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Bumblebee Review

. Friday 14 December 2018 .




Oh Bumblebee, Oh Bumblebee

How lovely are thy... car parts?




Okay, so maybe singing 'Oh Bumblebee' to the tune of 'Oh Christmas Tree' is a bit of a stretch but whatever. I'm feeling very Christmas-y right now so I'm just going to embrace it.




Last weekend I was lucky enough to come along to a special screening of 'Bumblebee' hosted by Paramount Pictures. I took my youngest brother with me and felt nostalgic when I thought about the last Transformers movie I watched in the cinemas a few years ago with my other brother who is now 19 and decidedly too cool to hang out with his sister at the movies anymore. It's been a while since I've seen Transformers so it's about time an origin story about one of the most-loved characters from the franchise is unleashed into the world.




Set in the 80's, 'Bumblebee' takes place about 20 years before the very first Transformers movie. It centres around Charlie Watson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) - an angsty teenager dealing with a few growing pains, struggling to move forward after losing her dad, and fitting in in general. She's going through normal teen stuff like wanting a car for her 18th birthday, wishing the cute boy from class would notice her, and clashing with her mum like you do when you're a headstrong teen. Because Charlie is resourceful, she goes to a car yard to source parts for the car she's currently building.


 





Enter Bumblebee. He's on earth because Cybertron has fallen and Optimus Prime sent him here in the form of a yellow 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. Of course Charlie and Bumblebee find each other and soon enough they bond and become the best of friends slash family. Of course it wouldn't be a Transofrmers movie without an (unwelcome) appearance by Decepticons. Add a 'wanted by the government' plotline in there and you've got yourself a film.




It had it's cliche moments but it managed to make it endearing and fresh. I loved the meet cute and how wholesome the romantic side story was!




I know that there's been a lot of buzz about why the world needs another Transformers movie but I do think that while this one isn't really essential in understanding the Transformers world, it sure is a nice addition to the franchise. It is a coming-of-age tale both for Charlie and Bumblebee, and in some ways for those of us who grew up watching Transformers too. But it also exists as a stand-alone and if you haven't seen any of the Transformers films and could only pick one to watch, I'd say this is a good one. It's got heart and a great message of resilience, family, and friendship. This film truly does our favourite 'black and yellow transforming friend' justice.




Bumblebee is out in NZ cinemas now and you can watch the full trailer here.




P.S. the film has got John Cena in it (I should have led with this very important fact to be honest)

P.P.S I absolutely loved the soundtrack and the 80s reference and music and I've been listening to a lot of Simple Minds all week because of this

P.P.P.S I got to meet Bumblebee on the day and we took a selfie and when he looked into my eyes with those big blue laser eyes I just honestly fell in love




Oh Bumblebee, Oh Bumblebee

How lovely are thy... car parts?




Okay, so maybe singing 'Oh Bumblebee' to the tune of 'Oh Christmas Tree' is a bit of a stretch but whatever. I'm feeling very Christmas-y right now so I'm just going to embrace it.




Last weekend I was lucky enough to come along to a special screening of 'Bumblebee' hosted by Paramount Pictures. I took my youngest brother with me and felt nostalgic when I thought about the last Transformers movie I watched in the cinemas a few years ago with my other brother who is now 19 and decidedly too cool to hang out with his sister at the movies anymore. It's been a while since I've seen Transformers so it's about time an origin story about one of the most-loved characters from the franchise is unleashed into the world.




Set in the 80's, 'Bumblebee' takes place about 20 years before the very first Transformers movie. It centres around Charlie Watson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) - an angsty teenager dealing with a few growing pains, struggling to move forward after losing her dad, and fitting in in general. She's going through normal teen stuff like wanting a car for her 18th birthday, wishing the cute boy from class would notice her, and clashing with her mum like you do when you're a headstrong teen. Because Charlie is resourceful, she goes to a car yard to source parts for the car she's currently building.


 





Enter Bumblebee. He's on earth because Cybertron has fallen and Optimus Prime sent him here in the form of a yellow 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. Of course Charlie and Bumblebee find each other and soon enough they bond and become the best of friends slash family. Of course it wouldn't be a Transofrmers movie without an (unwelcome) appearance by Decepticons. Add a 'wanted by the government' plotline in there and you've got yourself a film.




It had it's cliche moments but it managed to make it endearing and fresh. I loved the meet cute and how wholesome the romantic side story was!




I know that there's been a lot of buzz about why the world needs another Transformers movie but I do think that while this one isn't really essential in understanding the Transformers world, it sure is a nice addition to the franchise. It is a coming-of-age tale both for Charlie and Bumblebee, and in some ways for those of us who grew up watching Transformers too. But it also exists as a stand-alone and if you haven't seen any of the Transformers films and could only pick one to watch, I'd say this is a good one. It's got heart and a great message of resilience, family, and friendship. This film truly does our favourite 'black and yellow transforming friend' justice.




Bumblebee is out in NZ cinemas now and you can watch the full trailer here.




P.S. the film has got John Cena in it (I should have led with this very important fact to be honest)

P.P.S I absolutely loved the soundtrack and the 80s reference and music and I've been listening to a lot of Simple Minds all week because of this

P.P.P.S I got to meet Bumblebee on the day and we took a selfie and when he looked into my eyes with those big blue laser eyes I just honestly fell in love

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