The Transformers film series has seen its share of both good times and bad. Apart from reviews, the franchise had been a box office hit for all four Michael Bay-directed films up until last year’s Transformers: The Last Knight which saw earnings take a dip.
Nowadays, things are in a bit of flux with a sixth linear film removed from its 2019 date while Hasbro revamps its film agenda with other lucrative IP. However, the franchise, centered on alien autonomous robotic warriors now brings its focus to the center of a new prequel with Bumblebee starring Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena.
The film is directed by Travis Knight who dealt quite the serving of cake to anyone who doubted his LAIKA-produced animated adventure, Kubo And The Two Strings. Bumblebee marks his big screen rebound with the coming-of-age story of Charlie, on the eve of her 18th birthday in 1987 in a Californian junkyard beach town where she discovers this particular car is no ordinary Volkswagen.
Cena, who teased the Tuesday morning arrival of the official trailer this week, stars as Agent Burns of Sector 7, the black-ops clandestined unit previously fronted by John Turturo’s character in the initial trilogy.
The trailer definitely feels like a less-clunkier offering and a slightly more affable, character-centric tale. Bay’s films were all nothing short of showstopping spectacle tacked on with overdrawn, quirky dialogue and some pretty questionable leniencies that made them all pretty love/hate worthy while Knight’s efforts feel a little more refreshing in terms of pacing and tone.
More than ten years and five films in, as much as this film may possibly rate better among critics, this may take some getting used to. Of course, time will tell if this bodes any different but, ahead of its December 21 release from Paramount, so far so good. Yes? No?
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