'Bumblebee' Review

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, 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 Volkswagen bug. There's more than meets the eye. 

Bumblebee is the sixth live-action Transformers film, but the first to center around a particular Transformer and not be helmed by the explosion-obsessed "American auteur" Michael Bay (as Patrick Willems referred to him in his two-part video essay detailing Bay's filmography). Previously, each film was titled "Transformers: [insert vague, generic subtitle here]" and played almost exclusively to Bay's sensibilities by incorporating slow-motion, explosions, American iconography, obnoxious product placement, and plenty instances of crude, tasteless humor. While I wouldn't go as far to say Bumblebee excludes all these elements, those which remain are gratefully down-played. Bumblebee makes a conscious effort to differentiate itself from what came before but strangely acknowledges specific canon from Bay's series while also breaking that continuity. Needless to say, it was left unclear whether this was meant to merely be a soft reboot or hard reset on the franchise. I hope to see Paramount and Hasbro scrap Bay's series entirely and rebuild the franchise on this stronger foundation, but I suppose box office receipts will dictate what direction they choose. 

"So what makes this go around so different?" you may ask. Simple, Paramount hired a director who actually cares about the human characters as well as Autobots. Travis Knight, who recently astounded me with his stop-motion directorial debut Kubo and the Two Strings, allows the franchise to take a breather in a smaller-scaled story. Though the fate of Earth is certainly at stake, the action takes a backseat to story and character (antithetical to Bay's five films). Christina Hodson's screenplay and story, which includes uncredited contributions from The Edge of Seventeen writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig, are very Spielbergian and reminiscent of other genre films such as The Iron Giant or Spielberg's own E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. I'm not the first to make those comparisons, and I won't be the last! However, I feel that can be forgiven in lieu of Bumblebee being the first Transformers film to shine its heart from its headlights (If that makes no sense, I was trying to find a Transformer equivalent to "wears its heart on its sleeve"). 

Though Knight doesn't radicalize the series' action since most of it's essentially still robots punching each other, the Generation One-inspired redesigns make it much easier to differentiate the characters, and the action is shot and edited in such a way that you can follow what's happening. Additionally, the transformation sequences are much less convoluted and more aesthetically pleasing than Bay's nonsensical machinations. The visual effects were also quite good as Bumblebee and the other Transformers were convincing onscreen CG-characters.

However, it's the titular character that helps shape the franchise into a superior form. In my opinion, Bumblebee was always one of the better elements of Bay's Transformers movies, and I actually liked his relationship with Sam Witwicky, but that was always overshadowed by the spectacle, world-ending scenarios, and lots of lore before the character was eventually relegated to the background. Here, those storytelling devices are stowed in the trunk and carefully unpackaged in a bearable, easy-to-understand manner. Therefore, the central dynamic between Charlie and Bumblebee is given more attention, and the film's all the better for it! Bee's a charming character and source of comic relief, so seeing more screen time dedicated to him was a very refreshing change of pace from what came before. 

In the lead role of Charlie, Hailee Steinfeld continues her streak of excellent performances and really sells Bumblebee's presence through her expressions and interactions with the Autobot. As I've touched on already, the bond between her and Bumblebee is really the film's selling point. Unlike Bay's protagonists, she's not necessarily shoehorned into the action (while she's sometimes around the explosions and bot brawls, she's never unrealistically fighting them like Witwicky and Yeager would). In fact, Bumblebee makes a point to keep her away from it for her own protection. Steinfeld imbues Charlie with a scrappy, go-getter attitude which makes her a very likable lead character. Acting opposite her, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. does a fine job as Memo I suppose. To be honest, I found his character somewhat obnoxious and he felt like a studio-mandated love interest/friend to Charlie so she wouldn't seem like such a loner.

Lastly, there's the military and Decepticons. I'll start off by saying the U.S. government was far too trusting and a bit dimwitted, to a cartoonish degree at times. John Cena portrays Jack Burns as the agency's head authoritative figure. While kinda cheesy, Cena sells his physicality as an intimidating antagonist of sorts and most of his humor lands. Meanwhile, Justin Theroux and Angela Bassett voice the two Decepticons hunting Bumblebee. They admittedly amount to little more than one-dimensional bad guys, but they serve their narrative purpose well. 

Since this week is packed with new releases, I'll briefly offer my recommendation as to what you should seek first. Between Aquaman, Bumblebee, and Mary Poppins Returns, I personally preferred Mary Poppins Returns over the others, but enjoyed them all. If you like musicals or are a huge fan of the original 1964 Disney classic, I encourage you to see that sequel. Looking for a blockbuster with heart, watch Bumblebee. Want a superhero movie with loads of visual spectacle, I urge you to see Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse... Didn't expect that, did you? In all seriousness, Aquaman is going to make Warner Bros. waves of money regardless of whether you see it this weekend. With that in mind, I'd encourage you to watch the others first depending on what you're most interested in, as they're all going to cannibalize each other and the weekend box office projections of those films are rather puny in comparison.

Though derivative of many other "human and their otherworldly friend" stories, Bumblebee is quite charming and puts a fresh coat of paint on live-action Transformers. The little yellow fellow truly transformed this franchise for the better!

Film Assessment: B

'The LEGO Ninjago Movie' Review

[This review was originally written in September 2017 and is now being published to coincide with the digital home media release. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

The LEGO Ninjago Movie centers on a surely standard teenage mini-fig named Lloyd. But as it turns out, Lloyd is not normal. His dad, Garmadon, is a maniacal overlord and Lloyd is secretly the Green Ninja, leader of a team of LEGO teenage ninjas who fight to keep the city of Ninjago out of Garmadon's grasp. When Lloyd decides he's had enough of his troubled life, he uses the "Ultimate Weapon" to try and stop Garmadon once and for all. Unfortunately, this "Ultimate Weapon" (a laser pointer) brings the fierce feline Meowthra to wreck havoc across Ninjago. It's then up to Lloyd and his friends to take part in a long, perilous journey of self-enlightenment to find the "Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon" so they can free Ninjago from Meowthra's CAT-astrophic claws...

The LEGO Ninjago Movie is essentially the third entry in Warner Bros. Animation's LEGO franchise of films, currently comprised of The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie, and the one least reliant on a pre-established Intellectual Property. Sure, there's already pre-existing LEGO sets along with an animated television series on Cartoon Network called LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu, but you'll have no idea what Ninjago is unless you're a kid that watches the show and plays with the toys. In comparison to the previous LEGO movies, this was the one I was least looking forward to due to my unfamiliarity with the world and characters. However, I grew more optimistic in my anticipation for The LEGO Ninjago Movie because both The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie were great.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie marks the feature length directorial debut of Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher, and Bob Logan with a script penned by a collaborative brain trust of screenwriters who I won't expand upon simply because listing the names of nine writers is a bit excessive. While the beat-by-beat plot points of The LEGO Ninjago Movie are certainly conventional and it's seems like The LEGO Ninjago Movie was carefully constructed using a LEGO Movie instruction manual for reference, the spin-off distinguishes itself by paying homage to martial arts movies of the past in the same manner The LEGO Batman Movie honored the Caped Crusader's history. 

I wouldn't go as far to saying The LEGO Ninjago Movie used this style to the fullest, but it certainly made the film more interesting in spite of feeling formulaic. There's very little in The LEGO Ninjago Movie that you haven't seen elsewhere, but the common quirks of the LEGO-verse ease the tirades of tired tropes. It's elements like the blend of a live action cat running amuck in an animated LEGO city that make The LEGO Ninjago Movie enjoyable. The LEGO Ninjago Movie is also bolstered by a tremendous team of animators with a keen eye for detail. Keeping in line with its predecessors, The LEGO Ninjago Movie bears resemblance to a LEGO stop-motion feature as every character exhibits the authentic movement of an actual LEGO mini-figure. At this point the animation technique has been demonstrated twice already, and I'm still astounded by the facets and features Warner Bros. Animation have to offer.

Meanwhile, Dave Franco and Justin Theroux stand-out most among the cast due to the amusing interplay between their characters. Even though the fundamentals of their dynamic have been seen countless times already, Franco and Theroux are able to elevate the satire of father/son relationships with excellent comedic timing that provides tiny twists on the typical connection.

Jackie Chan puts forth two performances in the film, voicing Master Wu in addition to appearing in live-action form as a sagely shopkeeper. Neither of Chan's characters exceed the accustomed archetype of the wise mentor figure, but Chan fits both roles well. Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña, Zach Woods, Fred Armisen, and Abbi Jacobson fill out the cast as Lloyd's ninja crew (Jay, Kai, Zane, Cole, and Nya), but are unfortunately just around to spout crazy quips and silly zingers. None of the characters are really fleshed out beyond this, so their presence feels very forced at times.

In conclusion, The LEGO Ninjago Movie pales in comparison to its predecessors due to a lack of a unique identity. However, despite the fact that The LEGO Ninjago Movie is the least well-constructed of the LEGO movies released thus far, the film is entertaining enough on its own right and holds itself together as a cute, charming animated feature. 

Film Assessment: B-

'The Girl on the Train' Review

The Girl on the Train is the latest suspenseful novel to be adapted to the silver screen and tells of Rachel, a girl who takes a daily commute on a train and peers into the passing communities crafting her own picturesque fantasies of the passerby's lives. A series of tangled events unfold and suddenly Rachel finds herself amidst a missing persons case that oddly involves many of those she's glimpsed upon in the train. 

I'm being purposely vague considering The Girl on the Train's reliance and heavy abundance of twists and turns. The Girl on the Train was deemed by many before it's release to be this year's Gone Girl and after seeing it I can confirm there are some thematic parallels, similar plot points, and both have their fair share of shocking plot twists. Otherwise, they're vastly different films/novels with scarce similarities. 

Tate Taylor directs the dramatic thriller and with cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen frames some compelling visuals of the intricate events with a more muted color palette added in post production. Taylor successfully invokes suspense, but in some of the film's more bizarre moments fails to portray the actors in a sincere demeanor. Danny Elfman synth-driven compositions are an appropriate accompaniment to the melodrama and leave a lasting effect of anxiety throughout. I was shocked to learn the film's score was from Dany Elfman because typically his scores are more extraordinary while this orchestration consisted of fairly good run-of-the mill compositions. 

The screenplay penned by Erin Cressida Wilson adapting Paula Hawkins' novel manages to put the audience on the edge of their seat, but find itself muddled in non-chronological storytelling. The script occasionally flashes back to provide glimpses of the characters' background and the flashbacks are evident but the return to the present day was inconspicuous. The plot twists found in the screenplay range from predictable to surprising, but most typically the latter. The first act makes the lead female characters quite unsympathetic by painting them in a negative light, making the characters feel cold and distant, and it's only in the second act that the characters are redeemed. 

With name talent in the three lead female roles I was psyched to see what these actresses would have to offer consider how impressed I've been with much of their recent work where they each had scene stealing turns (i.e. Rebecca Ferguson in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Hayley Bennet in The Magnificent Seven (2016), and Emily Blunt in a great number of things including Sicario, Live. Die. Repeat., and Into The Woods). 

However, it turned out that Emily Blunt was the only one to make any impression here. Blunt handles the unreliable characterization of Rachel exceptionally well. Blunt perfectly embodies an emotionally vulnerable, fractured alcoholic and showcases a wide acting range that I feel would be worthy of an Oscar nomination if the Best Actress race weren't so crowded this year. 

Hayley Bennet plays Megan as over-sexualized in surprisingly specific strokes that the role calls for and Rebecca Ferguson's Anna is a thinly sketched concerned wife and mother. Both are fine in the capacity used but neither actress lived up to their true potential in my eyes when their previous performances are taken into consideration but I feel that it's either a result of the lacking source material or poor direction. The other supporting performances are hardly worth mentioning, for either lack of effort or minimal screen time, but include Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Édgar Ramírez, and Allison Janey. 

In summary, The Girl on the Train is filled with bland performances, mediocre direction, and it's all headed by a messy screenplay. The Girl on the Train's saving graces are an outstanding performance from Emily Blunt, a Danny Elfman score, and some unforeseen plot twists but it's not quite enough for me to recommend you see in theaters, if you're truly interested check it out with the home media release.

Film Assessment: C+