Review of movie Bumblebee

×

Rating:3.5/5

As civil war ravages the alien planet Cybertron – home to the Autobots and Decepticons, Bumblebee is tasked with escaping to Earth in an attempt to provide refuge to the Autobots. However, he loses his memory along the way and ends up in a garage in San Francisco. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), is struggling with the demise of her father as she turns 18 and decides to gift herself a car when she encounters Bumblebee. Little does she know that he’s on a mission and she is soon thrown into the thick of a battle for supremacy.

Director Travis Knight focuses on Charlie and her relationship with Bumblebee. The alien robot is childlike in his mannerisms, and some of the best scenes involve the two getting to know each other. Set in the '80s, the soundtrack anchors the story-line especially since Bumblebee communicates mainly through a mixture of various sound clips. Hailee Steinfeld provides the essential human factor sorely lacking in the franchise so far. She’s far from eye-candy as Charlie tries to find her own identity while dealing with grief. John Cena as Agent Burns is effectively menacing but doesn’t add much other than a standard, disruptive authoritative figure with a bone to pick.