Whether you loved the original Michael Bay ‘Transformers’ films or hated them, I think everyone can accept that they were movies very much in the style of Bay films, with a lot of epic action, massive set-pieces, and big heroic moments. One thing that many argue those films lacked was a touch of humanity, which seems to be what the filmmakers are looking to push for in the “Bumblebee’ prequel.
Set in the 1980s when the titular character first comes to Earth alone and learns how to survive, the film has the potential to show a softer side of the robotic heroes we have come to know. New clips from the movie have been released (which you can watch below), and while one of them is a pretty standard “military chases the robot” scene through a forest, the other is a quieter scene on the beach between Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) and Bumblebee, where she is teaching him about the need to hide from people on Earth. They practice hiding, riding the line between ridiculous and cute as they practice. The scene has a bit of fun, a lot of heart, and hopefully is a clue to the kind of movie ‘Bumblebee’ is going to be, more heart than action, something the franchise desperately needs after five films that leaned pretty heavily on the action side.
Check out the two clips for yourself below, and feel free to share your thoughts on whether you think this toned down ‘Bumblebee’ is something you wanna see in theaters, or if it will only make you wish another epic, action-packed installment in the franchise were coming out instead.
And here’s the film’s synopsis:
On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.
