Rotten Tomatoes: 100%Metacritic: 73/100Written ReviewsEmpire - Mike RyanSteven Spielberg’s DNA feels baked into Bumblebee, resulting in an ’80s movie not just in setting and aesthetic but also sensibility — a high-octane concept Transformed into an Amblin love letter. Knight has served up a gleeful romp with wit, warmth and a whole lot of heart. It’s taken six movies to get here, but we finally have a Transformers film that’s more than meets the eye.The Guardian - Phil HoadIn a better, truer cinematic universe, Travis Knight would have been in charge of the Transformers franchise all along. For this prequel/spin-off, the sixth in the series, the director gets under the hood of Michael Bay’s pumped-up blockbuster machine, and strips it down to something succinct, fun and sweet-toned.The Hollywood Reporter - Justin LoweBy taking the Transformers universe in a new, more intimate character-driven direction, screenwriter Christina Hodson (who has the Suicide Squad Harley Quinn sequel Birds of Prey up next) plays directly to the franchise’s roots. Skillfully shaping what’s essentially a coming-of-age story for both Charlie and Bumblebee, Hodson layers in a sense of wonder and discovery that effectively recaptures the innovation and energy of the 2007 original. It’s an effective reimagining that also bears a knowing resemblance to classic youth-oriented films from Bumblebee executive producer Steven Spielberg.IGN - Jim VejvodaBumblebee is the best live-action Transformers movie since the 2007 film, even though it doesn’t quite recapture the wow factor of seeing the robots in disguise come to life that very first time. But it does wisely bring the series back to basics in its character-driven storytelling and simplified approaches to both Transformer designs and visual effects, and by jettisoning the excess and nonsensical storytelling that had come to define the franchise. It was nice to enjoy a Transformers movie again.Indiewire - Liz Shannon MillerThus, it is nice to report that in the new spin-off/prequel film “Bumblebee” (which hands the filmmaking reigns to “Kubo and the Two Strings” director Travis Knight), there are many scenes where giant robots fight each other, and in those scenes, you can actually see what’s happening. The Autobots and Decepticons toss each other around with slick judo-like moves and blast each other with abandon, and the cinematography and editing hold still long enough to let you enjoy each moment.The Los Angeles Times - Justin Chang“Bumblebee,” for its part, has just enough wit, playfulness and charm to develop a voice of its own, which is no small thing in the context of a flashy, lunkheaded studio franchise (albeit one whose commercial supremacy is no longer a certainty). The relatively intimate scale of this picture offers a welcome reassertion of the less-is-more principle. It’s startling to see the delicacy of the rapport between the two leads — a delicacy thrown into relief by a tense, humorous sequence in which Bumblebee accidentally lays waste to an entire house — and realize just how little the five earlier “Transformers” movies invested in the human element, how rarely they captured the simple wonderment of cross-species bonding.Uproxx - Mike RyanThe first five minutes of Bumblebee made me cheer and applaud more than any five-minute sequence in a would-be blockbuster movie this year. These first five minutes are basically Transformers porn for anyone who has ever wanted to see the mid-80s, Generation One version of the Transformers on a movie theater screen.Variety - Peter DebrugeStill, while it’s easy to pick on Bay, “Bumblebee” benefits enormously from creative decisions that have come before: the robot designs, the basic sound effects, the warm, vaguely gold-burnished look of DP Enrique Chediak’s live-action footage — all of these things trace back to the template Bay set in the previous five films. And, of course, Bay risked his reputation making a movie based on a popular ’80s toy franchise, where the pitch to audiences at the time was basically the notion that if any director could make those ridiculous robots look cool in live action, it was the man whose every movie looks like a super-polished car commercial. “Bumblebee” shows that there’s room for a bit more nuance within the formula, but if you break it down, this relatively enjoyable film is made entirely from recycled parts.The Wrap - William Bibbiani“Bumblebee” is, again and easily, the best “Transformers” movie. Heck, it’s probably the only genuinely good “Transformers” movie, with nary a caveat to be found. But it’s also a lively and earnest 1980s nostalgia trip, made with affection for the era and its characters and its soundtracks and its storytelling styles and, yes, even its toys. If this is where the new “Transformers” franchise is headed, then let the transformation continue. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2C0cwd3
No comments:
Post a Comment