Review| Bumblebee – A Helper Arrives

I make no bones about my fascination with Michael Bay’s Transformers films. For over a decade, Bay and the crew at Industrial Light & Magic have brought these 1980s icons to stunning life with amazing detail and stunning action set pieces. Bay essentially brought these characters back into the mainstream – reigniting the enthusiasm for the brand.

I will concede that some of these films have been better than others. The first film is still the best of the five, by far. But even I had to admit that the films gradually lost their soul and sense of wonder with each successive release. The fifth film, The Last Knight, was definitely one of the worst. While I do love Michael Bay’s frenetic action style, it was clear that the story was running on fumes and new creative blood was needed.

The new blood manifested itself in Travis Knight’s Bumblebee, the latest Transformers film, and the first not directed by Bay. Set as a prequel (or something) to the first film, this movie was a solid rejuvenation of this now-lumbering franchise. Part 1980s coming-of-age movie (that literally takes place in the 1980s), part sci-fi action-fest, the film has placed the heart and soul firmly back in within the franchise. It’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Good: A 1980s Movie

This was a great 1980s movie in every sense of the word. Like The Goonies or E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Bumblebee was full of pure heart and youth-fueled exuberance wrapped up in a compelling adventure plot. It was quite the glaring change from the past couple Transformers films, which contained very little of the fun captured in the first film. The action was really fun and exciting, though not as visually dynamic and unique as Michael Bay’s set pieces – which is okay. The way the action was shot was very much in tune with the 1980s motif that director Travis Knight was going for, which made me appreciate it more.

Hailee Steinfeld shined in the lead role. I loved her as little Mattie Ross in the Coen Brothers’ 2010 remake of True Grit, and she’s grown considerably as an actress since then. Steinfeld excels at conveying emotion and gives her characters an almost instant understanding to the audience. All the emotion felt genuine and real despite the fantastical circumstances. The relationship between Bumblebee and Steinfeld’s Charlie was very cute and endearing, forming a wonderful empathetic center to the story.

Travis Knight clearly had a lot of affinity for the Transformers characters and lore. Though I have some misgivings about it, which I will elaborate on shortly, seeing the Transformers fighting on Cybertron in designs closely resembling their original Generation 1 forms was pretty darn cool. It was an amazing integration of attributes from the previous Michael Bay models and the designs from the TV show. I had a big ping of nostalgia during that battle scene and wanted to see more (and if this news is true, we probably will).

The Bad: What is This Exactly?

The redesign of the Transformers on Cybertron indicated to me and others that Bumblebee may have been intended to be a soft reboot of the Transformers franchise. I wouldn’t have a problem with that, except for the fact that Bumblebee relied heavily on the narrative set by the previous Transformers films, giving the audience little connective Easter eggs here and there. And yet, the film breaks the continuity, which was very lazy and frustrating.

Sector 7, the government agency personified by John Cena’s Agent Burns, was one of the antagonists for Bumblebee, but not heavily explained because the script assumed the audience knew what the agency was based on the events of the other films. Their headquarters was still at the Hoover Dam, where the AllSpark had been supposedly kept (which brings up another major plot hole regarding the two Decepticons that deceived Sector 7 – why didn’t they detect the AllSpark’s presence?). And the audience even got a look at a young Seymour Simmons, the character played by John Turturro in four of the five films.

Hasbro, the company that created the Transformers characters, stated earlier this year that the film franchise is getting rebooted. However, Travis Knight said in more recent interviews that his film is a prequel to the Transformers film series and that steps were taken to ensure there was a connection – never mind that Bumblebee just arrived on earth in this new film, but had supposedly been on earth for decades prior, given his participation in World War II according to The Last Knight.

The previous Transformers films may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but they had a narrative continuity that made sense (okay…at least the first three did, anyway). The producers of the series really need to sit down with all involved and decide what exactly their narrative goal is with this franchise. On its own, Bumblebee was a great movie. But as part of the larger Transformers film universe, it made little sense.

A Helper in Troubled Times

Comparing Bumblebee to classics like E.T. is pretty apt. Both are about a mysterious being coming to earth and helping a person (more often a child) cope with the aftermath of a traumatic life event. This trope is very popular in film and stories generally, with many different versions made over the years. Even more contemporary films like The Iron Giant, Pan’s Labyrinth, and A Monster Calls contained at least a similar premise. In the case of Bumblebee‘s Charlie, it was the tragic death of her father.

Every human being intrinsically desires some kind of helper to come and understand their situation and possibly save them from their circumstances or at least make them easier to bear. The one-on-one helper story is particularly interesting because it’s a very personal relationship, and it reflects the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives.

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17

Before His ascension, Jesus told the disciples that He was leaving a personal helper to empower them to do the will of God. That helper was the Holy Spirit – the part of the Trinity that is God’s personal presence. The Spirit was there at the beginning of creation with the Father and Son, and He was there when

The Spirit intercedes in our lives and gives us the strength to endure the hardships and tragedies of life. But the Spirit isn’t a physical being. He is a force that helps shape us from the inside to be the person that God wants us to be, helping give our lives a greater purpose and a holy path.

 “Thank you for making me feel like me again.”

In the film, Bumblebee came at the right time to help Charlie emerge from her grief. He made her feel understood. They actually helped each other rediscover themselves, with Charlie giving Bumblebee a voice. Bumblebee gave Charlie a larger reason to go on living: saving the world from the Decepticons. But Bumblebee eventually left Charlie (reluctantly) to rejoin his Transformer comrades as they arrived on earth.

Like Bumblebee, the Holy Spirit comes at the perfect time (according to God’s will) and provide us with strength, understanding, comfort, and wisdom for the hard times in life. But unlike Bumblebee, the Holy Spirit will never leave us. He is our personal connection to our Creator and a testament to His love. All followers of Christ are given this personal connection when they proclaim their faith in Him.

The Holy Spirit is a beautiful mystery, able to work within us and through us to accomplish God’s will. He is not a physical being, like a giant robot. He is the personal touch of God in our lives and makes us receptive to God’s will. He pushes us, shapes us, and gives us strength in good times and bad – helping us navigate through this fallen world. We just need to listen to that still, small voice and lean on His power to truly understand it.

The Last Word

With Bumblebee, the Transformers franchise has returned to its basics. While it doesn’t contain the dynamic action of Michael Bay, the film still serves up some great visuals with a lot of heart and humor. I just hope the powers-that-be get their continuity in order and make a decision about which narrative direction they would like to take this franchise.

Stories about mysterious helpers coming to show people their path in life have been around for centuries. People gravitate toward these stories because they intrinsically know they have a need for a supernatural helper to navigate the pitfalls of this world. God has given us one in the Holy Spirit. While He’s not a transforming robot, He is our personal connection to God, knows us intimately, has a plan for our lives, and will never leave us.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26