Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2399. Bumblebee (2018)

    2399. Bumblebee (2018)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on December 30, 2018 110-119 mins, 2018, 6 - 7.9, Action, Comedy, Dec 18, Movies Of 2018, Review, Sci-Fi, United States
    6.9 Cute, but a little generic
    • Acting 7.3
    • Directing 7.1
    • Story 6.3
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Cena

    Director: Travis Knight

    Running Time: 114 mins


    Bumblebee is an American film about the story of B-127, an Autobot sent to Earth by Optimus Prime to seek out shelter in the midst of a galactic rebellion, where he finds friendship with a teenage girl struggling to find her place in the world.

    With a innocent and sweet atmosphere throughout, combined with a light-hearted and easy-going story, Bumblebee proves a surprisingly pleasant watch, with another stand-out performance from Hailee Steinfeld, and an often heartwarming central relationship that you really wouldn’t expect to see from a Transformers movie, even if the movie’s more generic sci-fi story does unfortunately take precedence towards the finale here, which leaves things on a rather disappointing final note.

    First things first, however: I’ve never seen a Transformers movie. I’m aware of their terrible reputation, but I’ve never got round to watching one as of yet, so I’m glad that the often delightful Bumblebee was my introduction to the franchise, and I’m also happy to report that this is a film that doesn’t require any prior or wider knowledge of Transformers, making it a great watch for absolutely anyone.

    As a prequel, there are obvious tie-ins to the wider series, and I’m sure bigger fans of Transformers will get a bigger kick out of all those references, however unlike a prequel like Rogue One, which would virtually incomprehensible if you’d never seen Star Wars, Bumblebee does a great job at going it alone and making its own coherent and thoroughly enjoyable story.

    Above all, the best thing about this movie has to be the central friendship between Bumblebee and Hailee Steinfeld’s character, which proves funny and heartwarming from beginning to end, and the absolute polar opposite from what I’ve heard the main Transformers series is infamous for.

    Hailee Steinfeld gives yet another hugely likable performance, channeling the same energy as her stunning turn in The Edge Of Seventeen, but with a little more upbeat, family-friendly vibe that fits the film’s fun-loving tendencies. As a result, you really grow to like her character, and the strength of the connection that she forms with Bumblebee is easily the film’s most striking and enjoyable element, combining a heartwarming friendship with a warm and delightful story that entertains far more than any sci-fi mumbo-jumbo could ever do.

    The first two acts in particular are the movie’s strongest suits, and with likable characters, measured and pleasant visual effects, and good humour throughout, Bumblebee gets off to a really nice start, and even though it might be a little simple, its heart is what makes it so infectiously delightful.

    Unfortunately, the movie really falls off a cliff when it tries to inject some blockbuster thrills into the mix. Having worked well as a calm and often tender story about friendship for the first half, the introduction of intergalactic warfare and loud, big-budget action sequences proves a real disappointment.

    The movie’s rather basic screenplay is a frustration throughout, but that heartfelt vibe from the start means it isn’t much of a problem for the first half, however when the story reverts to something a lot more generic, the overly simplistic and somewhat dated nature of the plot becomes more apparent, and makes the remainder of the movie really rather boring, even though there’s still a hangover of the likability from the first half.

    Overall, I quite liked Bumblebee. It’s a pleasant and often heartfelt movie that proves a delightful introduction to Transformers for me, and although its plot ultimately proves to be disappointingly generic, making for a rather dull watch at times, there are some lovely moments throughout, and that’s why I’m giving it a 6.9.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    November 24, 20190

    2761. Le Mans ’66 (2019)

    8.6
    Review
    July 20, 20150

    1030. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014)

    8.8
    Review
    February 13, 20150

    856. Two Days, One Night (2014)

    8.9
    Review
    July 21, 20170

    1831. Dunkirk (2017)

    8.2
    Review
    February 21, 20140

    461. RoboCop (1987)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.