Bumblebee (4 Stars)

This is a film I wouldn't have gone to under normal circumstances. I saw the first Transformers film shortly after it was released, and all I can remember is images of big robots beating the **** out of one another. There might have been a plot, but if there was I don't remember it. What else can be expected from a film based on children's toys? Since then I've managed to avoid seeing any of the Transformers films, with the exception of occasional trailers. I even stayed away when the other members of the Birmingham Film Group visited a Transformers film.

Then I read articles about "Bumblebee". The press has been describing it as a very different Transformers film. What could be so different about it? Friends of mine in England cautiously praised it as the best Transformers film so far. I noticed that even film critics who have slammed the other films have praised "Bumblebee", getting it 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

So I went. And I was pleasantly surprised. Summing up, I would say that 90% of the film was brilliant and 10% was awful, so I think that my four star rating is a reasonable average.

The film is a prequel to the other Transformers films. It shows how they first came to Earth, in particular how one robot comes to Earth. His name is B-127, and although he's a giant robot in comparison to human size he's only half the size of the other robots on his planet, making him look like a kid. I say "he" instead of "it" because it's an issue in the film.

B-127's purpose of coming to Earth is to hide from rebellious robots on his home world. He's followed by two of the rebel robots. After a battle he suffers from amnesia. He disguises himself as a Volkswagen Beetle, which is acquired by a teenage girl, 17-year-old Charlie Watson. When she discovers that the car is sentient a friendship develops between the two. She calls the robot/car Bumblebee.

What I like about the film is the element of a coming-of-age drama. It's a development for both characters, Charlie and Bumblebee, as they progress into adulthood. The scenes where they're together are sometimes comical, but always emotionally moving.

What I don't like about the film is the inevitable scenes where giant robots are beating the **** out of one another. It looked silly in the old films, and it still looks silly in this one. I have mixed feelings about John Cena. He's not a good actor and I wish he would stick to wrestling, but maybe he was suitable for the part of the army leader (his rank is unclear) in "Bumblebee". As a military man he just has to strut around and yell, so it's not necessary for him to display any emotion.

Is "Bumbleebee" worth watching? Yes, it's a good film.

Will I watch it again? Probably not.