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Posts Tagged ‘Transformers’

Blu-ray Review: Bumblebee

March 28, 2019 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Blu-ray Review: Bumblebee
Bumblebee
YASSSSSSS!!!

After directing five films under the Transformers banner, Michael Bay finally stepped aside for some fresh blood in the form of director Travis Knight, best known for his work on the excellent Kubo and the Two Strings. While Bumblebee does serve as a prequel to the previous movies, it also feels a lot like a reboot with a story-focused approach and Transformers that look more like their G1 counterparts.

THE PLOT

With Autobot forces being overrun by the Decepticons, Optimus Prime orders the abandonment of Cybertron in search of somewhere to regroup. While the Autobots scatter throughout the universe, Bumblebee is dispatched to Earth to establish a base of operations. He’s followed by Blitzwing, however, and during their fight Bumblebee has his voice box ripped out. Although he eventually destroys the triple changer, Bumblebee is severely damaged and shuts down.

He remains dormant until being picked up by Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), a troubled teen that found the damaged Autobot at a local scrapyard. In the process of reactivating him, Charlie accidentally sends out a distress beacon that is detected by Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick, drawing the pair to Earth. They’re quickly intercepted by the U.S. military, led by Agent Jack Burns (John Cena), but after a brief standoff the U.S. agrees to aid them in locating the “fugitive.”

As that uneasy alliance searches for Bumblebee, he and Charlie begin to form a close friendship with the Autobot becoming something of a surrogate father after her own passed away recently, an event she continues to struggle with. All the while, danger continues to close in as the Decepticons work tirelessly to locate their prey, setting up a dangerous showdown.

THE GOOD

For starters, this is, unequivocally, the best live-action Transformers movie to date. So much of Bay’s trademark bluster — the bloated run time, endless battles and low-brow humour that kept getting more prevalent as the sequels added up — has gone by the wayside, replaced with a more focused, relatable plot. The Charlie-Bumblebee dynamic feels authentic and meaningful in a way that neither Shia LaBeouf nor Mark Wahlberg ever managed.

There’s still a good deal of action in Bumblebee, and the fights feel like they have real stakes. It also helps that, for most of the film, there are never more than three Transformers battling at once, allowing for smoothly choreographed action. The one mass battle is also excellent, due in no small part to the faithful recreation of G1 models of Shockwave, Wheeljack, Starscream and more (honestly, try not to get hyped when Ravage ejects from Soundwave).

Bumblebee also benefits from much better pacing than previous Transformers films, coming in at less than two hours and offering a mix of action, humour and heart. Steinfeld headlines a better cast as well with Cena striking the right blend of serious and comedic elements. Pamela Adlon, the wife from Louie, does some good work in a tertiary role as Charlie’s mom.

THE BAD

When you stop comparing Bumblebee to other recent Transformers movies and view it purely on its own merits, more cracks start to emerge. The death of Charlie’s dad is used as a plot device, but we never get any explanation as to what happened. He’s gone and she’s having trouble accepting it. Beyond that, you’re left with little to work with, and it’s unclear why her little brother seems to have completely moved on.

Other plotlines also feel like they were meant to go further than they did, such as Charlie’s interactions with Tripp, a local boy that she accidentally spills a drink on then meets later atop some cliffs. There seems to be something going on, but he’s never seen again. Her eventual relationship with Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) also falls a bit flat.

THE BONUS FEATURES

There is a lot of additional content to sink your teeth into. Atop the list is nearly 20 minutes of deleted or alternate scenes, which present a mixed bag of added context (good) and a total rehash of the previous film in which vending machines came to life (bad). Some funny outtakes featuring Cena are cleverly spliced, and the breakdown of the Cybertron scenes is good for some G1 nostalgia. On top of all that, there’s several “making of” featurettes.

OVERALL

Bumblebee does the best job of the six Transformers films of telling a coherent, emotional story with focused action and excellent G1-inspired Decepticons and Autobots.

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Blu-ray Review: Transformers 1-4 4K UHD

December 15, 2017 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Blu-ray Review: Transformers 1-4 4K UHD
Still the best of the bunch, the first Transformers film did a respectable job of resurrecting the feel of the cartoon by relying heavily on established Autobots and Decepticons as well as familiar story arcs, such as the confrontational relationship between Megatron and Starscream.
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Blu-ray Review: Transformers: The Last Knight

September 25, 2017 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Blu-ray Review: Transformers: The Last Knight
Much in the same vein as the Fast and Furious series, Transfomers films are about action first, second and third. On that front, The Last Knight is mostly a success. The CGI is very good, and the way it blends with natural scenery is the film’s high point. It doesn’t feel like there are as many melee fights between the giant robots, which is good, since those invariably devolve into something that’s difficult to follow.
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Video Game Review: Transformers: Devastation

October 12, 2015 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Video Game Review: Transformers: Devastation
Like any worthwhile episode of Transformers, Devastation has Megatron attempting an insane scheme that will have disastrous effects on Earth and its flesh creatures. This time, he has located an object that has the power to “cyberform” the planet, turning Earth into another Cybertron. Once again it’s up to Prime and his band of Autobots — Sideswipe, Grimlock, Wheeljack and Bumblebee — to stop him and save the human race from extinction.
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Video Game Review: Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark

July 7, 2014 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Video Game Review: Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Even without a great plot, Rise of the Dark Spark could’ve still succeeded as an action game, but as with the characters it never seems to branch out from previous titles. As longtime fans, we still took a certain satisfaction in gunning down giant robots, but the game recycles the wave-based attack far too liberally, making large sections feel like a single-player Escalation mode. With all that déjà vu it really makes you wonder how much was ripped straight from High Moon’s last installment.
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