Rating (2.5 out of 5)
Summary: I expected to be mildly entertained, but came out majorly disappointed. The best actor was Bumblebee. The script thoughtless, and the music predictable. “Bumblebee wasted my time and money. I would be better off watching the “Transformers” cartoons from the 80s than this garbage. I am indeed glad my wife didn’t come with me wretched film.
Plot: Bumblebee escapes from Cybertron and flees to earth. He befriends Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), an 18-year-old teenager, who simply desires a car to obtain her freedom. The Decepticons come to earth as well to find Optimus Prime. Charlie and Bumblebee most overcome the Decepticons and the US military to save the world.
Details: Charlie’s dad died a few years prior and his death underlies Charlie’s dissatisfaction with life. The original “Transformers” with Shia LaBeouf was considerably simpler, a boy who wanted a car. If “Bumblebee” were the same, the movie would be appreciably better. The dead dad weighed on the movie like a hangman’s noose because the director slowed the pace of the film down to explain the dad angst. It added a good 1/2 hour to the film.
The government officials Agent Burns (John Cena) and Dr. Powell (John Ortiz) are silly caricatures of military government agents. Seriously they grant the Decepticons access to the US computers and satellites. The funniest part of the film happened when Agent Burns challenges their decisions, and said their names are “Decepticons” and their name gives away their intention.
There are a few laughs, like the one about the Decepticons. For those of us who lived in the 80s there are a few flashbacks. The “Hot Dog on a Stick” stand transported me back, as one of my best friend from high school worked there. I remember the ladies pounding out the lemon juice.
Bumblebee was the star of the film. When the move maintained focus on Bumblebee and Charlie, the movie was watchable. Bumblebee stumbling around the house, while in the previews, was one of the better portions of the movie. There were a couple of other scenes similar to that, which salvaged the movie.
Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) the boy