We have seen 4 of the 5 previous Transformers movies, A question we still ask is why had we seen 4, as we have not really enjoyed any of them, the 5th maybe fatigue set in, as, like myself, not many people saw it, so given the previous films had taken billions (in fact 2 took over billion on their own) at the box office, it was reboot time.
The studio chose a director famed for work in animation, in Travis Knight, who wowed audiences with his directorial debut, Kubo and the Two Strings.
Next up was to not make the film a direct sequel, which then gave the setting of a prequel, which means setting the film in the 80s but still we could not get excited but slowly more and more people were saying it was a breath of fresh air and we decided in a quiet week where its times at the cinema worked out for us, to give it a chance (as a bonus we had the screen to ourselves given the film had been out a while =)
The film opens with Cybertron in a huge war with the Decepticons, with their home planet at risk, Optimus Prime sends Bumblebee on a mission to find refuge on Earth
Unfortunately for Bumblebee, he lands in the middle of an Army training camp and is immediately considered a threat and under attack from a group led by Agent Burns (John Cena)
Spotting a VW Beetle, Bumblebee transforms and escapes under heavy fire, to make matters worse the Decepticons have followed him and are also attacking him.
Badly damaged, he is left to rot away in a garage until discovered by just turned 18, Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), who desperate for a car, offers all she can to get Bumblebee and make him run again. Meanwhile, the Decepticons not finding Prime or the others leave the planet.
Needless to say, she gets him up and running again which will lead the Decepticons to Earth searching for Prime and the rest of Cybertron and they find help in Burns and the rest of the Army by tricking them into thinking they are the good guys.
What follows is a fun adventure film that feels more like 80s classics such as Short Circuit and E.T. in that it is basically the story of Kind human finds creature/robot and bad ones want it to experiment on etc.
Fans of the other 5 may feel short-changed that there is less action in this one (the film is also the first to come in at under 2 hours) but it makes up for it in heart and story.
Older audiences will love the nods to the 80s from Walkmans to The Breakfast Club and its 80s soundtrack is just superb.
Hailee and Bumblebee are both likeable leads, in fact at times you care so much for Bumblebee at times you wish Prime would turn up and save the day.
Best of all though is the animation, the transformers now look more like the toys than the heavy artillery look they had in previous films and are all the better for it
Watch the trailer:
You can already pre-order the film at Amazon
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