Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Bumblebee
April 2, 2019
Bumblebee - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Bumblebee is the latest installment in the Transformers franchise. The film was already in pre-production when The Last Knight missed expectations at the box office. There were some changes made to the movie, but most assumed it was going to be dumped into theaters while the studio worked on a full reboot. Then the first trailer came out and people started to get excited about this movie. Its reviews were more than 90% positive. Is the film really this good? Or were fans and critics just overwhelmed because the movie wasn’t complete trash, like the previous four sequels were?
The film begins with a battle on Cybertron. The Autobots are losing quite badly, so much so that Optimus Prime has to order a full retreat from the planet. He does have a plan. He sends B-127 to a hidden planet, Earth. There he will make sure the Decepticons never find it. Optimus will round up the remaining Autobots scattered around the Galaxy and make Earth their new home.
We then switch to Earth, where we watch Agent Jack Burns completely decimate his friend and fellow Section 7 agent, Danny, in a training exercise. It is while Jack is tormenting Danny, in a friendly way, that B-127’s escape pod crashes nearby. At first, Jack thinks it was the result of friendly fire, but then he spots B-127 and immediately gives chase. Unfortunately for all involved, Agent Burns isn’t the only one chasing B-127, as a Decepticon called Blitzwing arrives and fights B-127. In the process, B-127 loses his voicebox and is so badly damaged that he shuts down. The last thing he does is scan a yellow VW beetle to use as a new disguise.
We then meet Charlie, a soon-to-be 18-year woman. Her dad passed away and she’s still dealing with that. Additionally, she’s trying to get a car. She’s been working on rebuilding a classic corvette, but she’s run out of money for parts and her mother is an underpaid, overworked nurse, so she can’t help out either. Charlie is trying to get the car fixed up by working at a refreshment stand at the pier and heading to Hank's junkyard and scrounging for parts. After a bad day at work that included a run-in with her bully, she heads to Hanks. While there she’s spots a yellow VW beetle, B-127. When she tries to start him up, he inadvertently sends a signal that attracts two Decepticons, Shatter and Dropkick.
Charlie asks about the Beetle, but just buys some parts. When she can’t get the Corvette to work, she heads back to Hank’s the next day, her 18th birthday, and tries to make a deal. If she can start the Beetle, it’s hers. She will pay him back by working there all year. Instead, Hank just gives it to her as a birthday gift. When Charlie gets back home with her new car, she hears a part fall off. She slides under the car to see where the part came from, only to spot a face, B-127’s face. This activates B-127, who transforms into robot form. Needless to say, this freaks out Charlie; however, when she sees how scared the robot is, she calms down. Since B-127 can no longer talk, he just makes some buzzing noises, Charlie names him Bumblebee.
It’s a tender moment. Unfortunately, it is at this time that Shatter and Dropkick arrive on Earth. They don’t get there unnoticed, as Agent Jack Burns and Sector 7 begin tracking them immediately.
At this point, we begin hitting major spoiler details, so we will end the plot summary there.
Bumblebee isn’t as good as its Tomatometer Score would indicate. However, it’s still easily the best film in the franchise and the only one where the human characters are compelling. In fact, its the only one where the humans and Transformers actually feel like characters. Granted, not all of these characters work. Many of the people that work for Sector 7 are rather cartoonish. John Cena can pull that off, but not all of the other actors can do the same.
Fortunately, it is the relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee that is the heart of this movie and it really works. I’ve seen more than a few people compare this relationship to the central romance in The Shape of Water. I’m not sure I would go that far, but I can see where people are coming from, as there is a lot of tenderness between the two characters. This is in a sharp contrast to the previous films in the franchise, where aggression and irritation were the two main emotions expressed by most characters.
It goes without saying that the action is great. In fact, I would argue the action is better than the other installments in the franchise, which is impressive, as it has a budget that’s about half as much as any of the sequels. It’s easier to follow and isn’t just a jumble of CGI characters and quick cuts. Additionally, since you actually care about the characters, the action scenes have much higher stakes. The short prologue on Cybertron manages to make you care more about the Autobots than the previous five films in the franchise managed over hours of running time.
Extras start with Sector 7 Archive, a ten-minute long motion comic that includes a short live-action intro with Agent Burns. Up next are 19 minutes of deleted and extended scenes and 10 minutes of outtakes. Bee Vision: The Transformers Robots of Cybertron is a four-minute look at the opening pausing to name all of the Transformers we see in the short prologue. Finally, Bringing Bumblebee to the Big Screen is a five-part, 47-minute long making of featurette.
The package also comes with a physical mini-comic.
Bumblebee isn’t as good as its Tomatometer Score, but it is still a great action movie with engaging characters and it is certainly worth checking out. There are not a ton of extras on the DVD / Blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD, but enough that it is easily worth picking up.
Video on Demand
The Movie
The Extras
The Verdict
Filed under: Video Review, Len Cariou, Edwin Hodge, David Sobolov