Bumblebee
Bumblebee
Regie:
Travis KnightDrehbuch:
Christina HodsonKamera:
Enrique ChediakMusik:
Dario MarianelliBesetzung:
Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Pamela Adlon, Jason Drucker, Dylan O'Brien, Justin Theroux, Angela Bassett (mehr)Inhalte(1)
Im Jahr 1987 findet der Transformer Bumblebee Zuflucht auf einem Schrottplatz in Kalifornien. In der sonnigen Ortschaft lebt auch Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), die kurz davor steht, 18 Jahre alt zu werden, ihren Platz in der Welt allerdings noch nicht gefunden hat. Dafür findet sie den beinahe zerstörten Bumblebee und erweckt ihn zu neuem Leben. Die Jugendliche staunt allerdings nicht schlecht, als das von ihr gerettete Auto sich nicht als normaler gelber VW-Käfer entpuppt. (Constantin Film AT)
(mehr)Kritiken (10)
Bumblebee is something like E.T., but with a transformer instead of an extraterrestrial: an outsider without a father or friends finds a kindred “spirit” in a visitor from outer space. The whole film is set in the American suburbs in the 1980s, which, in addition to numerous hit songs of that decade, also involves watching Alf on television and a reference to The Breakfast Club. Like the early films from Amblin, it works flawlessly, without slowing down and without a scene that would sooner or later fail to find its justification in the overall structure of the narrative. Though Travis Knight does not offer such uncluttered and spectacular 3D action scenes as Bay, he dedicates much more time and space to the characters, whose actions have comprehensible motivations and are easy to connect with on an emotional level (yes, that includes Bumblebee). The film very skillfully avoids having the protagonist resolve all of her problems (low self-confidence, no friends, longing for her father) by means of getting a car. Thanks to the adventure experienced, she finds the necessary resources within herself. In the “blockbuster for the whole family” category, there is not much to complain about in this film. A very pleasant surprise. 80%
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Given how disappointed I was with the second instalment of Transformers, the four stars I’m giving to this flick are quite an improvement. The authors went back to basics and delivered an incredibly simple story, whose script however contains everything I need to grow fond of Bee and enjoy some plot twists. While watching this movie, I realized that today’s blockbusters usually lack a certain charm that would make them stand out from the average and arouse some emotions in me. This film succeeded in doing so, even though I didn’t expect it to. Of course the 1980s feel, so popular in these days, played a huge part in that. Plus I must say that John Cena was a great casting choice. I hope to see him in more movies.
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This was really good, and if Transformers continues in this form, I'll be happy to go see it. Travis Knight has handled the move from animation to live-action CGI spectacle flawlessly, and he's absolutely confident in the action scenes – which are considerably clearer than in any of the Transformers sequels. They're also usually significantly smaller, of course, but again, in one-on-one fights, you get to enjoy the robot MMA considerably more, and when it comes to epic battles of armies, there's plenty to watch too, and it's never a mess. In fact, after the opening scene, I was thinking that I wouldn't mind at all if Knight actually ended up directing the third Guardians of the Galaxy. But what's especially nice is the fact that the film isn't afraid to slow down and tackle the characters, both the human and transformer ones. Bumblebee relies on a nice 80s atmosphere, a fun soundtrack and the feel of adventure films like the ones Steven Spielberg made in that decade. Besides, Hailee Steinfeld does a fine job as both a selfless teenager and a determined heroine, and John Cena doesn't get in the way either. It looks good, it's good to watch, and it's just long enough, though it could have been paced a little more briskly in the middle section. The phrase "less is sometimes more" applies 100% here, and this is by far the best film in the Transformers franchise after the first. As it stands, Transformers still has a lot to offer, so hopefully people will go see it. Although I understand that after The Last Knight, what I write here is probably hard to believe. But give it a chance, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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Der Film bemüht sich nur allzu sehr, Emotionen wieder in Schwung zu bringen und zeitgleich an den derzeitigen Trend zurück in die 80er Jahre zu folgen. Er sehnt sich so sehr danach, "süß" und beseelt zu sein, bis das Ganze zu einer seelenlosen Schematik wird. Alles ist hier so prunkvoll wie nach einem Handbuch zusammengestellt, dass man über ein Problem miteinander kommunizieren muss. Außerdem, sofern jemand Bay auslacht, dass seine weiblichen Heldinnen künstlich an muteten, so handelt es sich hierbei um eine Künstlichkeit anderer Art - Charlie ist als eingefleischte Außenseiterin mit Emotionen so konsequent konstruiert, dass ihr Schwanken zwischen Teenagerangst und Traurigkeit rein roboterhaft klingt. Und ähnlich verhält es sich mit der ständigen Einbeziehung der 80er Realien und Referenzen darauf, was passiert. Ich verstehe es, dass die Naivität ein Markenzeichen von Jugendfilmen ist, aber auch die kann man so drehen, damit sie nicht wie das Ergebnis einer Fokusgruppensitzung wirken. Leider klingt aber Bumblebee gerade so. Ein Plus jedoch für Cameo Optima und den ungewollt lustigen John Cena. Ich logge mich hiermit aus dieser Serie heraus und werde mich mit Freude an Bay‘s totale Soziopathie in den letzten Folgen erinnern. Sie war in gewisser Hinsicht anregender als dieser farbenfrohe nostalgische Schrottplatz.
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By far the best (and clearest!) Film of the Transformer Universe. Which, on the other hand, does not say much about the qualities, as it is still a reprehensibly dressed uniform “wannabe consumer mix of ETho / Iron Giant / Herbie", from which it is difficult (if at all) to recall a specific scene or emotions. So, beyond the philosophical inquiries of inquisitive children, is it not too late four days before Christmas to write / draw and deliver a new letter to Santa, because “The bumblebee from the best film in the world" has to be under the tree, that´s for sure. However, Santa Claus was counting on this, so he can confirm first-hand that even an adult will have more fun with a plastic Bumblebee than with those two hours of CGI footage.
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The Transformers under Michael Bay's control seemed to have grown stale and overwrought, no one really cared about them anymore, but newcomer Travis Knight made Bumblebee a very enjoyable film. Bumblebee is 80's retro as fuck, with an excellent 80's soundtrack, the amazing Hailee Steinfeld, who is turning out to be a great actress and singer, and it was a delight to see John Cena as a soldier. Bumblebee himself is as cute as ever. There's not so much action though, the film is more intimate, fateful, emotional and atmospheric, yet when it comes to the action it's filmed clearly, briskly and confidently. The scene where Bee escapes from the garage to her apartment is one of the film's funniest. Not a huge hit, but the Transformers franchise is going in the right direction and it definitely works much better that way. 75%
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“Don't you forget about me.” “U WISH” or it is paradoxical that, similarly as Bumblebee himself mixes his comments from radio broadcasts, the film makes it possible to string together quotes to form a review, which unfortunately is not in any way ecstatic. That, however, is a pity and a shame, as the director’s name, or rather his preceding filmography, offered high hopes, and that’s not even to mention the brilliant first trailer, which, as it turns out, offers a more intense spectacle and thus greater promise than the film itself. Whether Travis Knight gave in to pressure from the producers, who wanted a polished product, or is simply a solid director in the sense of an organiser who is only as good as the sum of his collaborators, the sad truth remains that he did not live up to the expectation that he would pull the transformers out of the gluttonous irrationality of Bayhem – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2THVvshvq0Q – and give them heart and emotion. On the contrary, in light of the insipid and mediocre result that merely checks off all of the safe and necessary attributes of a family blockbuster, it shows that, whether you like it or not, Michael Bay is simply unique in his style of spectacular excess and bloated consumerism and, thanks to his overblown ego, he remains such a strong personality that he is able to add a certain distinctiveness to cock-and-bull stories about cars concealing their faces. Though his films are overwhelming for viewers, they remain unforgettable in their own way, which unfortunately is not true of Bumblebee’s solo outing. While we’re on the topic of memory and forgetting, those comprise the central motif of the film. It is essential that this plot diversion is framed by the autobot’s loss of memory, thanks to which it can, well, transform from a cool fighting machine into a cute and cuddly pet for a while, which, incidentally, contributes to one of the really outstanding elements of the film, which is the flawless animation of the titular protagonist. Even though this standard series script element did not give rise to any sort of exceptional contribution in the context of the franchise’s transformers, it still would have been nice if the creators of other franchises adopted it, because it could, for example, bring a breath of refreshing exaggeration to excessively serious comic-book films. In fact, this may also comprise one of the reasons that Bumblebee does not bring forth the longed-for refresh, because the franchise itself or, better said, its dominant form established by Bay cannot be taken seriously. ___ PS: If only the producers and distributors would finally dump the nonsensical 3D in films that are not designed to be 3D movies. With its few characters, Bumblebee is just such a small film that prefers half-details over grand scenes (and grand scenes come across as hopelessly empty in it), so it doesn’t have anything to show in 3D. With a few distinct exceptions, the attraction of 3D has always been merely as a way to justify higher ticket prices and artificially inflate a film’s box-office revenues, but the producer of Bumblebee didn’t even try to justify it with at least one scene or shot where there would be some sort of rationale for the 3D effect.
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I didn't expect to be able to sell Trasformers as a fairy tale to my daughter, but I did! Dumb Bumblebee with no memory won her over by being scared, dancing and spitting tapes of crappy music. Travis Knight returned the brand to its roots and instead of Bayhem, he offers a nice story about a young girl's relationship with her VW Beetle. Hailee Steinfeld is very good, so is John Cena, and the others don't really need to be mentioned, except for my friend Paul, who almost destroyed the planet with his trust in bad aliens. Great action, nice music, bring in the sequel.
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Nach dem ersten Film, bei dem der direkte Einfluss von Steven Spielberg klar zu sehen war, und nach dem erfrischenden vierten Teil ist für mich dieser Film der drittbeste Beitrag zu der ganzen Metalliclack-Saga. Bei Bumblebee, der auf Spielberg nur hier und da verweist, gefällt mir am meisten, dass er eine echte Seele hat. Die Hauptheldin ist diesmal nicht nur schön, sie spielt auch auf eine natürliche und glaubhafte Art und Weise. Ziemlich neu war für mich auch das, dass ich geglaubt habe, dass zwischen ihr und dem lebendigen gelben Volkswagen wirklich eine Freundschaft entstanden ist. Das war für mich wichtiger als die sonst ziemlich lächerliche Geschichte mit den Menschen, welche auf die Schuften hereingefallen sind (obwohl sie Agent Burns, dargestellt von John Cena, sehr lobenswert herabgesetzt hat, wann immer er dazu eine Gelegenheit hatte). Die Trickszenen waren diesmal nicht übertrieben, was mir gefallen hat (wenn ich mich daran erinnere, wie mich mit ihnen Michael Bay zum letzten Mal buchstäblich erschlagen hat, ist mir immer noch ein bisschen schlecht). Nur die Musik von Dario Marianelli hat mich enttäuscht – meiner Meinung nach war sein Engagement eine ziemlich seltsame Wahl. Egal, was ich über Steve Jablonsky denke – sein Hauptmotiv würde ich gern hören.
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Von der Transformers-Saga habe ich nur den ersten Film von 2007 in der Zeit des Kinostarts gesehen, also war Bumblebee für mich eine Rückkehr zur Filmreihe nach mehr als einem Jahrzehnt. Glücklicherweise ist Bumblebee im Vergleich zu Bays Filmen nicht mit visuellen Effekten und Explosionen überladen, so dass das Ganze transparenter wirkt und nicht auf den Augen schmerzt. Im Grunde ist es ein ziemlich einfacher Film mit einer geradlinigen Handlung und einem klaren Schluss, der durch die Hauptfiguren und den 80er-Jahre-Look unverhohlen an E.T. erinnert, aber er war trotzdem nett anzusehen, die Handlung war flüssig, die Actionszenen funktionierten, es gab die eine oder andere lustige Szene und einen bescheidenen Platz für Beziehungs- und Familienthemen. Ein unprätentiöser Entspannungsfilm für die ganze Familie, der vor allem dadurch überrascht, wie sympathisch und angenehm er gefilmt ist.
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