Bumblebee Gave Transformers A Fresh Restart

Official Poster of "Bumblebee" starring Haille Steinfeld and John Cena. Photo Courtesy of imdb.com

While I have liked seeing the Autobots overcome the Decepticons, it recently hit me that the story had lost some of its spark. But, the "Transformers" franchise made a fresh restart in the form of "Bumblebee". With its numerous 1980s-era pop culture references, an emotional and invigorating performance by Hailee Steinfeld, and packs of action, "Bumblebee" may be the inventiveness to bring the Transformers films back to light.

Taking place in 1987, Autobot B-127 (voiced by Dylan O'Brien) crash lands on planet Earth after a war with the Decepticons consumes his home planet, Cybertron. Once he loses his memory and vocal processor, he befriends rebellious teenager Charlie Watson played by Hailee Steinfeld. But the friendship between human and machine is threatened by a paranoid government agent, Jack Burns, played by John Cena, and two Decepticons, Shatter and Dropkick, voiced by Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux, all bent on apprehending him. By allying with Charlie and her neighbor Memo (played by Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), B-127, renamed "Bumblebee" can prove he's not a hostile invader, save his new home, and ensure the survival of the Autobot race.

Bumbleee (right) is making first contact with Charlie Watson (left), played by Hailee Steinfeld. Photo courtesy of imdb.com

One way "Bumblebee" stood out was by having a more emotional story instead of one all about science fiction. Before he transformed into her life, Charlie was still traumatized by her father's death, withdrawn from her mother, brother, and stepfather, and ridiculed by shallow bullies from school. Bumblebee was struggling to figure out how to blend into society without causing destruction, recover his memory, and see if he has what it takes to be heroic to the misunderstood humans. But, they felt more alive through their daily interactions, knowing they were better than what bullies or mistrusting authority figures said. I loved seeing that; it reminded me of "The Iron Giant". This was probably the ultimate connection between human and robot established in the franchise.

Not only "The Iron Giant', but certain moments of the film remind me of "Star Wars" and "Man of Steel". Just as Darth Vader called Princess Leia a traitor to the Galactic Empire, Bumblebee is seen as a traitor by the Decepticons for not wanting to build a stronger Cybertron, probably where evil reigned supreme over inferior would-be heroes. When Superman chose to side with and protect the humans over making a newer Krypton, Zod vowed to annihilate him. That similarity goes with Bumblebee as he refused to be a part of his opponents' malevolent attitude, didn't see every innocent life as a criminal ready to attack him, and would fight Shatter and Dropkick to the end of the line.      In addition to Steinfeld and Bumblee, I appreciated the performances by Cena and Bassett, Cena's role as Agent Burns was similar to Kent Mansley from "The Iron Giant". But it was great that he overcome his distrustful focus on Bumblebee and saw him for the valiant protagonist he really is. It was hilarious when he was caught off-guard by Bumblebee's weapons.
From what I heard, Bassett's role of Shatter was made in a sarcastic tone and her character was shown in a charismatic manner. What was charismatic about Shatter was when she tried to present herself as an ally to the humans to arrest Bumblebee, when she was using them to get more Decepticons to wreak havoc on Earth. Regardless, Bassett's acting was interesting to hear.
I loved seeing the film's numerous 80s pop culture references. A very funny time came when Bumblebee raised his fist in victory like Judd Nelson at the end of "The Breakfast Club"(1985). A combination of her rebellious behavior, different hairstyle, and frequent T-shirts of bands like The Smiths made Steinfeld's character look like a punk rock kind-of teenager. 
After his first directing with Laika's "Kubo and the Two Strings", I think Travis Knight made a very lasting impression directing this film. By including touching chemistry between Steinfeld and O'Brien's characters, a great emotional story behind them, and a thrilling inclusion of action to tell it, "Bumblebee" may give Paramount and Transformers the jump start to move back up in the fast lane of filming. If you want a good fight and nonstop jokes, "Bumblebee" may be the film for you.    

You'll Laugh Out Loud with "Ralph Breaks the Internet"

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” movie poster. Photo courtesy of movies.disney.com

I was filled with laughter and admiration when I saw “Ralph Breaks the Internet”. The film was abundant in laughter, great reprisals from the original film mixed with new ones, and a vivacious score by Henry Jackman. While the main character may have broken the Internet, he has built up my enthusiasm.

Throughout the film, I really appreciated the chemistry between John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman’s characters of Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz, respectively. To me, their friendship challenges make them stronger than any fancy Internet excitement viewers can find.
Following their victory against the Cy-Bug invasion, Ralph (voiced by Reilly) and Vanellope (voiced by Silverman) are troubled with how to live in and out of the game world, their days becoming plain and less exciting. That all changes when Mr. Litwak (voiced by Ed O’Neill) plugs in a Wi-Fi router at their arcade, and from eBay to Google, the two travel across cyberspace looking for adventure. Even if it may tear them apart, the introduction of racer Shank (voiced by Gal Gadot) and algorithm Yesss (voiced by Taraji P. Henson) may give them just the refreshing boost they need. 

Photo of the video game character Shank (voiced by Gal Gadot) in “Slaughter Race”. Courtesy of collider.com

 

Photo of Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) (left), Yesss (voiced by Taraji P. Henson) (center), and Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) (right). Courtesy of comicbook.com. 

Now, let’s talk about the music. Henry Jackman’s second time scoring was excellent by combining traditional action and melancholy themes with electronic arcade music. Two great songs were “A Place Called Slaughter Race”, sung by Silverman and Gadot, and “Zero”, sung by Imagine Dragons during the end credits.
A third supplement to the humor were references to past and present Disney popular culture. By that, I mean inclusion of Disney Princesses, Marvel, and Star Wars to name a few.

Finally, with vibrant sorts of colors and animation techniques, directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston made an impressive rendering of the Internet in the film.

Positives aside, there are two things that the directors could have done better. Ralph could have been raised to hero status given the sacrifices he made six years prior. And they could have made bigger roles for Fix-It Felix, Jr. (voiced by Jack McBrayer) and Sergeant Calhoun (voiced by Jane Lynch), because maybe they could use more Internet fame and help Ralph mature better.

To be concluded, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” was a picturesque sequel to the original “Wreck-It Ralph”. With a top-notch ensemble voice cast, heartwarming messages about dreams and friendship, sensational animation, and piquant music, it will truly make you and other audiences laugh out loud. If you want to LOL at more of Disney’s works, go out and watch “Ralph Breaks the Internet”.