetle. Other than that though... meh, is this a movie they felt needed to be made? Is this like a soft reboot of the series? Set it back in an earlier time period so that 1) the Transformers are actually hidden from society, and 2) Human tech can't easily take down a Transformer.

Also, the voice over at the start with the "historic feel" echo... trying to make what was a slapstick salesman scene into something grandiose :rolleyes:

Also probably because the "present" in this franchise is an apocalyptic war zone.

pxdf9i5cmoavkz · 05-06-2018 12:08pm

I cant see the villain of the movie and what was up with the military suit and gun that was floating around in the air??

:pac:

The trailer is decent and it has a lot more heart in it than the all the previous transformer movies combined.

The one question I have: Is it a movie that has been asked for? It comes across as another Solo movie that no one asked for.

TerrorFirmer · 05-06-2018 12:31pm

Mavis Thankful Sergeant wrote: »

The one question I have: Is it a movie that has been asked for? It comes across as another Solo movie that no one asked for.

That was exactly my first thought as well.

Sad Professor · 05-06-2018 12:59pm

From the director of Kubo and the Two Strings, so this might actually be good.

Sleepy · 05-06-2018 1:01pm

I can see both of my kids going mad for this. The eldest (12 year old boy) loves Transformers anyway and the youngest (a 9 year old girl) loves Beetles and was dissapointed when Bumblebee was a Camaro instead of one.

05-06-2018 1:20pm

Mavis Thankful Sergeant wrote:

The one question I have: Is it a movie that has been asked for? It comes across as another Solo movie that no one asked for.

Is any film asked for? Did anyone ask for the original Star Wars film or Lord of the Rings or Iron Man? If studios only made films asked for there'd be nothing but trashy comedies made b

spacecoyote · 05-06-2018 1:23pm

Mavis Thankful Sergeant wrote: »

I cant see the villain of the movie

I thought the jet that turned into a transformer had a bit of an old school Starscream look to it?

pixelburp · 05-06-2018 2:01pm

Sad Professor wrote: »

From the director of Kubo and the Two Strings, so this might actually be good.

That in of itself has perked my interest [*] but while the argument of redundancy is pretty valid (especially in the wake of Solo), that trailer made the film look a far more heartfelt, competent and interesting film than any of the Bay Transformers managed - though full disclosure I've only suffered through 3 of the 5.

* side bar, Kubo is a fantastic film, and will never pass up the excuse to pimp it

fluke · 05-06-2018 4:05pm

That looked kind of ...fun!

pxdf9i5cmoavkz · 05-06-2018 4:59pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Is any film asked for? Did anyone ask for the original Star Wars film or Lord of the Rings or Iron Man? If studios only made films asked for there'd be nothing but trashy comedies made b

That is a silly point.

The films you mentioned in your list there are brand new IP's. They started up a franchise that is well loved by many generations of people.

Solo and Bumblebee are worthless in the grand scheme of things but they're easy to produce.

They'll explore nothing we don't already know and will give very little meat to the characters origin.

6034073

Is there enough history to them? Maybe. Are they more interesting then the other SW characters? Yes.

Point is that there are characters out there that actually have a demand for an origins movie because their origins will add to the universe as a whole.

This is something that the MCU does masterfully (with some misses of course).

05-06-2018 5:20pm

Mavis Thankful Sergeant wrote:

That is a silly point.

Is it, saying no one asked for a film is a ridiculous argument. Clearly someone did and there is demand for it otherwise they wouldn't spend hundreds of millions on these films.

brianregan09 · 05-06-2018 5:50pm

This looks great a non bay transformers film and a different tone looks like , And a G1 Starscream count me in ,

Slydice · 05-06-2018 6:42pm

This looks different. The transformers look like they are done better. It's possible this film has potential.

Bacchus · 05-06-2018 9:52pm

Slydice wrote: »

This looks different. The transformers look like they are done better. It's possible this film has potential.

Based on the tone/style impression from trailer... maybe. Unfortunately it's going to be weighed down by the continuity monstrosity of the previous 5 Transformers movies. Would have much preferred a hard reboot of the series set in 80s.

razorblunt · 06-06-2018 12:05pm

I'm interested, not sure how they'll explain why he was cowering in the corner though when he was previously described as a "loyal and brave soldier". But the old school look of both Bumblebee and Starscream have me sold.

It has an Iron Giant type vibe too, but again, rule #1 of Transformers that always gets ignored; we don't care about the human characters. This might change here if the lead doesn't pull a Shia Leboeuf and be the person who kills Starscream.

pah · 06-06-2018 12:11pm

Bacchus wrote: »

Would have much preferred a hard reboot of the series set in 80s.

Eh... I thought that's what this is

pixelburp · 06-06-2018 12:12pm

It's a weird place to be in: regardless of they being box-office behemoths (thanks in no small part to China), the Bayformers franchise is a bit of a poisoned chalice and at this point - audiences either love or loathe 'em. I think it's fair to say a great many cinemagoers would avoid the films like the plague.

So persuading casual punters to drift into a showing of a Bumblebee spin-off could be a hard sell, unless the studio has its expectations set way down low. If not, I could foresee this being a relative 'flop' as audiences stay away from a franchise already heavily coloured. If it's actually any good, the Best Case Scenario is that the studio effectively jettisons the Bayformers continuity and ploughs ahead with this

Bacchus · 06-06-2018 12:43pm

pah wrote: »

Eh... I thought that's what this is

Doesn't feel like it. Despite the much more appealing design of Bumblebee, it's still clearly the same Bumblebee from the Transformers movies to date.

Happy to be pointed at some comment from the producer/director/caterer to say otherwise, as a hard reboot is the only thing that would get me to go see this in cinema.

pah · 06-06-2018 12:46pm

Bacchus wrote: »

Doesn't feel like it. Despite the much more appealing design of Bumblebee, it's still clearly the same Bumblebee from the Transformers movies to date.

Happy to be pointed at some comment from the producer/director/caterer to say otherwise, as a hard reboot is the only thing that would get me to go see this in cinema.

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee the Autobot seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. Charlie, on the brink of turning 18 years old and trying to find her place in the world, soon discovers the battle-scarred and broken Bumblebee. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns that this is no ordinary yellow Volkswagen.
Director: Travis Knight Trending
Initial release: December 21, 2018 (USA)

So, time travel then?

Bacchus · 06-06-2018 1:50pm

pah wrote: »

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee the Autobot seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. Charlie, on the brink of turning 18 years old and trying to find her place in the world, soon discovers the battle-scarred and broken Bumblebee. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns that this is no ordinary yellow Volkswagen.
Director: Travis Knight Trending
Initial release: December 21, 2018 (USA)

So, time travel then?

Where are you getting time travel from? I thought it was well established that Bumblebee had been on Earth long before the events of Transformers. That synopsis doesn't suggest anything about it being a hard reboot.

Sleepy · 06-06-2018 2:10pm

Doesn't Bay's version have him as a vintage Camaro at the start of the first film though? Seems odd that he'd change from one yellow car of a particular era to another yellow (more noticeable) car of the same era?

razorblunt · 06-06-2018 2:52pm

pixelburp wrote: »

It's a weird place to be in: regardless of they being box-office behemoths (thanks in no small part to China), the Bayformers franchise is a bit of a poisoned chalice and at this point - audiences either love or loathe 'em. I think it's fair to say a great many cinemagoers would avoid the films like the plague.

So persuading casual punters to drift into a showing of a Bumblebee spin-off could be a hard sell, unless the studio has its expectations set way down low. If not, I could foresee this being a relative 'flop' as audiences stay away from a franchise already heavily coloured. If it's actually any good, the Best Case Scenario is that the studio effectively jettisons the Bayformers continuity and ploughs ahead with this

Bumblebee has often been thought of as one of the better things in the TF movies so I'd say his popularity coupled with this not being a Bay movie might entice over the casual cinema goer.

Bacchus · 06-06-2018 3:33pm

Sleepy wrote: »

Doesn't Bay's version have him as a vintage Camaro at the start of the first film though? Seems odd that he'd change from one yellow car of a particular era to another yellow (more noticeable) car of the same era?

So? We're talking about a franchise that routinely retconned its history on a massive scale. Bumblebee being a different car at the start of Transformers set in... 2008? vs the car he is in the 80s doesn't reveal or suggest anything except that the creators of Bumblebee (the movie) actually care about the aesthetic and origin of the character. I'm still yet to see any evidence that this is a standalone hard reboot of the Transformers series. Not sure where that theory is coming from TBH.

Sad Professor · 06-06-2018 3:59pm

I'd imagine they are taking a fast and loose approach to continuity similar to the X-men movies. Bay struggled to maintain continuity within a single scene, never mind over several movies. This is just another pay day for him for probably doing a few Skype calls. He's not going to be complicating his own involvement by wondering why Bumblebee isn't a Camaro.

pah · 06-06-2018 4:16pm

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/io9.gizmodo.com/the-completely-bananas-history-of-transformers-on-earth-1796111467/amp

Ok my bad. I checked out of the transformers movies after I turned off the third one about an hour in.

constitutionus · 07-06-2018 5:14pm

i'll be honest ive been left feeling like an abuse victim after what bays done to the franchise i love so i had NO faith in this being any good.

particularly as Bee aint my favorite character in TF lore.

but i have to say hearing Knight getting the directing gig intrigued me (LOVED kubo) and that trailer has me cautiously optimistic.

particularly if that IS starscream in his G1 glory and not say ramjet or something. as one of the youtube reviewers of the trailer said "see? was it really THAT hard?"

so fingers crossed the smaller cast of characters combined with the lower budget means we get an ACTUAL story thats got heart in it.

like the comics and the original movie (animated) did.

TBH what im really liking is the reaction to this. theres clearly ALOT of people out there waiting for a decent TF flick. hopefully this'll be it.

Agent Coulson · 24-09-2018 10:44am

Mitch Connor · 24-09-2018 12:00pm

Their trailers constantly get me. That looks great. Iron Giant feel from it.

pixelburp · 24-09-2018 2:12pm

The scenes of other transformers leaves no doubt they're going for a more faithful recreation of the robots; presumably fans are happy based on what they've seen so far.

Still looks like it might be a good one; the story beats seem very familiar - Herbie meets Pete's Dragon - but told with enough panache and that won't matter.

brianregan09 · 24-09-2018 3:20pm

Can we just abandon the old films and start from here

pixelburp · 26-11-2018 3:29pm

Just in case anyone was wondering how "Bay'ified" this was going to be, based on these clips it looks like the answer is "not even slightly". The action scene didn't immediately make me want to vomit from motion sickness, and the character moment was kinda sweet.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but (assuming the reviews are positive) I think I might go to a Transformers movie in the cinema. :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-59iBrQHb7s

constitutionus · 15-12-2018 11:17pm

just back from seeing this tonight.

LOVED it.

gotta lay my cards on the table though, im an old school transformers fan, ive enjoyed the Bay ones for what they were but i never considered them to portray what the heart and soul of the original series and comics embodied.

this one is DRIPPING in it.

but fair warning this is a SMALL film. the focus being on a quite small cast of characters. TBH thats my only real complaint as any G1ner going in will be squeeing like an idiot at the first 4 mins of this film, and i DO mean FIRST. its starts off right on cybertron with cameo after cameo for the diehards to enjoy.

which bascially means you find yourself getting 4 min of a film you really WANT this one to be, but then having to settle for the main - much smaller scale -bumblebee story instead.

which is a shame as its a damn good story. ya've seen it before in iron giant and E.T , but TBH it works so well i never really cared. knights direction means you can actually SEE WTF is going on for once and the tweeked designs work well.
its BLINDINGLY obvious he loves the G1 lore , and it shows what having a respect for the core material can do in terms of film making. some of the stuff beats play out in pretty much the same way they did in the marvel comics. his version of bumblebee being far more the "little brother" plucky scout/spy than bays warrior class.

TBH im still kinda amazed what they managed to do with 80mil. it certainly doesnt LOOK like the cheapest transformers movie yet.

as its only a weekend showing and it doesnt go on general release for a while yet i wont give any spoilers. but its a hell of alot of fun, my best mate is brining his 5yr old kid to see it and i cant help thinking thats exactly the audience thatll love it the most- families.

8.5 out of 10 from me

if this is the reboot they want to go with im FINE with that. i hope travis get to do the optimus prime film theyve mooted. i really want to see more of the stuff he hinted at (which by the way continues during the film- theres a bit of flashing back and forward between earth based and space based scenes, not much but enough to sate those worried about the film being too earth focused)

JP Liz V1 · 15-12-2018 11:39pm

Is Bay still involved in the franchise?

constitutionus · 15-12-2018 11:44pm

producer.

but he seems to be as hands off in this as Spielberg was in his films.

razorblunt · 16-12-2018 6:17pm

Saw it last night. The first 20 minutes alone are probably better than all 4 previous films.
Really feels like a movie of the cartoon, the fights are clear and easy to see what's happening. I love the way they change form during the fights too.

Great 80s feel, well judged comedy, the impact of the humans is slight (no Josh Duhamel killing a Decepticon during a baseball slide) in this one.

santana75 · 27-12-2018 1:43am

Let me preface this by saying that I think the previous transformers movies were all massive big balls of sh1t. But when I saw the trailer for this one I noticed the little girl from True Grit was in it. I remember seeing that film and thinking she is gonna be a star. I lost track of her career and havent seen her in anything since true grit, but then this trailer comes along and the only reason i was willing to even give it a chance was to see if she grew up to be as good as her potential. Im delighted to say that not only is Hailee steinfeld brilliant in this but the movie itself is ridiculously entertaining. A christmas miracle......a transformers movie thats not a ball of sh1t. Its actually happened.

Optimalprimerib · 27-12-2018 8:35am

Herbie goes to the edge of seventeen.

Way way way more enjoyable than a transformers movie has a right to be. Perfect post Christmas movie.

mr_edge_to_you · 27-12-2018 8:33pm

A brilliant and really enjoyable movie. My wife and I loved it, the kids loved it. Got a lump in my throat with the scene at the end and the appetite for an Optimus Prime movie is well and truly whetted!

TerrorFirmer · 28-12-2018 11:57am

Solid film, as good as the first Transformers, or possibly better, if I took the time to rewatch the Shia LeBouf version.

Still fairly predictable and full of cheese but in a decent, wholesome and fun way.

I didn't outright hate Age of Extinction, but Last Knight was so god-awful I turned it off after 30 minutes. So Bumblebee is a seriously welcome and much-needed reboot.....if it even is a reboot? Bit confused about that, whether it's a hard reset or simply just set in that universe.

Either way, good film.

pixelburp · 28-12-2018 12:19pm

At the 6th time of asking, they finally made a good Transformers movie. By all accounts, this was exactly the kind of film all previous five should have been, but were continuously sullied by Michael Bay's grubby, sleazy, hyperactive footprint. Bumblebee was sweet, funny, had good characters and stakes immediate enough to buy into the threats presented. The CGI was thought out and never the kind of dizzying, vomit inducing mess of those previous features (indeed, fans of the original cartoon should delight in the more faithful recreations)

The plot itself was a mishmash of other adventure movies, cribbed so blatantly you could easily describe this film as ET meets Herbie meets Pete's Dragon (the 2016 remake). And that's not a criticism! Far from it: the inspirations were clearly taken with a sense of reverence and love for the original material - the Transformers franchise included. There was a lot of obvious nods towards 80s culture that made things come off a little bit too nostalgic at times, but again there wasn't a cynical bone in this film's body so it was easier to forgive.

The script itself also heavily leaned into every (80s) teenage narrative cliché going, but again, did so with a confidence and genuine affection for those tropes that the end result just worked. Our blockbusters have forgotten the simple mechanics of emotional arcs, or indeed likeable, relatable human beings you might root for. Bumblebee remembered this depressingly rare quality, and should serve as a good example as to the value of solid writing - especially in obviously fantastical storylines.

Any fans burned by the Bayformers, or indeed anyone who just wants a stripped down, fun, exciting Blockbuster, should go see this; finally getting the formula right should be rewarded. One of best blockbusters of the year IMO.

Bonzo Delaney · 28-12-2018 12:55pm

Seen it yesterday with the 3 kids 10 - 6
They loved it. My self as a 42 yr old man who grew up playing with transformers enjoyed it immensely not only was it set in the 80s it feels like it was made in the 80s.
The cgi is obviously there in spades but is hidden well by the fact the robots have a real mechanical look to them as opposed to digital and laser effects.
Very well acted with a small cast simple story line and all round fun movie with the same feel as an 80s Spielberg movie. Defo 8 out of 10 family movie

OwaynOTT · 28-12-2018 11:01pm

Who would have thought a film with; a coherent story, easy to follow action scenes, no ogling of young women and subtle humour instead of transformer genitals posing as humour, would be a good film?

Hard to believe it took them almost a billion dollars in production costs(even more if you add in marketing), 875 minutes of screen time and over a decade to get here.

It's a good solid film and it's easily the best in the series and that's a sad indictment of the previous movies.

johnny_ultimate · 29-12-2018 1:06pm

All Bumblebee needed to do was show up and not feel like a male teenage Tea Partier's wet dream and it would be a significant improvement over the previous Transformers films. It achieves that, which is progress.

Whether it has much more going for it I'm not entirely convinced. Bumblebee is perfectly fine - it's enjoyable, silly, old-fashioned fun. But it doesn't really do anything particular well. It's all coherent, but that's the bare minimum one would expect - it has little flair of its own. Perhaps that's asking for too much, but we are talking about the director of Kubo and the Two Strings here - Travis Knight knows how to put together some imaginatively staged setpieces.

Its small town, minor key approach is a welcome change from the city-level destruction that was oh-so-boring in the Bay films (I should stress I've only seen the first two, because that was more than ****ing enough). It's definitely the schmaltziest major blockbuster I've seen in many years, although its emotional stakes are clear enough that it's mostly satisfying. Hailee Steinfeld remains charismatic enough that it's a shame she's not getting or taking meatier roles than this.

Approached as an old-school piece of family entertainment this delivers but doesn't excel. In a year that gave us at least two exceptional blockbusters - Mission Impossible Fallout and Spiderverse - being merely 'serviceable' isn't quite good enough. It's a major step forward for the franchise (a fart in the face would be a step up from Revenge of the Fallen to be fair) but could well have used a bit more of its own identity.

Josey Wales · 29-12-2018 2:23pm

Anyone any opinions on whether this is suitable for a 6 year old?

He recently watched Into the Spiderverse and loved it.

Bonzo Delaney · 29-12-2018 4:25pm

Brought my 6yr old daughter she followed it grand.
Nothing overly unsuitable for a 6yr old maybe some of the robot fight scenes could be classed as violent if two people other thsn that its sll good

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 30-12-2018 1:22am

Friend: "Wanna go see Bumblebee?"
Me: "Nah, the Transformers movies are awful!"
Friend: "This one's set in the '80s..."
Me: "Okay, I'm listening..."
Friend: "And Hailee Stenfield from The Edge of Seventeen is the lead..."
Me: "I did really like her in that movie... Yeah, alright I'm in! Next time open with Hailee Stenfield movie set in the '80s!"

Can't say that I've been a fan of the Transformers film franchise, although I really did enjoy the first one. Bumblebee, however, breathes life back in to the series - it's thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish and the cast are amazing, particularly Hailee Stenfield as Charlie. Even if you hated all the other Transformers movies, this one will probably win you around... It's very endearing...

pixelburp · 30-12-2018 1:31pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Approached as an old-school piece of family entertainment this delivers but doesn't excel. In a year that gave us at least two exceptional blockbusters - Mission Impossible Fallout and Spiderverse - being merely 'serviceable' isn't quite good enough. It's a major step forward for the franchise (a fart in the face would be a step up from Revenge of the Fallen to be fair) but could well have used a bit more of its own identity.

Agree to disagree, but I think there's an element of damning with faint praise here

I loved MI:Fallout and it's easily the best action blockbuster of the year, but both it and Bumblebee are totally different animals and not worth comparing in terms of what both are trying to deliver.

The comparison feels a little unfair here: Fallout was a visceral beast, continuing Tom Cruise's attempts to die on screen for our entertainment, but Bumblebee came off like it wasn't trying to be anything beyond an intentional homage/ripoff/nostalgic re-badging of every teenage-adventure trope from 80s cinema. No, it's not groundbreaking, but I don't think that should be held against a film when it wasn't really trying to be in the first place. A low bar hurdled is still a success, not a failure IMO

And like I said, that's coming from someone who loved Fallout, and considers Fury Road to be one of the best (action) films of the last 20 years. Indeed, as someone who really enjoyed Kubo... (BTW, anyone reading - go watch Kubo if you haven't!).

titan18 · 30-12-2018 6:42pm

Considering the state of the franchise, this was a hugely welcome reimagining of it. It's not original sure but its actually a good film which is a relief. I feel this had to be a smaller scale film due to the wasteful excess of Bays style.

I'll imagine the inevitable sequel will up the action sequences but based off the first 20 minutes, I think Knight will handle that well (if he's directing it).

Bumblebee

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