Is Bumblebee finally going to be a Transformers movie that satisfies all the G1 fans? Or is the trailer just fan service to get us fans salivating, while setting us up for another debacle of explosions, plot holes, and more people than robots?
With Michael Bay out and Travis Knight in as director, I feel like we have hope. And the fact that the trailer features 5+ Transformers characters that look to be close to G1 form made me squeal a little bit when I watched it.
According to IMDB the new movie follows this plot:
“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.”
We can assume this is a solo story that is likely a prequel to Bay’s Transformer movies. And the look of Bumblebee as well as the Decepticon villains hunting him down are very true to what Bay’s Transformers looked like.
However, then we get shots from what appears to be the War on Cybertron! Including a glimpse of Optimus Prime with a face mask and sans flames (Plus, the soothing heroic voice of Peter Cullen), Shockwave (looking straight-out-of-the-comics), Starscream as a red and gray fighter jet (Flanked by, I’m assuming, Skywarp and RamJet or Thrust?), and Soundwave (tape deck and all) releasing Ravage for an attack.
My one big beef is that I still don’t see Frank Welker anywhere in the credits, meaning that he won’t be voicing Soundwave or Megatron. *Tear.*
Is your inner G1 Transformer fan all giddy now? Check out these screen grabs from the trailer:
[Paramount Pictures, YouTube]
[Paramount Pictures, YouTube]
[Paramount Pictures, YouTube]
[Paramount Pictures, YouTube]
[Paramount Pictures, YouTube]
I’ve been increasingly let down by the previous five TF movies, but this trailer gives me hope that the franchise can be saved and could spawn other G1 characters on the big screen. If it turns out to be a crappy plotless action flick that features a bunch of human-on-human drama with some robots as a side story, I’m not going to be happy.
But hopefully, HOPEFULLY, Paramount Pictures heeded some of Prime’s advice and learned from past mistakes.
“Do not forget what you have learned of our past, Rodimus. From its lessons the future is forged.” –Optimus Prime
“Bumblebee” hits theaters this Christmas. Roll out!
